Partners and children: whose years count for what

Key rules

• Own clock: Your partner and children count years from their own permit, not from yours.
• No marriage shortcut: Marriage to a foreigner gives no shortcut, so that spouse needs 10 years for nationality.
• Children: A child does not become Spanish automatically when a parent naturalises.
• EU-family card: Years on an EU-family card count as legal residence.

The short answer

Each family member counts from the date their own permit takes effect. Your years do not transfer to your partner or children. Some shortcuts exist, but each person has their own permit type, their own start date and their own finish line.

Long-term residence for reunified family

If your spouse or child came to Spain under family reunification, they need five years of legal residence in their own right. Those years run from their own permit. The years they spend on the reunification permit do count toward their own long-term residence. Yours do not. Check with Extranjería how the 2024 transitional rules apply to your case.

Family of EU or Spanish citizens

If a family member holds an EU-family card, their years under that regime count as legal residence. They count toward the long-term permit and toward the nationality periods, as long as the residence was continuous and real. Five continuous years also give a permanent residence card under that regime. Confirm the details of your case with Extranjería.

Nationality: pick the right period for each person

The general rule is 10 years of legal residence. Shorter periods apply to specific groups:

• 5 years for people granted refugee status.
• 2 years for nationals of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea and Portugal, and for Sephardic Jews. This group needs legal residence, not just the nationality.
• 1 year for people married to a Spaniard (and not separated), and for widows or widowers of a Spaniard. Your marriage must involve real cohabitation.

Marriage to a foreigner gives no shortcut. If you are a foreigner, your spouse needs 10 years unless they fall into one of the groups above.

Children

Your child does not become Spanish automatically when you naturalise. Children can get nationality by option, or after 1 year of residence if born in Spain or under the guardianship of a Spanish body. A parent's nationality may also let a minor opt for it. Children under 14 are represented by their legal representatives. Each route has its own requirements, so ask Extranjería which one fits your child.

Tests for adults

Each adult applicant must show good civic conduct and integration. That means the CCSE test and, for most people, the DELE A2 Spanish exam. Plan these separately for each adult.

Planning your household timeline

1. Write down the date each person's own permit takes effect.
2. Add the years needed for the route that fits that person.
3. Book the tests for each adult ahead of their application date.

The checklist and the questions below cover the details.

Checklist

• Work out each family member's own start date from the date their own permit takes effect, not yours.

• Confirm that a reunified spouse or child is counting five years of legal residence from their own permit, since your years as sponsor do not transfer.

• Check whether a family member holding an EU-family card is counting those years as legal residence for the long-term permit and nationality.

• Check which nationality period fits each person: 10 years as the general rule, 5 for refugees, 2 for nationals of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea, Portugal and Sephardic Jews, or 1 for marriage to a Spaniard.

• Confirm that a spouse of a foreigner is counting 10 years, because marriage to a foreigner gives no shortcut.

• Ask Extranjería whether a child qualifies for a route by option or after 1 year of residence, if born in Spain or under Spanish guardianship.

• Plan the civic conduct and integration tests for each adult applicant, including the CCSE and, for most, the DELE A2 Spanish test.

Frequently asked questions

Does my spouse need 10 years for nationality if I am a foreigner?

Yes, a spouse of a foreigner has no shortcut and needs 10 years of their own legal residence for nationality. Only marriage to a Spanish national cuts this to 1 year of legal residence, and the marriage must involve real cohabitation.

Can my child get Spanish nationality after 1 year of residence?

Yes, but only if the child was born in Spain or is under the guardianship of a Spanish person or body. Other minors may have a route by option instead, which has its own requirements.

Does my child get Spanish nationality automatically if I naturalise?

No, minors with foreign parents do not automatically follow a parent who gains nationality. Your nationality may let the child opt for Spanish nationality, so ask about the option route once you are Spanish.

Do years on an EU-family card count toward nationality and the long-term permit?

Yes, years of legal residence under the EU-family card count as legal residence for both the long-term permit and the nationality periods. Nationality also requires that the residence was continuous and effective.