Spanish citizenship by residence: how to apply on your own

Spanish citizenship by residence: 15 steps

1. Work out your residence period

   Find out which period under article 22 of the Código Civil applies to you: 10, 5, 2 years or 1 year. The period counts legal residence, not the date you first arrived.

   • Checked my grounds against the table above
   • For a shorter period, found the document: marriage certificate, birth certificate, refugee status decision
   • Worked out the date from which I can apply: how many years to citizenship

   Where: Código Civil, article 22Timing: before collecting documentsCost: free

   When you need help: a one-year ground through ancestors or guardianship, or a disputed period. Show such cases to a citizenship lawyer.

2. Check that your residence is legal and continuous

   The law requires legal, continuous residence immediately before the application. It does not give a figure for acceptable absences, so long trips abroad and gaps between permits are reviewed before applying.

   • Listed all residence permits and renewals with start and end dates
   • Checked for gaps between the expiry of one card and the renewal application
   • Listed my trips out of Spain from passport stamps and tickets: absence from Spain and status
   • On the day I apply I hold a valid residence permit or long-term residence

   Where: your resolutions, TIE, passportTiming: before applyingCost: free

   When you need help: there were periods without status, long absences or changes of grounds with gaps.

3. Pass DELE A2 or confirm your exemption

   The regulation (Real Decreto 1004/2015, article 6) requires a DELE diploma at A2 level or higher. Exempt are nationals of the Spanish-speaking countries listed in article 6 and people who already hold DELE A2 or higher; a DELE diploma does not expire.

   • Checked whether my nationality is on the exemption list
   • Booked the exam at an Instituto Cervantes centre in Barcelona or another city
   • Saved the certificate as a PDF for upload

   Where: Instituto Cervantes, exam centresTiming: according to the exam calendarCost: see the Instituto Cervantes page

   When you need help: you cannot read and write, or you have a disability. Special conditions apply, so check the procedure in advance. More details: CCSE and DELE A2.

4. Pass the CCSE

   The CCSE tests knowledge of Spain’s Constitution, history and culture. Registration costs €85 and gives up to two attempts if you fail the first or do not turn up. Results arrive in about 20 days, and the certificate is valid for citizenship for 4 years.

   • Checked the exemptions: minors, people whose legal capacity has been limited by a court, holders of a Spanish ESO certificate
   • Prepared with the official Instituto Cervantes manual
   • Planned to apply within 4 years of passing

   Where: Instituto CervantesTiming: exams almost every month, results in about 20 daysCost: €85 (since 2023)

   When you need help: usually you don’t; you can realistically do this step yourself.

5. Get your birth certificate with an apostille and a sworn translation

   The regulation requires a birth certificate from your country of origin, legalised and translated where necessary. For Hague Convention countries, the apostille replaces legalisation.

   • Got the certificate (or a duplicate) from the authority in my country of birth
   • Got an apostille or completed consular legalisation: apostille on certificates
   • Ordered a sworn translation from a translator on Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs list

   Where: civil registry office or archive in the country of birth, sworn translatorTiming: depends on the issuing countryCost: apostille and translation at the providers’ rates

   When you need help: the spelling of your name differs in the certificate, or the document was issued by a state that no longer exists.

6. Get a criminal record certificate from your country of origin

   Adult applicants attach a criminal record certificate from their country of origin, legalised and translated (article 5 of the regulation). Refugees and people whose legal capacity has been limited by a court are exempt.

   • Ordered the certificate from the competent authority in my country
   • Got an apostille and a sworn translation
   • Checked the issue date so the certificate is still valid when I apply: criminal record certificate

   Where: authorities of your country of citizenship, consulateTiming: depends on the countryCost: issuing country’s rates

   When you need help: the certificate shows entries, even spent ones, or you cannot get it from your country.

7. Deal with the Spanish criminal record certificate

   The Spanish certificate is not on the article 5 document list: under article 8, the Ministry of Justice itself requests the mandatory report from the Ministry of the Interior. If the authority asks for the certificate separately, you can get it online.

   • Checked the document list in the application form on the sede
   • I know how to get the certificate if there is a requerimiento: certificado de antecedentes penales

   Where: Ministry of Justice, sedeTiming: when the authority asksCost: see the authority’s page

   When you need help: you have had fines, arrests or open cases in Spain, as these affect the assessment of “good conduct”.

8. Get a registration certificate (padrón)

   A volante or certificado de empadronamiento confirms your address and years of residence; in Barcelona it is issued by the Ajuntament. The regulation does not include it in the mandatory list, but your address determines which Registro Civil handles the oath, and the certificate is useful for a requerimiento and for the DNI.

   • Checked that I am registered at my current address
   • Requested a certificate with my address history: volante in Barcelona

   Where: Ajuntament de Barcelona (municipal rule)Timing: for the DNI, issued within the last three monthsCost: see the Ajuntament page

   When you need help: you do not live at your registered address, or you were not registered for part of the period.

9. Gather proof of integration and means

   Article 22 requires sufficient integration, and the regulation proves it through the exams and the documents in article 6. The regulation has no closed list of evidence of means or employment, so prepare in advance whatever shows your life in Spain.

   • Employment history (vida laboral) or proof of income and pension
   • Tax returns and no debts to the state
   • For children: certificates from their school or education centre (article 6)

   Where: Seguridad Social, Agencia Tributaria, education centresTiming: before applyingCost: see the authorities’ pages

   When you need help: you have no stable income or have tax debts. Go through this with a gestor before applying.

10. Pay the fee with form 790, code 026

    The fee to start the procedure is €104.05 and is updated by the budget law. Form 790 is downloaded from the Ministry of Justice sede; each form has its own number, so you cannot reuse a copy.

    • Downloaded form 790 with code 026 from the sede
    • Paid at a bank or online and kept the receipt
    • I understand the fee does not cover DELE and CCSE

    Where: Ministry of Justice sede, bankTiming: before applyingCost: €104.05

    When you need help: usually you don’t; check the amount on the sede before paying.

11. Apply through the Ministry of Justice sede

    The procedure is electronic at every stage (article 3 of the regulation). You apply yourself with a digital certificate or Cl@ve; otherwise a representative applies on your behalf (mandato o poder). A draft application is kept for two months and then deleted.

    • Got a digital certificate or Cl@ve: Cl@ve and Mi Carpeta Ciudadana
    • Scanned the passport, birth certificate, criminal record certificate, DELE and CCSE certificates and the 790 receipt
    • Signed and submitted the application, saved the case number
    • If a representative applies, gave them a signed poder: certificate and representative

    Where: sede.mjusticia.gob.esTiming: drafts are deleted after 2 monthsCost: the fee from step 10

    When you need help: you have no certificate or Cl@ve, or you are unsure about your documents. Applying through a representative is safer.

12. Respond to requerimientos

    If the file is incomplete, the authority will send a request (requerimiento). You have three months from notification to reply; otherwise the applicant is treated as having withdrawn the application (article 10 of the regulation).

    • I regularly check electronic notifications and the case status on the sede
    • Replied within three months and kept the confirmation
    • I understand what happens if I miss it: desistimiento and caducidad

    Where: Ministry of Justice sedeTiming: 3 months to replyCost: free

    When you need help: the request concerns conduct, criminal record or residence, not just a missing copy.

13. Wait for the decision and know the deadlines

    The decision must be made and served within one year of the application being received. If there is no reply within a year, the application is deemed refused (silencio negativo, article 11 of the regulation), and whether to appeal is decided separately.

    • Wrote down the date the application was received
    • Set a reminder for one year ahead
    • I renew my residence permit while I wait for the decision

    Where: Ministry of Justice sedeTiming: up to 1 yearCost: free

    When you need help: a year has passed with no reply, or you have been refused. Appeal deadlines are short, and you need a lawyer.

14. Take the oath before a notary or at the Registro Civil

    The decision takes effect if, within 180 days of notification, you swear or promise loyalty to the King and obedience to the Constitution and the laws, declare that you renounce your previous citizenship where this is required, and ask for the entry to be registered (article 23 of the Código Civil). Since 2021 you can choose a notary or the Registro Civil.

    • Booked an appointment with a notary or at the Registro Civil where I live
    • Prepared my passport, the resolution, birth certificate and criminal record certificate in case they are requested
    • Went through with a lawyer what renouncing my previous citizenship means under my country’s laws

    Where: notary or Registro CivilTiming: 180 days from notificationCost: ask the notary or the Registro Civil

    When you need help: renouncing your previous citizenship under article 23 has consequences under your country’s laws (property, inheritance, military service, entry). Ask a lawyer who knows the law of both countries before the oath.

15. Get registered at the Registro Civil, then get your DNI and passport

    The Registro Civil records the acquisition of citizenship. For your first DNI you need a certificación literal de nacimiento from the Spanish Registro Civil issued within the last six months and a registration certificate issued within the last three months. After the DNI you apply for a passport.

    • Got the certificación literal de nacimiento from the Registro Civil
    • Booked a DNI appointment through cita previa Policía Nacional
    • Got my Spanish passport
    • Told my bank, the Agencia Tributaria and the Seguridad Social about the new document

    Where: Registro Civil, Policía NacionalTiming: the regulation gives the Registro Civil 5 days to registerCost: for the DNI fee, see the Ministry of the Interior page

    When you need help: the registration is delayed or has errors in names and dates.