The Spanish passport is one of the most influential passports in the world in 2024, according to independent research by VisaGuide Passport Index and Henley & Partners.

While the main benefit of this recognition is unrestricted, visa-free access to countries around the world, Spanish citizenship can offer other advantages, especially if Spain is now your place of residence.

The benefits may vary depending on your situation, ranging from voting in national elections to facilitating the process of granting Spanish nationality to your spouse and children (if they are not Spanish). You will also be able to move and work freely throughout the European Union (EU).

However, obtaining Spanish nationality by way of residence is an arduous task for foreigners living in Spain.

It usually takes foreigners twice as long to acquire Spanish nationality by residence as in many EU countries (ten years as opposed to five).

Nationality can only be applied for after two years in countries that have special agreements with Spain, including Portugal, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea, Puerto Rico and twelve Latin American countries: Chile, Peru, Paraguay, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Bolivia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Argentina and Colombia.

There are other challenges too.

The application process is long and demanding, sometimes taking up to two years. In addition, most foreigners have to renounce their nationality in order to obtain Spanish citizenship.

If you have carefully considered the pros and cons and have decided to apply for Spanish citizenship in the near future, we can provide you with valuable tips to avoid common mistakes.

Here are eight tried and tested recommendations to help you succeed in your Spanish Nationality by Residence application.

1- Avoid spending too much time outside Spain.

Prospective migrants in Spain may not be aware that they risk losing their temporary residence status if they spend more than 6 months outside Spain in a year.

During the 5 years of validity of the temporary residence card, the total time spent outside Spain should not exceed one year, if they want to access permanent residence after 5 years of continuous residence in Spain.

For countries that have a bilateral agreement with Spain that allows their nationals to apply for nationality after 2 years residing in Spain, there is a restriction on the maximum period of time they can spend outside Spain, which is limited to 3 months per year.

2- Make sure you start looking for your birth certificate well in advance.

This is one of the documents required by the Spanish authorities when you apply for nationality. It is often difficult to obtain or find.

Some countries, such as the UK, allow you to apply online for a duplicate birth certificate if you cannot find the original. However, this is not the case in all countries. Therefore, if you are planning to apply for citizenship in the near future, it is advisable to make sure that you can obtain a copy of your birth certificate well in advance.

Remember to make sure that your birth certificate is legalised and translated.

3- Obtain a certificate of good conduct from the country where you were born or the country whose nationality you have acquired in Spain.

EU citizens can get it in Spain. However, if you are not an EU citizen, you will need to find out if you can get the certificate online or if you have to go to your home country to get it.

The certificate is usually valid for 3 months, so it is important to bear this in mind when making your arrangements.

On the other hand, the Spanish Ministry of Justice can obtain your criminal record from the time you resided in Spain, so it is no longer necessary to present this certificate, as the Ministry will check if you have a criminal record in Spain as part of its work when it reviews your file.

4- All public documents from abroad must be legalised or apostilled in the country where they were issued.

Please note that marriage certificates, birth certificates, criminal records and any other document not issued by a Spanish public authority must be formally legalised in your home country.

The responsibility for carrying out this formal validation of documents may vary depending on your home country, but it is usually entrusted to an official public body or a ministry specialising in authorisations, international cooperation or foreign affairs.

5- You will need the help of an authorised translator.

Even if you consider yourself an experienced linguist with a thorough knowledge of Spanish and your mother tongue, you will need the services of one of Spain's authorised sworn translators to complete the task for you and obtain official certification of the translated documents.

It is advisable to compare prices from different sources and ask about the translators' previous experience in translating official documents for your nationality application.

For more information on sworn translators in Spain, click here.

6- If you have taken Spanish courses at an accredited institution or have studied in Spain, you may be exempt from taking the Instituto Cervantes exams.

The Instituto Cervantes exams are the recognised means of validating the Spanish language skills of applicants for Spanish citizenship. However, you may already have another official language certificate, often the DELE, or you may have studied at a Spanish university or similar institution.

This may mean that you are exempt from taking the Instituto de Cervantes exam, which costs around 134 euros in 2024.

However, the level of Spanish required is not high: A2 (the second lowest on a scale from A1 to C2). Therefore, after ten years in Spain, you should be able to pass this level. If not, you should aim higher.

The CCSE exam, also known as the Spanish Constitution and Socio-Cultural Knowledge exam, consists of 25 multiple-choice questions. These questions test your understanding of the Spanish Constitution, society and cultural history. You have 45 minutes to answer the questions.

There are minimum documentation requirements for official procedures in Spain. However, it is possible to increase your chances of success by providing additional supporting documentation.

Although it is not advisable to overburden yourself with additional paperwork, providing additional documentation may also increase your chances of success. It is advisable to seek the help of a lawyer to assist you, as this is an important matter: obtaining Spanish nationality.

If you are a member of a sports club, cultural group or similar organisation, take advantage of this and ask for a certificate of membership. This will also help.

7- Once you have submitted your application for Spanish nationality, you will need to be patient.

Although it may not sound like pragmatic advice, I assure you that patience is essential if you want to speed up the process of obtaining Spanish nationality.

Nationality processing times vary considerably from one source to another. While some applicants have a processing time of less than 1 year, others have to wait more than 5 years for a decision.

The processing time for citizenship applications has increased compared to the past, mainly due to a significant backlog of applications. As a result, the typical waiting time for nationality cases is now estimated to be between 1 and 3 years.

The Spanish Ministry of Justice has put in place intensive plans to address the significant delays and long waiting times. However, it is not certain that they will be able to process the backlog quickly this year.

The best thing to do is to continue to enjoy life in Spain until the day you receive your long-awaited notification.

Conclusion

Although you have to live in Spain for a long time to obtain Spanish nationality, the advantages of obtaining Spanish nationality outweigh the disadvantages.

In 2023, there was a significant increase of 33% in the number of foreigners obtaining Spanish nationality. The data show that certain countries of origin and locations within Spain played a prominent role in this increase.

According to the latest statistics from the National Statistics Institute (INE), the number of people born outside Spain who acquired Spanish nationality through naturalisation increased by 32.3% in 2023, reaching a total of 240,208. Of the more than 240,000 citizenships granted, 54.8% were women and 45.2% were men.

You should consider using the services of a law firm specialising in nationality applications to obtain accurate and up-to-date information. This is advisable, as Spanish public institutions are unfortunately characterised by opacity and bureaucratic hurdles.