Spanish Citizenship – When can it be requested by residents?

Have you ever thought about obtaining Spanish citizenship? Especially if you have been living in the country for a long time and do not intend on changing your place of residence anymore. Or maybe you are just planning a long-term relocation to Spain?

This article is especially for you, we have put together in this article, all the ways when you can apply for citizenship, depending on your situation.

Citizenship after 10 years of residence in Spain

This is the most popular option among foreign citizens. It implies legal residence in the country for a certain number of years. All you need to do is enter the country with your residence permit and renew it as many times as necessary for your particular case.
It obliges you to stay in the country for a year from 183 days or more.

Citizenship after 5 years
Persons who have received refugee status have the right to apply for citizenship after 5 years.

Citizenship after 2 years
This privilege can be used by citizens of Latin America, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea, Portugal, as well as persons of Sephardic origin (by the way, earlier this category of people could apply for citizenship immediately).

Citizenship after 1 year
1. Children whose parents (or at least one of them) are residents are eligible for citizenship within a year under a simplified scheme. But the countdown of the coveted period begins from the date of receipt of the residence for it.
Important: this is possible until the child comes of age. Further, he himself must do this before the age of 20.
2. Persons under 18 years of age adopted by an international couple, where at least one of them is Spanish.
3. Born children in the country, whose mother and father are unknown.
4. Foreigners married to a Spanish citizen and living together for a year or more.
5. Widows and widowers of Spanish citizens who have officially lived with the deceased for at least a year and have not been divorced in fact or legally.

In order to obtain Spanish citizenship, it is important to take into account the nuances. Below are some of them:
– The countdown starts from the date of validity of your first resident card and any period of time unregulated in Spain will not be counted
– Residence permit of a student, like a tourist visa, is not taken into account when calculating days for citizenship
– It is important to control the number of days of your absence in the country

If you need advice on the issue of citizenship or help in obtaining it, sign up for Direct. Our experts will advise you, clear all your doubts and, if necessary, help you with registration from A to Z.