The three stages
- Temporary residence. Your first authorisation, under one of the visa routes, renewed on its own cycle.
- Long-term residence. After a qualifying period of legal residence, the right to live and work in Spain indefinitely.
- Nationality. A separate application under article 22 of the Civil Code, with its own clock.
How long the nationality clock runs
Refugees qualify at five years. In every case the residence must be legal, continuous and immediately prior to the application.
For readers from the US and the UK the honest headline is the first box: ten years. The two-year route is frequently quoted in English-language articles without the qualification that it belongs to a specific list of countries which does not include either.
The word that does the damage: continuous
More applications are lost to broken status than to any exam. A permit that lapses between renewals, a long absence, a period spent in Spain without valid authorisation — each can reset a clock people assumed was still running. It is also why the first choice of route matters: the route that is easiest to obtain is not always the one that renews cleanly for a decade.
Renunciation, stated carefully
Spanish law asks most applicants to declare renunciation of their previous nationality at the oath. The Ibero-American group and a few others are exempt; the US and the UK are not. What that declaration does to your original citizenship is decided by your country's law, not Spain's — and that is a question for a lawyer in that jurisdiction. We will not tell you it is a formality, because for some people it is not.
The exams
Applicants generally sit the CCSE test on constitutional and sociocultural knowledge, plus DELE A2 for language. Nationals of Spanish-speaking countries are exempt from the language exam. Neither is the hard part of the process; the continuity of your residence is.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to get Spanish citizenship?
The general rule under article 22 of the Civil Code is ten years of legal, continuous residence immediately before the application. There are shorter routes: five years for refugees, two years for nationals of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea and Portugal as well as Sephardic applicants, and one year in several cases including being married to a Spanish national for a year.
Do Americans and Britons get the two-year route?
No. The two-year rule is for Ibero-American countries and a short specific list. US and UK nationals fall under the general ten-year rule.
Do I have to give up my current nationality?
Spanish law asks most applicants to declare renunciation of their previous nationality when they swear the oath; nationals of the Ibero-American group and a few others are exempt. Whether that declaration actually ends your US or UK citizenship is a question of US or UK law, not Spanish law — take advice on that side before deciding.
What is the difference between permanent residence and citizenship?
Long-term residence (residencia de larga duración) lets you live and work in Spain indefinitely; citizenship makes you Spanish, with a passport and the political rights that follow. Many people stop at the first and never need the second.
Are there exams?
Applicants generally sit the CCSE test on Spanish constitutional and sociocultural knowledge, and a DELE A2 Spanish language exam. Nationals of Spanish-speaking countries are exempt from the language test.
Does the residence have to be unbroken?
Yes. Article 22 requires residence that is legal, continuous and immediately prior to the application. Gaps in status, and long absences, are what most often reset a clock people thought was running.
- Código Civil, art. 22 — nacionalidad por residencia: plazos y requisitos (BOE) in force since 1 Jan 2026
- Ministerio de Justicia — nacionalidad española por residencia in force since 1 Jan 2026
- Reglamento de Extranjería — RD 1155/2024, residencia de larga duración (BOE) in force since 1 Jan 2026