Citizenship for Expats in Spain

Information about residency and citizenship for expatriates living in Spain.

After you have been a resident of Spain for two to ten years (depending on the circumstances under which you got your residency), you have the right to apply for citizenship. Once your application is approved, you swear allegiance to the King and to the Spanish Constitution. The public body in charge of citizenship is the Ministerio de Justicia; the place to apply is the Registro Civil.

You must technically renounce citizenship with your country of origin (unless you’re from Latin America, Portugal, Philippines, Ecuatorial Guinea, Andorra, or you’re a Sephardic Jew). In practice, countries do not generally exchange this information, so as long as you don’t show both passports at the airport, you won’t get in trouble.

Is it worth getting citizenship? The main difference is you can get a passport and the right to vote, though there are many minor advantages (EU citizen rates for museums, etc.)

Last updated 03 04 2006

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