Spanish Nationality Law - Spanish Nationality By Naturalisation and Residence

Spanish Nationality By Naturalisation and Residence

Spanish nationality can be acquired by naturalisation, which is given only at the discretion of the government through a Royal Decree, and under exceptional circumstances. Any individual can request the Spanish nationality by naturalisation, as long as he or she is 18 years or older, or through a legal representative if he or she is younger.

Under Article 22, Spanish nationality can also be acquired by residence in Spain. To apply for naturalisation by residence it is necessary for the individual to have lived in Spain for:

• ten years, or
• five years if the individual is a refugee, or
• two years if the individual is a national of a country of Iberoamerica, Andorra, Philippines, Equatorial Guinea, Portugal, or
• one year for those individuals:
  • born in Spanish territory, or
  • those who did not exercise their right to their nationality by option within the established period of time, or
  • those who had been under legal tutelage or protection of a Spanish citizen or institution for two consecutive years,
  • those who had been married for one year to a Spanish national and are not separated legally or de facto, or
  • those widowers of a Spanish national if at the time of death they had not been legally or de facto separated, or
  • those born outside of Spain, if one of their parents or grandparents had been originally Spanish (i.e. Spanish by origin).

Nationals of Iberoamerica, Andorra, Philippines, Equatorial Guinea and Portugal must be natural born citizens of their respective countries. That is, individuals who acquire the nationality of the said countries by naturalisation would still have to live ten years in Spain before applying for nationality by residence.