How long does Spanish citizenship take? Timeline, exams and oath

In short

• When to apply: the day you complete your years of legal, continuous residence (10, 5, 2 or 1, depending on your case).
• Exams: the CCSE runs monthly with results in about 20 days. The DELE A2 runs several times a year, with results in about three months.
• Filing: online, with two months to finish your draft and a €104.05 fee.
• Decision: a one-year legal deadline. No answer means refusal by silence, but the Ministry can still grant it.
• Afterwards: 180 days to take the oath, then registration at the Civil Registry, DNI and passport.

We won’t quote an average processing time we can’t verify. These are the deadlines set by law and the times published by Instituto Cervantes. Real waiting times vary with the moment and with your file.

1. When you can apply

You can apply once you have completed the full residence period that applies to you. Under article 22 of the Spanish Civil Code, that residence must be legal, continuous and immediately before your application.

• 10 years: the general rule, for example for British, American or Australian citizens.
• 5 years: refugees.
• 2 years: nationals by origin of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea or Portugal, and people of Sephardic origin.
• 1 year: cases such as being born in Spain or having been married to a Spaniard for a year.

The clock starts with your first residence permit, not with your arrival. Time as a tourist doesn’t count. Student time, in principle, doesn’t either: under the immigration regulation in force since May 2025 it is still a stay (estancia por estudios), not residence.

For example, if your legal residence began on 1 October 2017 with no gaps, under the 10-year rule you could apply from 1 October 2027. This is a hypothetical example: check your own dates.

Watch out for two things. Renewing late and spending time without a permit can break continuity. And since the law sets no maximum number of days abroad, long absences can raise questions.

If you don’t have legal residence yet, start there: arraigo (residence through ties to Spain) is one route.

2. The exams: DELE A2 and CCSE

Unless you’re exempt, you need to pass both before applying. You can upload the certificates or let the Ministry check them with Instituto Cervantes. This is the stage most worth planning.

You pass the CCSE with 15 correct answers out of 25, and the fee includes the official study manual. Places are limited and DELE registration closes weeks before the exam, so book early.

Which one first

A practical order is the DELE A2 first: results take longer and the diploma never expires. Leave the CCSE for the months before you apply, because its certificate is valid for four years.

Exemptions and waivers

• Nationals of countries where Spanish is an official language skip the DELE, but not the CCSE.
• If you passed ESO (compulsory secondary school) in Spain, you’re exempt from both, with no request needed.
• Under-18s are exempt from both.
• If you can’t read or write, or have learning difficulties, ask the Ministry for a waiver (dispensa) before applying. It has six months to decide, and no answer means no.
• For candidates who can’t read or write, Instituto Cervantes runs an oral CCSE on the last Tuesday of each month, except August and December, in Spain only.

3. Filing online

You apply through the Ministry of Justice sede electrónica (online portal), with a digital certificate or Cl@ve and the AutoFirma app. An authorised professional with an agreement with the Ministry can also file it for you.

• Two months for your draft. From the moment you create the application, you have two months to complete, sign and submit it, or it is deleted.
• Pay the fee first. €104.05 with form 790, code 026, in the applicant’s name, at a partner bank. It isn’t refunded if you’re refused.
• Scanned documents. Your full passport, your TIE (foreigner ID card), and your birth and criminal record certificates, legalised or apostilled and translated.

At this stage, foreign paperwork is usually the slow part. Apostilles, sworn translations and certificates can take weeks, depending on the country. Order them while you prepare for the exams, and check they’re still valid when you file.

4. While you wait: legal deadline, requests and silence

The Ministry has one year to decide and notify you. The year runs from when your application reaches the department handling it, the Dirección General de Seguridad Jurídica y Fe Pública.

• Requests for documents. If something is missing, you’ll get a requerimiento. You have three months to reply, or your application is treated as withdrawn. Meanwhile, the one-year clock is paused.
• Reports. The Ministry requests the reports it needs itself. A report from the Ministry of the Interior on your conduct is mandatory.
• Tracking. Check your file’s status on the online portal and look at your electronic notifications often.

What silence means

If a year passes with no answer, your application is deemed refused by administrative silence (silencio negativo). This only exists so you can appeal: through a recurso de reposición to the Ministry or in the administrative courts.

Silence doesn’t close the door. The Ministry must still decide and can grant citizenship later, without being bound by the silence. Whether to wait or appeal depends on your case, so weigh it up with a professional.

5. After approval: oath, registration, DNI and passport

1. Notification. You receive the decision granting citizenship. A deadline starts here that you must not miss.
2. Oath or promise within 180 days. Counted from the day after notification. You swear or promise allegiance to the King and obedience to the Constitution and the laws, and renounce your previous nationality if required. Miss the deadline and the grant lapses.
3. Civil Registry or notary. You can do it at the Registro Civil (Civil Registry), by appointment, or before a notary, who sends the deed to the Registry. Requesting the oath before a notary pauses the deadline while it is processed.
4. Registration. The regulation gives the Registry five days from your declaration to record it. Once registered, you’re Spanish.
5. DNI. You need a full birth certificate from the Civil Registry, less than six months old and issued for the DNI, plus an empadronamiento (municipal registration) certificate less than three months old and a photo. The fee is €12, by appointment.
6. Passport. You apply with your valid DNI. It costs €30.

You don’t have to renounce if you’re a national of an Ibero-American country, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea or Portugal, of Sephardic origin or, since 1 April 2022, French.

What speeds things up and what slows them down

Nobody can speed up the Ministry’s decision. What you can do is avoid adding delays of your own.

A sample timeline

Hypothetical example: someone who completes 10 years of residence on 1 October 2027. It uses official deadlines only; your case may differ.

• Spring 2027: DELE A2 exam (results in about three months).
• June or July 2027: CCSE on the last Thursday of the month (results in about 20 days). There is no exam in August.
• Summer 2027: certificates, apostilles and translations.
• 1 October 2027: pay the fee and file online.
• Until October 2028, plus any pauses for document requests: legal deadline for a decision.
• After notification: 180 days for the oath, then registration, DNI and passport.

Has anything changed in 2025 or 2026?

Not in the essentials. The consolidated texts in the BOE (Spain’s official gazette) show no 2025 or 2026 changes to articles 21 to 23 of the Civil Code or to the citizenship-by-residence regulation. The new immigration regulation, in force since 20 May 2025, changes residence permits but not these periods.

Want the general requirements first? They’re on our Spanish citizenship by residence page. If you’d rather we look at your dates with you, book a free call.