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Spain

Two-year naturalisation for Ibero-American and related nationalities. Nationals of Latin American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea, Portugal, and Sephardic Jews of Spanish origin can naturalise after 2 years of legal residence instead of the usual 10.

Free · The law behind every answer · Checked Sep 27, 2026

Two-year naturalisation for Ibero-American and related nationalities

Spanish citizenship directly, once the naturalisation decree is granted (no separate residence-permit step beyond the 2 years of prior legal residence).

Who qualifies

  • Two years of legal, continuous residence in Spain immediately before applying, for nationals of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea, Portugal, or Sephardic Jews of Spanish origin.
    Código Civil, Art. 22
  • Passing the DELE A2 Spanish-language exam (waived for native Spanish speakers from qualifying countries) and the CCSE exam on Spanish constitutional and civic knowledge.
    Instituto Cervantes — DELE and CCSE for Spanish nationality
  • Good civic conduct and a clean criminal record in Spain and the country of origin.
    Código Civil, Art. 22

You keep your U.S. citizenship.

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Not on these numbers.

Two-year naturalisation for Ibero-American and related nationalities is only for nationals of certain countries, and US is not one.

Doors that fit your family →

Not legal advice.

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What it takes.

Time
1–3 years for the naturalisation decision once the 2-year residence is complete, given Ministry of Justice backlogs.
Cost
About $300–700 in application fees, exam fees and certified documents.
The hard part
Accumulating 2 unbroken years of legal residence first — this route only starts the clock once you already hold a residence permit such as the non-lucrative or digital-nomad visa.
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Citizens by 2032.

If your first permit is issued in 2027 and you keep living there, this is the road.

  1. 2027
    Residence begins

    No permit term of its own; the clock runs on legal residence.

  2. 2029
    Apply for citizenship

    With a language test and a civics test.

  3. 2032
    Citizenship

    The decision usually takes 12–36 months.

Language
Spanish at A2, the DELE A2 exam run by the Instituto Cervantes. Nationals of Spanish-speaking countries are exempt.
Civics
The CCSE, an Instituto Cervantes multiple-choice test on the Constitution and Spanish society and culture. Everyone takes it, including Spanish speakers.
Time away
Residence must be legal, continuous and immediately before the application. The Civil Code sets no day count; a long break in residence or a lapse in permit can restart the clock.
Two passports
It depends on the rules at the time and on your home country.
  • Not a permit: two years of legal residence on any permit, then the nationality application; Spanish speakers skip the DELE but still sit the CCSE, and these nationals keep their old passport.
  • Decision time: the legal limit is 12 months (silence then counts as a refusal), but lawyers report 1–3 years in practice; the upper end is not from an official figure.
  • The Civil Code gives no day count for absences on the citizenship clock; how the registry weighs long trips abroad is practice, not law.
  • Dual citizenship: everyone must declare they renounce their former nationality except nationals of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea, Portugal, and Sephardic Jews. A 2021 Spain–France treaty also lets French citizens keep theirs; not re-checked today.
  • Whether you can keep your current citizenship depends on the rules at the time and your home country.
The law behind these dates
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Living there.

Time you must spend there
The program sets no minimum number of days. Renewal still expects it to be your home.
Tax
Naturalisation itself has no direct tax effect; Spanish tax residence depends on days present and centre of economic interests as with any resident.

We never file a tax return. We tell you what applies and brief the professional who does.

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Start today.

  1. File the naturalisation application with the Ministry of Justice once 2 years of legal residence are complete.Open mjusticia.gob.es ↗
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Or let us run it.

$900for your first year as a founding member. Then $399 a year, automatically.Standard first year: $1,200. Everyone renews at $399.One membership, the whole family. Accounts and activation included.

12 steps, from the first paper to the passport. You do 3 of them: send what we ask for, sign, and show up. We run the rest, and keep every permit renewed on time. Accounts and activation are included, whether you move now or keep the plan ready. Accounts depend on provider availability. Government, record and approved third-party charges are extra.

Run it for my family →
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ISSUED TO

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