Spanish Ordinary Naturalization
Spain
Citizenship
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See if you're a match →Spain's ordinary naturalization route is the default citizenship route for long-term legal residents who do not fit a reduced Article 22 period. The standard residence period is ten years.
- Type
- Citizenship by naturalization
- Standard timing
- 10 years of legal, continuous residence
- Core requirements
- Good civic conduct, integration, Spanish language, and CCSE
- Dual citizenship
- Renunciation is generally required unless a statutory exception applies
- Best fit
- Long-term Spanish residents outside the reduced Article 22 groups
Summary
Spanish citizenship by ordinary naturalization is the default residence-based citizenship route for people who do not fit Spain's reduced Article 22 periods. The standard rule is ten years of legal, continuous residence immediately before the application.
For most U.S., U.K., Canadian, Australian, and other non-listed nationals, ordinary naturalization is the main residence-to-citizenship route unless a different Spanish nationality pathway applies.
Eligibility
You may be a fit if:
- You are not already Spanish.
- You legally live in Spain.
- You have ten years of legal, continuous Spanish residence immediately before the application.
- You can show good civic conduct.
- You can show sufficient integration into Spanish society.
- You can meet the Spanish-language and civic-knowledge requirements, unless exempt.
The ten-year period is the default. Spain has shorter residence periods for specific groups, including refugees, nationals by origin of listed Ibero-American countries and a few other countries, Sephardic applicants, spouses of Spanish citizens, people born in Spain, and some Spanish-parent or Spanish-grandparent cases.
Dual Citizenship Note
Spain generally asks naturalization applicants to declare renunciation of prior nationality. The main exceptions are for nationals of the countries listed in Article 24.1 and Sephardic applicants. The United States is not in that exception group, so Americans using ordinary naturalization need careful advice on the Spanish oath and on how U.S. nationality law treats that oath.
What This Route Allows
If approved, this route grants Spanish citizenship. You can register the acquisition, complete the oath and other final formalities, and apply for Spanish identity and passport documents.
What This Route Is Not
This is not an entry visa and not a fast-track route. It generally follows years of legal residence in Spain through another pathway, such as work, family, non-lucrative residence, digital nomad residence, or another qualifying authorization.
Next Steps
- Confirm whether a faster Spanish nationality route applies first: origin, option, or reduced Article 22 naturalization.
- Count your legal residence in Spain and check continuity.
- Prepare Spanish-language and CCSE requirements, unless exempt.
- Gather civil records, residence records, criminal-record certificates, and integration evidence.
- Review the renunciation issue before filing if you want to keep another nationality.
- File the nationality-by-residence application through the Spanish nationality process.