New data released by Spain's National Statistics Institute (INE) has revealed that the number of foreigners acquiring Spanish nationality has increased by a third in the last year alone.
In 2023 the number of foreign born people naturalising and getting Spanish nationality increased by 32.3 percent, to 240,208 in total, the highest figure for a decade.
INE data shows that of the near quarter-million foreigners who acquired Spanish nationality in 2023, 54.8 percent were women and 45.2 percent were men.
READ ALSO: Spain's population inches closer to 49 million with 900 new residents a day
By age, people between 30 and 39 years of age made up the largest group acquiring Spanish nationality, followed by the 40 to 49 age group.
In terms of origin, Moroccans were most likely to get Spanish nationality, with 54,027 cases, followed by Venezuelans (30,154) and Colombians (18,738). Other South American and Central American countries, such as Ecuador, Argentina and Bolivia, rounded out the top 10.
READ ALSO: When's the deadline for Spanish citizenship through the Grandchildren's Law?
Of the 240,208 people who acquired Spanish nationality in 2023, 21.2 percent of them had always lived in Spain. The remaining 78.8 percent had previously lived abroad and then moved to Spain. On average, it took them roughly five years to acquire Spanish nationality.
Catalonia was the region that had the most naturalisations in 2023, with 60,846, followed by Madrid, with 50,049, and the two regions between them accounted for almost half (46.2) percent of the total acquisitions. Third was Valencia, with 25,119, and Andalusia, with 24,059.
La Rioja (952) and Extremadura (1,309) were the regions with the lowest number of foreigners acquiring Spanish nationality in 2023.
In terms of how foreigners acquired Spanish nationality, INE states that "212,779 cases were by residence and 26,844 by option."
To gain Spanish nationality, most foreigners need to reside legally and continuously in Spain for ten years, depending on where they come from.
INE defines nationality 'by option' as "a benefit that the legislation offers to foreigners who meet certain conditions in order to acquire Spanish nationality. Persons who are or have been subject to the parental authority of a Spaniard, or persons whose father or mother was Spanish and who were born in Spain, are entitled to acquire Spanish nationality in this way."
Nationality by option was much more common among those under 20 years of age, representing 95.7 percent of the total.
The period of time foreigners must wait before applying for nationality may vary depending on family ties:
- 10 years is the normal rule
- 5 years if you are a refugee
- 2 years if you are from a Latin American country, Andorra, Equatorial Guinea, Philippines or Portugal. In all of these cases, you will not need to give up your original nationality, and you will be granted dual citizenship.
- 1 year for those married to a Spanish national or children/grandchildren of Spanish citizens born in Spain.
Comments