Spanish citizenship
News, information and practical advice about Spanish citizenship.
Spanish consulates struggle with over half a million citizenship applications
Following the deadline for Spanish citizenship applications via the so-called 'Grandchildren's Law', Spain's consulates around the world are struggling to process the flood in applications.
Will I lose my British citizenship if I become Spanish?
Are you a Brit who's thinking of applying for Spanish citizenship but you're concerned whether this will mean losing British citizenship? The rules about holding onto both nationalities can be confusing, so here’s what Spanish and British law says.
12 must-read articles before applying for Spanish citizenship
If you've lived in Spain for the required amount of time and are thinking of applying for Spanish citizenship, here are 12 essential articles to guide you through the process and clear up some common doubts.
How to avoid 8 common mistakes when applying for Spanish citizenship
Though Spain has granted citizenship to more people than other European countries in recent years, the application process is incredibly lengthy and fraught with pitfalls. Here are the most common mistakes and how to avoid them.
How many foreigners fail the culture and language exams for Spanish citizenship?
Thinking about applying for Spanish citizenship but worried about the exams? Here's how many people pass the culture and language tests required to become a Spanish national.
Spain's far right calls for review of a million citizenships granted under Sánchez
As rhetoric on immigration in Spain continues escalating, the far-right Vox party has called for an 'audit' of Spanish citizenships granted by the Sánchez government.
Does being born in Spain give you Spanish residency rights for life?
Being born in Spain gives you the life-long right to apply for Spanish nationality after a year of residency, but if you’re a foreigner who left Spain as a child or later, do you also have the automatic right to move back to the country?
How Spain has paved the way to citizenship for descendants of Franco-era exiles
Spain has received a surge of citizenship applications from descendants of emigrants who fled the country's 1930s civil war and Francisco Franco's dictatorship under a scheme aimed at addressing historical injustices.
How to make sure you don’t lose Spanish citizenship if you live abroad
If you've acquired Spanish citizenship but end up living in a country other than Spain, you may be rightfully wondering if time spent outside of the country, or certain actions while overseas, can result in you losing your nationality.
How to check the status of your Spanish citizenship application
If you meet all the requirements and have applied for Spanish citizenship, it can be a long and frustrating wait to find out if it has been granted or not. Fortunately, there are several ways you can check on the status of your application.
Spain to grant citizenship to 170 descendants of International Brigades
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has announced that his government will grant Spanish citizenship to almost 170 descendants of the International Brigades, foreigners who fought for the Republicans side during the Spanish Civil War.
How good would my Spanish have to be to get citizenship if the PP reached power?
Spain's opposition party recently announced they will raise the language level needed to obtain Spanish citizenship if they get into government in 2027. So just how fluent in Spanish would foreign applicants have to be?
Does having a baby in Spain mean the parents can become Spanish?
Are the foreign parents of a child born in Spain automatically entitled to get Spanish citizenship? Or does the fact that your child is Spanish mean you can also become a Spanish national faster?
Application window for Spanish citizenship via Grandchildren's Law closes
The application window for Spain's Grandchildren's Law has finally come to an end. As of 22nd October 2025, no new applications will be accepted for this citizenship via descent scheme.
Opposition party calls for tougher language and culture exams for Spanish citizenship
The leader of the Partido Popular (PP) opposition party Alberto Núñez Feijóo has proposed raising the language level to B2 in order to obtain Spanish nationality.
900,000 people apply for Spanish citizenship as Grandchildren Law deadline looms
Applications for Spanish citizenship through the Grandchildren's Law are nearing one million as the deadline approaches this month, with experts suggesting the bureaucratic process could take years to finally finish.
Who do foreigners vote for when they gain Spanish citizenship?
Survey data has revealed the political leanings of naturalised Spanish citizens, a group forecast to grow considerably and play an increased role in electoral politics in Spain in the coming years.
The little-known process you have to do when you become a Spanish citizen
Foreigners who've continuously resided in Spain for ten years have the option of applying for Spanish citizenship. But what happens when your get you new Spanish DNI number? How do you change all your documents over to your new nationality?
Can you have Spanish citizenship denied for not being integrated enough?
How important is integration when it comes to applying for Spanish citizenship through residency? And what are the most common ways for a foreigner to prove they've made an effort to integrate into Spanish society?
How to apply for Spanish citizenship for a baby born in Spain to foreign parents
Here’s everything foreign parents need to know about the process to apply for Spanish citizenship for their child born in Spain, from the requirements to the documents they'll need.
Vox calls for mass deportations and Spanish citizenship audit for foreigners
In a move resembling policies pushed by US President Donald Trump, far-right party Vox has added to its political programme the deportation of all previously undocumented migrants and the potential citizenship revocation of naturalised foreigners in Spain.
Spain's Grandchildren Law citizenship applications reach 600,000 in a year
The citizenship scheme for the descendants of Spaniards who fled Spain during the Civil War and Franco's dictatorship has seen applications almost triple in a year, new data shows.
Spain grants citizenship via residency to 220,000+ foreigners in one year
Spanish authorities granted citizenship via residency to the third highest annual number of foreigners on record in 2024, with Latin Americans making up the bulk of the nationality acquisitions.