Thousands of our citizens have already left for this country in search of happiness and a better life. In Spain, food can be bought at reasonable prices, and the cost of housing is affordable for many categories of citizens. As in most countries, Spanish legislation is loyal to ex-pats and allows them to obtain citizenship.
Passing a citizenship test (interview)
The interview is conducted at the Spanish Ministry of Justice by a judge. Residents or neighbors may be invited as witnesses to assess the applicant’s behavior.
The tests are conducted by accredited organizations and reveal the level of knowledge of the Spanish language, both written and spoken.
The level of knowledge of the language should be:
- not lower than A2;
- with a DELE certificate.
You need to sign up for testing in advance. Online registration is allowed on the site. You must answer 25 questions in Spanish.
Additional questions include topics such as:
- geography of the country;
- her culture;
- national characteristics and history of the people;
- knowledge of the basics of the Constitution;
- the names of the first persons of the state;
- administrative division of the state apparatus;
- the modern history of Spain;
- colors of the country’s flag, symbols of the national emblem, etc.
Upon completion of the test, a corresponding document is issued. One retake of the test is allowed after 1 year if it was not passed the first time.
The state testing fee is set at 85 euros (€).
What you need to know about obtaining citizenship
Before applying for Spanish citizenship, it is better to realistically assess your capabilities and prepare so that everything goes perfectly. As already mentioned, where you were born, and who your parents are, by origin and officially, greatly affects the acquisition of citizenship.
After all, you may not need to go through a complicated registration procedure if, for example, you were born in Spain. All the benefits for different citizens are described above.
But what about ordinary citizens? It’s simple. If you already officially reside in Spain for 10 years, then you can safely go to the Registro Civil with a citizenship application.
We recommend that you prepare the following list of documents in advance:
- statement;
- national passport;
- family card, if available;
- birth certificate;
- history of residence permit, permanent residence;
- an invitation to work, if available;
- labor contract;
- certificate of salary;
- registration with a local municipal institution;
- a certificate from the Spanish police station about the absence of a violation of the law;
- an extract from the bank accounts of your country and Spain;
- a certificate stating that there was no criminal record at home.
Documents are duplicated into Spanish by a certified translator working in an accredited bureau.
If we talk about the advantages of citizenship in comparison with permanent residence, then it is worth noting only obtaining the right to vote, obtaining a passport, and the opportunity to find a higher-paying job in Spain.
Obtaining citizenship
According to the law, it is possible to obtain Spanish citizenship only after 10 years of permanent legal residence in the territory of Spain, recognizing and observing the Constitution of the country, without creating problems for Spanish society, without breaking the law. An important condition is that everyone entering the country must be legalized. If you intend to stay there permanently, then you must keep all the documents based on which you would be allowed to reside in Spain.
When applying for citizenship, you must provide:
- explanation of the purpose of living in the country in the form of a statement, documentary justification of their words;
- registration documents (made in the local municipality for the entire period of residence);
- confirmation that during the time of residence in the country there were no previous convictions.
The decision for each applicant is considered individually.