Spanish Citizenship by Descent

Foreign individuals who have a Spanish mother, father, or grandparent had Spanish origin may have a claim to Spanish citizenship through this family lineage. Generally, the Spanish citizenship application process will require that you provide adequate evidence of this family connection to Spain under which you may qualify.

You may need birth records or even a DNA blood test to prove your ancestry, but it is still a desirable pathway towards Spanish naturalization as it allows you to skip the extensive wait time of the citizenship by residence pathway, where you will need to live in Spain for ten years before qualifying for naturalization.

If you are accepted for Spanish citizenship under the descent route, you will be permitted to apply for a Spanish passport which grants additional rights in the EU and you will additionally be allowed to vote in Spanish elections.

Page Contents

• Overview of Citizenship by Descent in Spain
• Changes to the Spanish Citizenship by Descent Route
• Eligibility Criteria for Spanish Citizenship by Descent
• Documentation for Spanish Citizenship by Descent
• Application Process for Spanish Citizenship by Descent
• Processing Times for Spanish Citizenship by Descent
• Fees for Spanish Citizenship by Descent
• Alternative Paths to Spanish Citizenship
• Advantages of Spanish Citizenship by Descent
• Spanish Citizenship Tests
• How Can Total Law Help?
• Frequently Asked Questions

While the Spanish citizenship by descent pathway used to be limited to children of Spanish parents, the 2022 ‘Grandchildren’s Law’ expanded the eligibility criteria of this naturalization pathway to include individuals who have Spanish grandparents.

As such, you may now qualify even if your parents didn’t hold Spanish citizenship, usually because your grandparents might have left the country before your parents were born.

To qualify under this citizenship path, you must have parents or grandparents who meet certain criteria in regard to their status in Spain.

At a glance, the following options may mean that you are eligible:

• Your Parent is or was a Spanish national (this includes adoptive parents or other individuals who were legally recognized as your guardian)
• At least one of your grandparents is or was a Spanish national
• Your parent or grandparent was born in Spain
• You have Spanish ancestors who are citizens of Spain

Additionally, some more complex circumstances might apply:

• Your parent or grandparent received Spanish nationality due to historical memory after you aged out of the citizenship by option pathway
• Your grandmother was born in Spain but lost her status after marrying a foreign national before the 1978 constitution came into effect
• Your grandparents were Spanish nationals but left the country or were exiled before your parents were born

To prove your family lineage you will need to provide birth records and other relevant evidence of your parent’s or grandparent’s status in Spain as well as your family relation. In some cases, this might require a DNA blood test.

You must also show that your presence in Spain would not interfere with the public interest, meaning that you must not pose a threat either through criminal activity or through a significant medical condition that might drive infection.

You will need to provide a clear criminal record check certificate as well as a medical certificate stating that you pose no risk.

Applications for Spanish citizenship by descent are usually filed with the Central Civil Registry directly if you are already in Spain.

Alternatively, you will need to contact your local Spanish embassy or nearest Spanish consulate. This may be the Spanish embassy in Ottawa or the Spanish consulate in Toronto if you are in Canada.

You will need to submit your application form and all required documents. You will also need to pay the application fee.

Spanish citizenship by descent applications can take several months to process and you could even be waiting for up to three years, so it is essential that you are well-prepared when applying, to prevent any additional delays that may be caused by missing documents or other problems with your application.

An immigration lawyer can help you by checking your application to make sure that it is complete and as strong as possible before you submit it. Our team of experts at Total Law have years of experience with Spanish citizenship by descent applications and we will be happy to help you with any stage of your application. You can call us today at +1 844 290 6312 for immediate support.

The application fee for Spanish citizenship by descent tends to sit at €60-100, but it may vary slightly.

Remember that acquiring the relevant evidence may come with additional costs, such as if you need a DNA test or translations of any documents. Also, you will need to pay for the citizenship tests and your passport application.

If you do not qualify for Spanish citizenship by descent, you will likely also not be able to obtain Spanish citizenship by option, as this is also reliant on family lineage but has even stricter conditions.

Depending on your circumstances you may apply for Spanish citizenship by marriage if you have married a Spanish partner, but the most common pathway is Spanish citizenship by residence.

To qualify through residence, you will need to obtain one of the available national long-stay visas as a first step. Naturalization through residence requires individuals to have lived in Spain for ten continuous years, so it takes some time to become eligible.

After the initial five years of living in Spain, you will usually need to apply for a permanent residency permit, which will allow you to live in Spain for another five years, bringing you up to the residential minimum for citizenship.

Throughout your time in Spain, you must make sure to adhere to any restrictions of your residential permission. You will also need to stay in Spain continuously.

While some travel will be permitted, you should not stay outside of the country for too long as this may affect your eligibility.

Spanish citizenship by descent is most appealing as it allows you to skip the slow process of fulfilling residential requirements in Spain before qualifying for naturalization.

As a Spanish citizen, you will be able to live and work freely and you will also be able to vote in Spanish elections.

Spanish citizens may obtain a Spanish passport, which means that you will also be able to travel freely in the EU and receive additional support and benefits such as healthcare.

As with any of the Spanish citizenship pathways, you will need to take and pass the two citizenship tests to show that you are well suited to becoming naturalized in Spain.

The tests include a Spanish culture test called the CCSE, which will test you on Spanish life in general, as well as the country’s history and the Spanish constitution. The second Spanish citizenship test is called the DELE or DELE A2 test, which is a Spanish language test at the A2 level, which is considered pre-intermediate language proficiency.

You will need to pay €85 and €130 for these language tests, which will give you two chances per test to pass.

While your time may vary, the DELE A2 test is usually expected to take about two and a half hours, as it includes a section on reading comprehension and a second section which assesses your writing and interaction abilities. The CCSE test usually takes about 45 minutes to finish.