Spanish Passport Renewal
You must renew your Spanish passport on time to continue enjoying the rights and benefits that come with it. You can do so in Spain as well as abroad if you are travelling or residing outside the country.
If you are seeking more information on how to renew your Spanish passport, when you can (or must) renew it, what supporting documents you need to submit, or how much a passport renewal is going to cost you, call us today on +44 (0) 333 305 9375 or message us online, to speak with our Spanish immigration law experts.
Renewing Your Spanish Passport: An Overview
The Spanish passport is quite powerful in nature. It ranks second in the world as per Passport Index 2024, allowing visa-free travel to 193 countries. It also allows you to enter and exit Spain freely as well as enjoy the right to live, work and study in any of the EU Member States, EEA and Switzerland. You will also be entitled to Spanish diplomatic protection while travelling abroad thanks to your Spanish citizenship.
Considering the privileges enjoyed by Spanish passport holders, it is imperative that you get the same renewed on time, or apply for a replacement in case your passport gets lost, damaged or stolen. The renewal process is somewhat similar to the application process. If you are applying to renew your passport from Spain, you can do so at the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs or at your local police station.
If you are residing abroad, you can also renew your passport through the nearest Spanish embassy or consulate in your country of residence. Moreover, you can get a replacement passport through this method if your passport gets lost, damaged or stolen while travelling overseas.
Page Contents
- Renewing Your Spanish Passport: An Overview
- When to Renew Your Spanish Passport?
- Replacing a Lost, Stolen or Damaged Spanish Passport
- Spanish Passport Renewal Requirements
- Required Documents for Spanish Passport Renewal
- How to Renew a Spanish Passport?
- Spanish Passport Renewal Cost and Processing Time
- Can I Travel With an Expired Spanish Passport?
- How Can Total Law Help?
- Frequently Asked Questions
When to Renew Your Spanish Passport?
A Spanish passport is valid for 10 years if you are 30 or above, and five years if you are between five and 30 years of age. For children aged under five, a Spanish passport is valid for two years.
In case of minors or incapacitated persons, the validity period may be further limited at a reasonable request from the individuals or institutions having parental authority or guardianship over the applicants.
Your existing passport must have less than 12 months’ validity or have run out of pages to be eligible for a renewal. If your existing passport gets lost, stolen or damaged, you will have to apply for a replacement passport.
Replacing a Lost, Stolen or Damaged Spanish Passport
In addition to renewing your Spanish passport on expiry (or when it is nearing its expiry date), you may also need to apply for a replacement passport in certain scenarios, namely:
- If your Spanish passport has got irretrievably damaged (especially those pages containing your biometric information)
- If you have inadvertently lost your passport
- If your passport has been stolen
If your passport has been lost or stolen in Spain, please report the loss/theft to your local police station immediately. Next, you must get in touch with the passport authorities or your local police station as soon as possible for a replacement.
In case your Spanish passport gets lost or stolen abroad, you will need to file a declaration of loss or theft at your nearest Spanish embassy or consulate. You can also apply for a replacement at the same embassy/consulate.
However, do note that such a declaration will not count as a police report of the loss or theft. You must file a report at your nearest police station to avoid any complications arising from any fraudulent use of your Spanish passport by third parties.
For damaged Spanish passports, a replaced passport will have the same validity as the original, and must be renewed again when it is nearing its expiry.
In case of loss or theft, the first duplicate passport will have the same validity as the lost or stolen passport. If they get lost or stolen again, the validity of the subsequent duplicates may be limited to six months. You will accordingly have to apply for a renewal.
However, if the lost or stolen Spanish passport is already in the renewal period, i.e. there is less than one year left until its expiry date, you may be issued a passport with the validity according to your age.
Spanish Passport Renewal Requirements
Similar to a fresh passport application, you will be entitled to apply for renewing (or replacing) your Spanish passport if:
- You have not been sentenced to penalties or security measures in Spain that either completely deprive you of, or limit, your freedom of residence or movement outside the country
- You are not restricted by a judicial body from leaving Spain, or they have not prohibited the issuance of a Spanish passport to you, because you are an accused in a criminal proceeding
- Your freedom of movement outside Spain has not been ‘reasonably’ limited by the Spanish Ministry of the Interior due to the states of alarm, exception and siege
If you are subject to parental authority or guardianship according to the Spanish law, your Spanish passport renewal will be subject to obtaining express consent from your parent, guardian or custodian board.
Failing the same, consent from a competent judicial body will be required to renew your Spanish passport.
Required Documents for Spanish Passport Renewal
To renew your expiring or expired Spanish passport, you will have to submit the following documents:
- Your current (or expired) Spanish passport
- Your valid national ID card in Spain (i.e. Documento Nacional de Identidad or DNI)
- A police report or statement of loss in case your original passport has been lost or stolen
- Three colour passport photos that:
- Have been taken within the last six months
- Clearly show the oval of your face, including eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth and chin (note: you must not be wearing a hat or dark glasses that partially hide any of these facial areas)
- Measure at 3 x 4 cm
- Have been taken from the front with a plain white background and
- Are high-resolution images printed on good quality photo paper
- Passport renewal fee receipt
Please also note that in case you are applying for a passport renewal or replacement (due to the damaged condition of your passport), you must submit your previous Spanish passport (for renewal) or the damaged passport (for replacement) so as to prevent a valid document from remaining in circulation.
How to Renew a Spanish Passport?
Overview
A Spanish passport can be renewed in Spain through your local police station or the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or your nearest Spanish consular mission if you are outside the country. We have discussed all three scenarios here to provide a comprehensive description of the Spanish passport renewal process.
Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
If your passport is expiring or has expired, or it is lost, damaged or stolen, you may renew it at the Spanish Ministry of Foreign affairs in Madrid. Please book a prior appointment online through the Spanish General Access Point (SGAP), which is a web portal of the Spanish general state administration.
You can request an appointment under the ‘Citizen services and information’ section of the portal. On the date of your appointment, please visit the ministry with the required documents including your expiring/expired/damaged passport (or a police report in lieu of if the passport is lost or stolen).
If you cannot make it on the date of appointment, please remember to cancel your appointment through the same portal.
Local Police Station in Spain
Alternatively, you may visit your local police station in your place of residence in Spain to renew your passport or get a replacement. You will have to book a prior appointment through the above-mentioned portal to avoid unnecessary waiting at the station.
On your date of appointment, please visit the station with the required documents. If you are unable to submit the required documents at the ministry or the police station, they can confirm your nationality through official means and grant you a provisional passport valid for three weeks, to give you an opportunity to arrange for the supporting documentation.
Spanish Embassy or Consulate
If you are travelling abroad or residing overseas at the time of your Spanish passport renewal/replacement, you will have to get in touch with your nearest Spanish embassy or consulate at your country of residence for passport renewal.
It is recommended to get in touch with the relevant Spanish consular authorities to understand their procedure, office timings, and the means to book your appointment at the consular mission.
Spanish Passport Renewal Cost and Processing Time
The Spanish passport renewal fee is €26. You may pay it online or at the time of your appointment.
It takes around a month to get your passport renewed in Spain or through Spanish consular authorities abroad. Please keep this in mind if you are planning to travel around that time.
Can I Travel With an Expired Spanish Passport?
As a Spanish citizen, you may be eligible to enter Spain with an expired passport. The Spanish immigration officers at the border control will thoroughly check the authenticity of your expired document, to ensure that your identity and nationality match the data on the said document, before allowing you to enter the country.
If you are travelling outside Spain but within the Schengen Area, you may be allowed to travel with an expired Spanish passport given that border checks are not carried out at internal borders between Schengen States (unless in exceptional circumstances).
However, if a border control check is carried out or if you are travelling to a third country outside the Schengen Area, you are likely to be refused entry due to the expired status of your Spanish passport. It is, therefore, strongly recommended that you check your Spanish passport’s status if you are planning to travel abroad.
How Can Total Law Help?
Irrespective of whether you are renewing your Spanish passport, or seeking to apply for a Spanish passport for the first time, or trying to get your damaged/stolen passport replaced by the concerned Spanish authorities, a thorough understanding of (and clarity about) the process is crucial.
The associated rules, regulations and formalities can be confusing and time-consuming if not outright challenging. Speak to Total Law.
If you are seeking expert advice on how to proceed with your Spanish passport renewal, replacement or fresh application, our team of immigration advisers can guide you throughout the process. Dial +44 (0) 333 305 9375 today to speak with one of our legal team members, or message us online.
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Related pages for your continued reading.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, it is possible to renew your Spanish passport after expiry.
In case your expiring or expired Spanish passport has a valid visa, please get in touch with the concerned visa issuing authorities (e.g. a third-country embassy or consulate) to obtain information regarding how to continue with the said visa until its validity deadline.
