Spanish Passport for Filipinos

A Spanish citizen will usually be eligible to obtain a Spanish passport, which serves as the main form of identification and travel document in Spain and the EU.

The standard biometric Spanish passport has a red cover and 32 pages. It includes a plastic card with the passport holder’s photograph and details, as well as an electronic chip that holds your biometric data. Any Spanish biometric passport issued after 2015 will usually be this version, though, there are a couple of alternative passports that may be issued to individuals with special circumstances.

Page Contents

• What is the Spanish Passport?
• What Passport Types Does Spain Offer?
• Can Filipinos get a Spanish Passport?
• What Are The Requirements for a Spanish Passport?
• Dual Citizenship for Filipino Nationals
• How to Apply for a Spanish Passport?
• Required Documents for a Spanish Passport
• Processing Times for Spanish Passport Application
• Renewing or Replacing a Spanish Passport
• What to Do If Your Spanish Passport Was Lost or Stolen
• Validity Period of a Spanish Passport
• Cost of Obtaining a Spanish Passport
• How Can Total Law Help
• Frequently Asked Questions

Spain offers a total of four different passports. While the vast majority of Spanish nationals will receive the standard passport, it is good to understand the different options.

At a glance, Spain issues the following passport categories:

• The standard biometric passport (Pasaporte Ordinario)
• The collective passport (Pasaporte Colectivo)
• The diplomatic passport (Pasaporte Diplomático
• The official and service passport (Pasaporte Oficiales Y De Servicio)

The Standard Passport

Most individuals with Spanish nationality receive a standard or ‘ordinary’ passport, which is a 32-page booklet with a red cover and biometric details. It offers visa-free entry into 166 countries and visa-required entry into 186 countries around the world.

The Collective Passport

Individuals who are under 21 years old may occasionally be given a collective passport that is issued for special circumstances such as for a pilgrimage. A collective passport is usually issued as part of an agreement with the destination country.

The Diplomatic Passport

Diplomats and certain high-level government officials may be issued with a diplomatic passport. It is used to confirm their status and may offer additional rights depending on the circumstances.

The Official and Service Passport

Official government representatives who are travelling on official business may receive an official and service passport.

The Spanish passport is available to foreign individuals who have been approved for naturalisation in Spain. Individuals from the Philippines may apply to obtain a Spanish passport once they have been granted citizenship. This may usually happen after two years of continuous legal residence in Spain, which is a special arrangement that grants Filipino-born nationals a faster path towards naturalisation, as well as the right to hold dual nationality.

Individuals who were not born in the Philippines may still obtain the Spanish passport by following the standard immigration pathways which may involve naturalisation after 10 years of residence, citizenship by marriage, or citizenship based on Spanish family lineage through the descent or option pathways for naturalisation.

To become eligible for a Spanish passport, you will first need to have acquired Spanish citizenship. This may be possible more quickly for Filipino nationals who were born in the Philippines as part of Spain’s agreement with some previous Spanish territory regions, including the Philippines.

If you qualify under the nationality agreement between Spain and the Philippines, you may obtain citizenship after only 2 years of residency in Spain. Alternatively, you will need to follow one of the traditional immigration paths. The path towards citizenship includes two tests assessing you knowledge of Spanish culture and the Spanish constitution, as well as your grasp of the Spanish language.

Individuals will also need to show that they have a clean criminal record and no significant health condition that may negatively affect the public interest.

Thanks to an agreement between Spain and the Philippines, Filipino nationals are among the few foreigners who can qualify for dual citizenship in Spain. While this is usually not permitted for international individuals who come to Spain and apply for naturalisation, Spain allows dual citizenship for certain areas including the Philippines. You should note that this applies to individuals who have Filipino nationality by birth.

As such, when you apply for your Spanish passport, you will be eligible to keep your current Filipino passport as well. Nevertheless, it is always important to double-check the criteria and how the rules apply to your personal circumstances, so you should contact an immigration expert before making any changes.

Our team of immigration lawyers at Total Law can help you understand the nuances of applying for dual citizenship and obtaining your passport in this context. You can call us today at +44 (0) 333 305 9375.

Spanish passport applications will require that you attend a Spanish passport appointment, which may be held at your local police station or with the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs directly. If you are applying from outside of Spain, you will need to seek out a Spanish Embassy or Spanish consulate that services your area.

Applying for a Spanish Passport While in Spain

You will likely already be in Spain when applying for your first passport, which will make the overall process a bit easier. You will need to gather your required documents and attend an appointment at the local passport office, where you will need to submit your application and evidence. Make sure that you are not missing any documents and that the information you have provided is complete and reliable, as failure to do so might mean that your application is delayed or declined.

Applying for a Spanish Passport While Living Abroad

If you need to apply for your Spanish passport while abroad, you will need to make an appointment with your local Spanish embassy, which might be the one in Manila, if you are in the Philippines.

The application for your Spanish passport will generally be very similar if you are applying abroad, but you may need to provide additional ID if you do not have your previous Spanish passport or other form of Spanish ID. In general, most applications for your first Spanish passport will happen while in Spain, while renewals and replacements may happen from abroad.

When submitting your Spanish passport application, you will need to provide accompanying evidence that you meet the requirements. The exact documents you will need may vary based on your individual circumstances, but you should usually expect to provide the following:

• Two passport photos (make sure that these are recent and comply with the Spanish passport photo requirements)
• Your Spanish ID (such as your Documento Nacional De Identidad)
• Evidence that you have paid your application fee
• Your current Spanish passport (when applying for renewal)
• Police certificate confirming your passport was lost or stolen (when applying for replacement)

The time it takes for a Spanish passport application to be processed may vary, and it largely depends on whether this is your first passport application or if you are applying for renewal or a replacement.

In general, first-time passport applications will have a significantly longer wait time, which may be a year or even two years. Meanwhile, Spanish passport renewals are generally processed in about 10 weeks, though there may always be delays.

Missing documents or incomplete application forms are the main reason why a Spanish passport application may take longer, so it is essential to always double-check your application before you submit.

Spanish passports will need to be renewed when they near their expiry date or when you run out of blank pages. Renewals for expiring passports can usually only be requested when your current passport has less than 12 months of validity left, but you should try to plan well ahead as passport renewals can take some weeks to process.

If you are in Spain, you will usually need to schedule an appointment with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Renewal applications from abroad will need to be scheduled with your local Spanish embassy or consulate, which may be the Spanish embassy in Manila if you are in the Philippines. Appointments can usually be booked online.

When attending your passport renewal appointment, you will need to bring all of your required documents to show your eligibility for this passport, just as you did during your initial application.

If your passport renewal was applied for from outside of Spain, you will need to remember to register this new passport with the Spanish Registro de Matricula.

Passport replacements for a lost or stolen passport can be slightly trickier, and your first action should be to report this to your local police or authorities. When applying for your replacement, you will need to have an official statement confirming the loss or theft of your passport, as you are usually required to bring your existing passport to your renewal appointments. Additionally, you will likely need another way of proving your identity such as your birth certificate.

If you cannot provide the police certificate or lack other needed evidence, you may receive a provisional passport that is only valid for three weeks, during which you will need to gather the missing documents.

The Spanish passport is usually issued with a validity period that is dependent on the age of the passport applicant. As such, children under five years will usually receive a passport that is only valid for two years while most applicants who are older than five and up to 30 years old will receive a passport that is valid for five years. Applicants who are over 30 years old are eligible for the longest validity duration on a Spanish passport, which is ten years.

When applying for a Spanish passport or filing for a replacement or a renewal, you will need to pay the same fee, which is usually around €30.

The passport fee will be payable by everyone who is filing a Spanish passport application, but you should note that there might be some special circumstances in which the fee requirement might be waived.

Keep in mind that you will need to apply for Spanish citizenship before you can obtain your passport, so you will need to factor in any additional costs such as the citizenship application itself but also the citizenship tests that you will need to complete first.