Spanish Passport Application from US

Spain’s passport is issued to eligible citizens and serves as a main identification document within the EU.

If you are applying for a Spanish passport after the year 2015, you will usually be issued with a standard Spanish biometric passport. This is a red booklet that should have 32 pages and a hard plastic card at the front stating your personal details. It will feature your photograph and additional information, such as your date of birth, height, and eye color among other things. Additionally, there will be an electronically readable chip, which has your biometric data including your fingerprints.

Every Spanish passport is issued with a unique passport number. This number may be required during a variety of situations to help you verify your status as a Spanish and by extension EU citizen.

While most citizens will receive a standard Spanish passport, there are four available categories in total. Depending on your circumstances, you may be issued with one of the other three options.

Page Contents

• What to Know About the Spanish Passport
• The Four Spanish Passport Categories
• Benefits of Having a Spanish Passport
• Requirements for a Spanish Passport Application
• Qualifying for Spanish Citizenship
• Dual Nationality and Spanish Passports
• How to Get a Spanish Passport from the US
• Documents Required to Get Spanish Passport
• Spanish Passport Application Fees and Costs
• Processing Times for Spanish Passport Applications
• How Long is a Spanish Passport Valid?
• How to Renew Your Spanish Passport?
• Replacing a Lost or Stolen Passport
• When Might a Spanish Passport be Revoked?
• How Total Law Can Help
• FAQ

The Spanish passport is one of the more powerful passports in the world, offering you access to 186 countries with a visa on arrival or to 166 countries without the need for a visa. As it is an EU identity and travel document, you will be permitted to move freely within the EU, EEA, and the Schengen area including Switzerland, as well as in other Spanish territories. You will also benefit from access to free healthcare within the EU.

Spanish passport holders will be permitted to study and work anywhere in the EU, but you should keep in mind that moving outside of Spain for an extended period of time may eventually impact your eligibility to keep your Spanish passport. It is always best to double-check what the conditions and limitations might be before making any decision like that.

To acquire a Spanish passport, you will need to obtain legal citizen status in Spain. This may be offered to US expats after they have maintained official residence in the country for at least ten years (although there are exceptions to this minimum residential requirement depending on circumstance and application path).

Spanish immigration control will assess whether you can be considered a positive member of Spanish society, meaning that you must have passed the two citizenship tests that are required for Spanish nationality. Additionally, you will need to present an official criminal record certificate and medical certificate confirming that you do not pose a risk to the Spanish public either by illegal misconduct or infection risk.

Citizenship by residence takes ten years under normal circumstances, as part of which you will first need to obtain one of the available national visas which will allow temporary residence for up to five years, through extensions. After this, you may apply for a permanent residence permit that allows you to stay another five years, bringing you to the ten-year minimum residential requirement that is needed to apply for citizenship.

Alternatively, you may qualify for citizenship with only a year of living in Spain if you have married a Spanish national. You will need to prove that your relationship is real and not just for immigration purposes as that would be unlawful and cause serious problems with the Spanish authorities.

Citizenship by descent or option may be available if you have a parent or grandparent who was a Spanish national.

You will need to complete a Spanish language test called the DELE A2, as well as the CCSE which will assess your knowledge of Spanish culture, history, and the constitution.

Unfortunately, Spain doesn’t usually grant permission to receive dual nationality to foreign nationals who have become naturalized as Spanish citizens. Previous US nationals who have become naturalized in Spain will therefore have to give up their US status and will not be permitted to have two passports at the same time.

The only exceptions may be made for nationals from overseas Spanish territories or areas with a special agreement with Spain. While decisions will be made on an individual application basis, nationals from the following countries may obtain Spanish dual nationality and receive a passport from each country:

• • Andorra
  • Argentina
  • Bolivia
  • Brazil
  • Chile
  • Colombia
  • Costa Rica
  • Cuba
  • The Dominican Republic
  • Ecuador
  • El Salvador
  • Equatorial Guinea
  • Guatemala

• Honduras
• Mexico
• Nicaragua
• Panama
• Paraguay
• Peru,
• The Philippines
• Portugal
• Puerto Rico
• Uruguay
• Venezuela

Individuals with Sephardic Jewish descent may also qualify for Spanish dual nationality.

If you have become a long-term resident of Spain but don’t want to give up your US nationality to obtain Spanish citizenship, you might want to seek advice from a Spanish immigration expert. Our team of immigration lawyers at Total Law can explain the available alternatives to Spanish citizenship and explain the benefits and restrictions of each pathway. You can call us today at +1 844 290 6312 for immediate help.

Spanish passport applications usually require you to provide accompanying evidence to prove your status as a Spanish citizen and general eligibility. You will usually need to submit the following documents:

• A valid form of Spanish ID, such as your national identity document (Documento Nacional De Identidad)
• Your passport fee or proof that you have already paid it
• Your old Spanish passport, if you are renewing it
• Two passport photographs that meet the Spanish passport photo requirements

In September 2022, Spain passed the decision to unify all passport application costs. This means that you will now always have to pay around €30, whether you are applying for your first passport, renewing an expired passport, or replacing a passport that has been lost or stolen. This applies to any Spanish citizen, irrespective of whether they obtained their status by birth or naturalization.

Individuals who are classed as beneficiaries of a large family may be exempt from paying Spanish passport fees, but it is always better to double-check.

Remember that there may be extra costs outside of your passport application. This especially applies if you are applying for the first time as you will likely also need to pay for your citizenship application and the associated citizenship tests before you will qualify.

Spanish passport applications will need some time to be processed. Depending on your application circumstances this might vary greatly.

If you are applying for your first Spanish passport, you should expect to wait one year or up to two years to receive your decision and, if approved, your first Spanish passport.

If you are only applying to have your Spanish passport renewed or replaced, you may get a response within 10 weeks of filing your application.

The validity of a Spanish passport generally depends on the age of the recipient. Children who are under five years old will receive a two-year passport while anyone between the ages of 5 and 30 will be eligible for a passport with a five-year validity. If you are over 30 years old, your passport will usually be valid for 10 years.

Keep in mind that there are some circumstances where you may be offered a limited passport that is only valid for three weeks. This might happen if your passport is stolen and you haven’t yet been able to gather all of the required documents.

do this when there are no more than 12 months remaining until your passport expires. You will also need to renew your passport when you are running out of free pages, as this may prevent you from traveling to countries that have a physical visa stamp requirement.

To renew your Spanish passport, you will need to book an appointment with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If you are applying for renewal while abroad, you will instead need to contact the local Spanish consulate or embassy. In this case, you will also need to register your new passport with the Registro de Matricula.

As with your initial passport application, you will usually need to provide the required documents that show your eligibility to renew this passport.

If you get unlucky, you may be confronted with the need to replace your passport if it has been lost or stolen. To do so, you should start by filing a police report with your local authority as soon as possible, as you will need to have an official statement issued by the police when applying for your replacement.

The replacement process can sometimes include a couple of extra steps as you are usually required to bring your previous passport when applying for renewals, to confirm your identity, and also to invalidate the old passport.

Since this isn’t possible when applying for a replacement of a lost or stolen passport, you will need to bring additional forms of identification and the official statement confirming the theft of your passport. Should you not be able to provide all required documents right away, you may receive a temporary passport that will give you more time to gather the required evidence.

usually be informed of certain conditions that you must adhere to in order to remain eligible. While this final step of the Spanish immigration process usually grants you a lot of freedom and equal rights to naturally born Spanish nationals, you will usually need to demonstrate ‘use’ of your Spanish citizenship status and passport within a reasonable timeframe. As such, your passport holder eligibility may be reconsidered if you decide to live outside of Spain for a significant number of years.

Additionally, Spanish passport permissions may also be revoked if an individual’s conduct goes beyond the public interest. This would usually include a serious criminal offense, especially one that causes risk of harm to other members of the Spanish general public. If you are convicted of a crime or face other serious legal repercussions, your immigration status may be in jeopardy. In such circumstances, it is always best to speak to a qualified legal professional.