Years to Spanish nationality by country: residence, exams, documents and fees
Sources: 6 links, read on 24 October 2026.
Código Civil, art. 22 (BOE, consolidated text); Real Decreto 1004/2015, art. 6 (BOE); Orden JUS/1625/2016, art. 10 (BOE); Ministry of Justice: application fee (tasa 790-026), read 22 Oct 2026; Instituto Cervantes: DELE A2 price table (copy of 21 May 2026); Instituto Cervantes: CCSE FAQ (copy of 7 Aug 2026), read on 24 October 2026.
Ten years of legal residence is the general rule for Spanish nationality. Two years are enough for nationals of origin of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea and Portugal, and for Sephardim; five for refugees; one for people born in Spain, people married to a Spaniard for a year and four more cases (Código Civil, art. 22).
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Find your origin in the table. Each row gives the years, the exams, the documents guide for that country and the State and exam fees. The CCSE is required in every row; the DELE A2 is waived for nationals of 20 countries and territories and for holders of an earlier DELE diploma at A2 or higher (art. 6.5).
Table by origin
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Brazil is not named in art. 22.1 (it says "países iberoamericanos" with no list), but the Audiencia Nacional has applied the two-year period to Brazilian applicants in two judgments (3 June 2025, rec. 1563/2022; 11 December 2023, rec. 2820/2021). The two-year period is for nationals of origin. If you acquired the nationality later, the text we quote does not say whether it applies: ask. Em português: cidadania espanhola para brasileiros (documentos (PT), prova CCSE 2026 (PT))
The fees are the Ministry of Justice tasa (modelo 790, code 026) plus the CCSE and, where it applies, the DELE A2, read on 22 October 2026. Apostilles, sworn translations and a lawyer come on top: the estimator adds your own quotes.
A nationality that is not in this table follows the general rule of ten years unless a group above fits you. Minors under 18, people with court-modified capacity and people granted a waiver follow different exam rules (Orden JUS/1625/2016, art. 10): CCSE and DELE 2026: dates, fees and rules.
The four groups
- Two years: nationals of origin of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea and Portugal, and Sephardim.
- Ten years: the general rule, for every other origin.
- Five years: people who have obtained refugee status.
- One year: people born in Spain, people married to a Spaniard for a year, widows and widowers of Spaniards, and three more cases of art. 22.2.
What is the same in every row
Residence must be legal, continuous and immediately before the application (art. 22.3). You must show good civic conduct and a sufficient degree of integration (art. 22.4). Integration is tested with the CCSE and, unless waived, the DELE A2 (Real Decreto 1004/2015, art. 6.1 and 6.5).
Count your own years: years-and-exams checker and residence clock. Exam dates and fees: CCSE and DELE 2026: dates, fees and rules. Who sits the DELE A2, by nationality: the list by nationality. The whole file, step by step: the nationality file.
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