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Becoming A Spanish Citizen
Spanish citizenship has become a hot topic in the last years, especially after Brexit, which has focused the minds of UK citizens on their place in the EU. There are many reasons for people from all over the world to live in Ibiza, from the food and climate to the easy lifestyle and vibrant nightlife but that’s not all as many Ibiza lovers, decide to become permanent residents and then Spanish citizens for two main benefits:
It makes your life easier
There’s no doubt that Spanish bureaucracy can be complicated and time-consuming, as a Spanish citizen you will have a handy, durable, Spanish ID card with microchip, which will work as a magical one-stop identifier guaranteed to smooth the wheels of your social security, traffic and tax affairs. This will mean upgrading of your NIE to a full DNI National Identity Document.
Gives you more freedom around the EU
As a Spanish citizen you will also have full freedom to move and work anywhere in the 28 member states of the EU. Unlike Spanish foreign residents, you will also be able to vote in national and EU elections as well as the local ones.
How do you become a Spanish citizen?
To be granted Spanish citizenship, a certain degree of integration must be proven. Since 2015, applicants must take a language test from the Cervantes Institute and a multiple-choice exam to ensure their cultural knowledge is up to scratch. You will also need to swear your loyalty to the King and promise to abide by the constitution and laws of the land. As a rule, you can become a permanent resident after 5 years in Spain, then apply for citizenship after 10 years by a process of ‘naturalisation.’ Some people can apply sooner than this for various reasons such as having a Spanish parent or parents or having been adopted by them.
What’s the cost of becoming a Spanish citizen?
Be ready to deal with paperwork. Apart from your language and culture tests, the required documents will include your current passport, proof of residence, medical certificate, home criminal record certificate and proof of your married status. Also, aside from the cost of those exams (€200 – €250), you will need to pay a fee of around €100 or more. And be prepared to wait for a while. The recent surge in demand has put the Ministry of Justice under some pressure and there are reports of delays.
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