Living in Spain can be a dream for many. Having access to a great climate, marvelous Mediterranean diets, an outdoor lifestyle, the Spanish culture and its people, and much more. So it’s no surprise that Spain is one of the most visited countries in the world. But just how easy is it to enjoy permanent access to the cobblestone walkways, flamenco music, fresco bars, thousand-year-old churches, and picturesque sunsets over the Mediterranean Sea. One way of becoming a national is through Spanish citizenship, so let’s delve into the different options there are available to foreigners.

Ways of Obtaining Spanish Citizenship

Obtaining Spanish citizenship gives you the right to live in Spain indefinitely. It also gives you the right to vote, work, and move freely within the EU (European Union). There are four main ways of obtaining Spanish citizenship:

  •  Spanish Citizenship by Descent

This is the most common way of obtaining Spanish citizenship, which is basically by right-of-birth. Provided you were born in Spain, and your parents are Spanish nationals, you automatically become a national of the Spanish territory. With the Spanish Grandchildren’s Law, grandkids of a Spanish citizen can apply for nationality too.

  • Spanish Citizenship by Marriage

This type of nationality is granted to foreigners who have been residing in Spain for at least one year. Applicants must also have been legally married to a Spanish citizen during that period. When marrying a Spanish national, you’ll get residence and work authorization. And after living together for at least twelve months, you can apply for citizenship with your Spanish marriage certificate.

  • Spanish Citizenship by Residency

This is the most commonly known way of obtaining Spanish citizenship. Having been residing legally in Spain for an uninterrupted period qualifies you for Spanish naturalization. Naturalization is a process granted to foreigners who have a residence permit in Spain, have renewed the permit enough times, and once the required ten-year time frame has passed, they are granted citizenship.

  • Spanish Citizenship by Option

It is also sometimes referred to as Citizenship by Origin. This type of nationality is given to foreigners who’s parents obtained Spanish citizenship before. You would qualify as a citizen of Spain if your parent(s) initiated an application for Citizenship by Residency in the past. They must have included your birth certificate in that application as well. The cut-off time for qualifying is when you (as the child) are twenty years of age. Also, your parent(s) must have included you in their application before your eighteenth birthday.

Timeline to Obtaining Spanish Citizenship

The entire process of obtaining Spanish citizenship can take as much as three years to complete, which is all the more reason to use a professional service provider like My Spanish Residency. Not only can they expedite the process for you, but they are also well versed in the procedural red-tape that may be cause for the decline of an application.

As a guideline under the Spanish Government Info portal, it can take up to twelve months before the Spanish government legally submits its response to your application. Not receiving any response after a year of waiting could mean that your request has been rejected due to admin-silence. A professional entity like My Spanish Residency can formally initiate an appeal for review, thereby getting a response within three to four months.

If you have unanswered questions about Spanish citizenship or would like to see whether you qualify as a candidate, feel free to visit them at myspanishresidency.com.