There are a lot of benefits in having Spanish citizenship. For Filipinos, you will be able to travel freely in the Schengen area, your visa will not be tied to an employer, and you can petition your family members in the Philippines to obtain residency in Spain, and thereafter, possibly citizenship as well.
Acquiring Spanish Citizenship by Residency
Get Spanish citizenship quickly.Benefits of Obtaining Spanish Citizenship
A lot of Filipinos think it’s difficult to obtain citizenship, but because of the historical relationship of Spain with the Philippines (the Philippines being a former Spanish colony), a Filipino who has been residing legally in Spain for the past 2 years can already apply for Spanish citizenship.
I am shy and intimated in going to all the Spanish government agencies to collect all my documents because we have a language barrier. I worry that I will be misunderstood.
As your immigration lawyer, we will:
As our client, you will receive:
Spanish Citizenship by Residency
Generally, there are four ways to acquire Spanish citizenship: (1) by residency; (2) by marriage; (3) by option; and (4) by descent. In this page, we will only discuss how to acquire citizenship by residency.
Documentary Requirements
- Identification: complete passport and National Identification Number (Número de Identidad de Extranjero).
- Your current residence permit (you must have been staying LEGALLY in Spain for the past two years – this excludes the time you were here on tourist or student visa). The stay must be continuous and uninterrupted for the 2 years immediately preceding your application.
- Birth certificate
- Police clearance (it is important that you do not have any criminal record; for minor, isolated cases of criminal records, such as misdemeanors, we may be able to get a positive resolution for you).
- Padrón (certificado de empadronamiento) (current and previous) – this is the local certificate you receive after registering at the town hall where you live.
- DELE Spanish Diploma Level A2 Certificate – language exam that you need to pass, issued by Instituto Cervantes – we will provide you some sample exams so you can be familiar with it
- Certificate that you have passed the CCSE (Conocimientos Constitucionales y Socioculturales de España). This is an exam conducted by Instituto Cervantes about the constitutional and sociocultural aspects of Spain. We will provide you sample questions that you can study prior to the exam.
- The birth certificate of your children, if you would like to give them citizenship by option.
- Document showing that you have paid the application fee, around 100€
- Demonstration of the possession of sufficient economic means.
How long will it take?
Normally, the process can take two to three years upon submission of your application. If your application has not been acted upon within 12 months from submission, your application can be considered denied due to administrative silence. For this reason, we will prepare your appeal to speed up the process.
Get Legal Assistance in Your Citizenship Application
If you are overwhelmed with the documentary requirements needed to apply for Spanish citizenship, do not worry. Borra Law has teamed up with an expert group of Spanish immigration lawyers to help you with your application.
We will manage the whole application process by helping gather all the required documentation and information you need to get your application approved. We will fill out the application form and submit it ourselves. All you need to do is pass the exam and sign. We will make the process faster by filing an appeal if your application has not been acted upon within a year, thereby speeding up the process.