A Spanish passport: one road, clear timelines, your own countdown.
First, the promise you’ve probably seen elsewhere: “Spanish citizenship by investment.” It doesn’t exist. The Golden Visa closed on 3 April 2025, and even before that, money alone never bought a passport here. There’s one road to citizenship — naturalisation, which means genuinely living in Spain. And that’s actually good news: the road is clear, predictable, and open to anyone ready to make the move.
It works like this. You start with an ordinary residence permit — as a digital nomad, a skilled professional, an entrepreneur, or someone living on passive income. After 5 years you reach permanent residence (larga duración). When you can apply for citizenship depends on your current nationality:
- 10 years — the general rule;
- 2 years — for citizens of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea, Portugal, and people of Sephardic origin;
- 1 year — for spouses of Spanish citizens (after a year of living in Spain while married) and those born in Spain;
- 5 years — for refugees.
One point many websites get wrong: the CCSE exam (constitution and society) and the DELE A2 language test are for citizenship only. No exams are needed for residence or permanent residence. Everyone sits the CCSE; native Spanish speakers skip the DELE entirely.
And a fact worth weighing early: only the “2-year list” countries keep dual nationality. Everyone else generally renounces their previous passport when naturalising.
Ten years sounds like a long time. It’ll pass either way — the only question is whether your clock is running. Book a free consultation and we’ll work out your personal timeline and the right first permit.