How to get the citizenship of Spain

Spain is considered one of the best countries to move to and is popular with our compatriots. In a European country, there are several simple programs for legalization, which will help in a short time to obtain citizenship. We will tell you how to quickly obtain Spanish citizenship and how to change your place of residence with minimal discomfort for yourself and your family.

Contents

1. Ways to obtain citizenship for Russians
2. Citizenship under the accelerated procedure
3. Documents that are needed to apply for citizenship
4. Dual citizenship
5. Review procedure

Ways to obtain citizenship for Russians

The standard scheme of registration of documents assumes that you must live in the country for at least 10 years. First, a foreign citizen issues a temporary residence permit, which then acquires a permanent status. This rule frightens many, since the coveted passport is ten long years away, but there are several ways to obtain citizenship much faster.

PERMIT

This is the standard way in the future to obtain a Spanish passport, which is used by many. The basis for registration, for example, is the purchase of real estate or investment. If you have fulfilled the basic requirements, you are given the right to reside in the country for a period of three years. After this period, the residence permit is extended and extended immediately for 5 years. By the way, many foreigners continue to live with a residence permit without obtaining citizenship. This status gives the same opportunities, so you can not deal with bureaucratic difficulties further.

A residence permit is issued in exchange for the purchase of real estate or for investments in the country's economy. For each of the options, financial restrictions are set, so this option is available only if there are solid monetary resources. At the same time, the funds remain in your property and no obligations for permanent residence in the country are established for you. The Golden Visa program is also suitable for those who are going to do business or work, as this status makes it possible to do both. A residence permit opens up all the possibilities for you to use social institutions, so many foreigners quite successfully live in this status and do not think about obtaining citizenship.

By marriage

Another simplified way to obtain Spanish citizenship is to get married or get married. The chosen one or the chosen one must be Spaniards by citizenship, on the basis of this fact, the foreigner will be able to obtain legal status, based on the fact of marriage. The main requirement in this case will be legal stay in the country - a foreign citizen must have a residence permit or visa. Under this scheme, citizenship will be approved in just a year, if you meet all the requirements. 

By origin

If one of the parents is a Spanish citizen or has acquired citizenship, it is possible to apply for legal status by origin. To do this, you need to confirm that your relatives are related to a European country and live in Spain for at least a year.

When obtaining a passport by origin, only one parent or a close relative in a direct line can be a Spanish citizen. For example, a Spanish grandmother is perfect for submitting documents. Also, this method of acquiring legal civil status is suitable for children who were born in the country, but it is impossible to establish their origin.  

Births

It is easier for children to use the right of blood and become a citizen of the country by birth. This rule applies if one of the parents has Spanish nationality or was born in the country, or if the child is adopted by a citizen of that country. By the way, this scheme can also be used by adults, if they meet the requirement. In some cases, soil law applies when a child acquires citizenship because he was born in the territory of this country.  

Option 

This term means that a foreign citizen will be able to choose a national passport of Spain if he meets several requirements. This option is available for several categories of job seekers:

1. minor children who have been adopted by Spanish citizens;
2. foreigners who have already turned 18 years old, but they must be under guardianship for at least 2 years.

In this case, the only requirement will be to live in the country for one year. 

Naturalization

The traditional and longest way how to obtain citizenship in Spain for Russians. From the first stage to the last it will take 10 years, since first a residence permit is issued, then permanent residence. If you choose this option, you will have to put up with some difficulties:

• during the entire period (10 years) it is necessary to constantly confirm your social status - place of work or study;
• the spouse and children are naturalized under a separate procedure;
• the government set quotas for the issuance of citizenship in this way, so the initial period of 10 years could be increased.

This option can be used by those who are going to study and further work in Spain. A residence permit gives many advantages, since with a legal status you can use all social offers and be a resident of the country. However, you can apply for the status of an official citizen of Spain only after 10 years, which does not suit many.    

Citizenship under the accelerated  procedure

We will tell you how you can get Spanish citizenship under the accelerated program. There are no simplified procedures for registration, the general option for legalization will be registration by naturalization. The main stage in this procedure is to obtain a residence permit, which is issued if several requirements are met.

There are two schemes for obtaining a residence permit by a foreign citizen:

1. Real estate. If you buy a property in Spain worth from 500,000 euros, you will be able to apply for legal status.
2. Investment. Instead of buying a home, you can invest in local companies and also get the basis for obtaining a residence permit. The amount of investment must be at least one million euros. There are a number of restrictions on the choice of companies in which you can invest.

As soon as you have fulfilled the first requirement, you have a basis for obtaining a temporary residence permit. After three years, subject to all the rules of the residence permit, they extend and issue permanent residence, with this document you need to live in Spain for at least 5 years. After that, you can apply for citizenship.

The accelerated procedure, which will take less than 10 years, can be used in exceptional cases:

• Formal employment contract with a local employer. A foreigner can conclude a contract with a Spanish employer and, on the basis of this contract, issue a legal residence status. After 5 years of continuous activity, you can apply for permanent residence and then get a national passport.  
• Own business. The applicant can open his own business, and after 5 years of entrepreneurial activity and continuous residence in the country, you can apply for citizenship.
• Family reunification. Your spouse, as well as children, receive the right to citizenship under an accelerated procedure. This rule applies when you are already a citizen of the country.
• Marriage. If your partner has Spanish citizenship, you can get a passport after a year of cohabitation. The only conditions will be the presence of a residence permit and stay in the country for one year.
• Refugee. Refugees who apply for asylum in Spain can apply for citizenship under a simplified scheme. In this case, it is necessary to confirm the fact that your life is in danger, and use the points of the Geneva Convention.

We have listed only the grounds for obtaining citizenship, but additional factors will be the availability of a stable income and place of residence. If you do not have your own property, you can conclude a lease agreement, this document will prove that you have a place to live in Spain. Also, only applicants without a criminal record in their country and without offenses in Spain can apply for citizenship. A mandatory item will be the passing of an exam on knowledge of the language and culture of the country whose citizenship you want to obtain.  

Documents that are needed to apply for citizenship

The easiest way to obtain Spanish citizenship for a Russian citizen is naturalization. Obtaining a residence permit can be achieved in different ways, and specific requirements and conditions are established for each of them. The basic set of documents for submitting an application is as follows:

• the application completed by the applicant;
• birth certificate;
• Police clearance certificates – one from the country from which you came and another from the municipality of Spain;
• a document confirming the basis for obtaining citizenship.

Depending on which basis is indicated as the reason for issuing a passport, other documents may be required.

Dual citizenship

In Spain, there is a rule of dual citizenship, when a person can possess national passports of two different countries. Such an assumption is possible only in a few cases:

1. a Spanish citizen obtained his or her status by adoption;
2. the second citizenship refers to the countries with which the relevant agreement has been concluded.

If you have the citizenship of France, Portugal, Andorra, the Philippines and some Latin American countries, you will not have to give it up. In other cases, you need to renounce the citizenship that you have now in order to become a legal Spaniard. An official refusal is not always formalized, since each state has the right to recognize a person as its subject even if there is citizenship of another country. This is a rather complex issue, but in most cases, Russians retain Russian citizenship and can use a passport when crossing the border with Russia without problems and restrictions.

Review  procedure

Here is a simple instruction on how to obtain Spanish citizenship for Russians:

• Registration of the application. It is necessary to collect all the required documents and contact the local registration office. You should collect all the certificates, translate the documents into Spanish and pay the fee. You will also need a photo measuring 32 by 26 mm. The list of documents depends on the basis on which the application is submitted.
• Fingerprinting. Applicants over the age of 12 must submit fingerprints and other biometric data. To do this, you go to the Citizens' Affairs Department of the Consulate General, where you go through all the required procedures.
• Get the document. The average processing time is 3 weeks, but the registration may be delayed for an indefinite period. When submitting an application, you can find out the address of the online resource on which the status of the appeal is tracked. If your question is approved, you will receive a passport in person or through a proxy.

When applying for citizenship for children, parents or relatives who are close and will be able to prove their relationship can apply.

Obtaining Spanish citizenship is difficult, but quite realistic. A prerequisite for all options will be the availability of an official visa and a place where you will live for the entire period of stay in the country. Depending on how quickly you need legal status and how much you are willing to spend on it, you can choose the traditional method of registration or obtaining a passport on a golden visa.

Spain is considered an excellent place to move, as Spanish citizenship makes it possible to move around all EU countries without restrictions. You will be able to study and work in any of the European countries, as well as conduct business and move around different countries without drawing up additional documents.