Dual Citizenship in Spain: What You Need to Know

Many foreigners seeking Spanish citizenship are often interested in the possibility of having dual citizenship. In accordance with Spanish law, this is allowed under certain conditions. A person who has dual citizenship has a full range of rights and obligations corresponding to both countries. There are clear rules for resolving legal issues and prioritizing rights and obligations.

The main factor in this situation is often the place of permanent residence of a person, since it affects a number of important points: the procedure for obtaining passports, the exercise of civil and political rights, employment opportunities and social benefits, as well as the fulfillment of obligations for military service.

 

Can Russian citizens have dual citizenship status in Spain?

At the moment, Russians do not have the opportunity to obtain dual citizenship with Spain, which is due to the lack of a bilateral agreement governing dual citizenship between Russia and Spain.

 

Such arrangements generally allow nationals of both countries to have the nationality of each without requiring them to renounce their original nationality.

 

When there is no such agreement, Russians seeking Spanish citizenship will have to renounce Russian citizenship, and vice versa. This requirement is based on the laws of both countries, which include the condition of renouncing other citizenships as a mandatory step to obtain a new citizenship or to maintain the status of previous citizenship.

 

 

Spain's Dual Citizenship Arrangements with Other Countries

Spain has signed dual citizenship agreements mainly with states where Spanish or Portuguese are official languages. These countries include most countries in Latin America, as well as Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea and Portugal. Citizens of these countries can retain their original citizenship by obtaining Spanish citizenship.

 

There are several ways to acquire Spanish citizenship:

  1. Residency-based citizenship: This method requires legal residency in Spain for a certain amount of time, usually 10 years. However, for some categories, the terms can be reduced: for refugees - up to 5 years, for citizens of Latin America, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea and Portugal - up to 2 years, and for those born in Spain - only 1 year.
  2. Birthright Citizenship: This path is open to those who are under the guardianship of Spanish citizens or have Spanish parents.
  3. Citizenship by marriage: Marriage to a Spanish citizen does not give an automatic right to citizenship, but allows you to apply after one year of living together in the country.

It should also be borne in mind that Spanish nationality can be lost in the following cases:

  1. Continuing to live abroad with another nationality after obtaining Spanish; To retain citizenship, an application must be submitted within three years.
  2. Voluntary renunciation of Spanish citizenship.
  3. Spaniards born outside the country who have not expressed a desire to retain their citizenship within three years of reaching the age of majority.
  4. Persons who have acquired citizenship not by right of descent may lose it if, within three years of acquiring it, they use their previous nationality, serve in the army or hold a political office in another country, in violation of Spanish prohibitions, or if fraud is discovered in the acquisition of citizenship.