Documents for Spanish citizenship and which ones expire
Which documents you need, how to prepare them and which ones have an expiry date.
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Gathering documents is the slowest part of the application, especially those you must request from your country of origin. And some of them expire: if they go out of date before you apply, or while the application is processed and you are asked for them again, you must get them again.
Usual documents
For an adult, in general:
- Application form for citizenship by residence (filled in on the e-office or on the official form).
- Full, valid passport.
- Valid residence card (TIE), or EU citizen registration certificate or EU family member card.
- Birth certificate from your country, legalised or apostilled and, if not in Spanish, translated.
- Criminal record certificate from your country of origin, legalised or apostilled and translated.
- Spanish criminal record: you can authorise the Ministry to check it in the application.
- CCSE and DELE A2 passed, or proof of your exemption.
- Proof of payment of the fee (form 790, code 026). In 2026 it is about €104; check the current amount before paying.
Depending on your case, also:
- Marriage to a Spanish citizen: recent marriage certificate and your spouse’s full birth certificate.
- Refugees: proof of your status.
- Born in Spain: full birth certificate from the Spanish Civil Registry instead of the foreign one.
The Ministry may ask for further documents during the process, such as a certificate of registration on the municipal register (empadronamiento) or proof of means.
Which ones expire
| Document | When it expires | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Passport | On the date shown on it | Renew it in good time: you will also need it for the oath and the ID card. |
| TIE / residence card | On the date shown on it | Apply for renewal in time: your residence must stay legal throughout the process. |
| Criminal record certificate from your country | Six months after issue, unless the certificate states another period | Request it as late as possible, once everything else is ready. |
| Civil Registry and empadronamiento certificates | Usually required to be recent (a few months old) | Get them close to the application date or when asked. |
| Foreign birth certificate | Generally does not expire | Some countries or cases require a recent one: check. |
| CCSE and DELE | The DELE does not expire; check the CCSE validity on the Instituto Cervantes website | Keep the certificates. |
Legalisation, apostille and translation
- Foreign documents must be legalised through diplomatic channels or carry the Hague apostille if your country is party to the convention. Some countries have agreements that waive this step.
- If they are not in Spanish, they need a translation. The safest option is a sworn translation by a sworn translator appointed by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- Legalise or apostille before translating, so the translation includes the apostille.
Tips so nothing expires
- Make a list with the expiry date of each document and check it every month.
- Leave short-lived documents, such as the criminal record certificate, until last.
- If you receive a request for documents (requerimiento), answer within the deadline: it is usually 10 working days.
The app reminds you 60, 30 and 7 days before each document expires, and on the day. Everything is stored only on your phone.