https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Spain in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Have you applied for Spanish citizenship recently and are awaiting a response, or are you considering applying this year? Find out how long it might take to get an answer in 2026. https://www.thelocal.es/20260508/how-long-are-waiting-times-for-spanish-citizenship-in-2026 Fri, 08 May 2026 08:42:08 +0200 how-long-are-waiting-times-for-spanish-citizenship-in-2026 Following the deadline for Spanish citizenship applications via the so-called 'Grandchildren's Law', Spain's consulates around the world are struggling to process the flood in applications. https://www.thelocal.es/20260414/spanish-consulates-struggle-with-over-half-a-million-citizenship-applications Tue, 14 Apr 2026 10:31:46 +0200 spanish-consulates-struggle-with-over-half-a-million-citizenship-applications Are you a Brit who's thinking of applying for Spanish citizenship but you're concerned whether this will mean losing British citizenship? The rules about holding onto both nationalities can be confusing, so here’s what Spanish and British law says. https://www.thelocal.es/20260302/will-i-lose-my-british-citizenship-if-i-become-spanish Mon, 02 Mar 2026 13:39:14 +0100 will-i-lose-my-british-citizenship-if-i-become-spanish If you've lived in Spain for the required amount of time and are thinking of applying for Spanish citizenship, here are 12 essential articles to guide you through the process and clear up some common doubts. https://www.thelocal.es/20260225/12-must-read-articles-before-applying-for-spanish-citizenship Wed, 25 Feb 2026 09:01:29 +0100 12-must-read-articles-before-applying-for-spanish-citizenship Though Spain has granted citizenship to more people than other European countries in recent years, the application process is incredibly lengthy and fraught with pitfalls. Here are the most common mistakes and how to avoid them. https://www.thelocal.es/20230316/common-mistakes-when-applying-for-spanish-citizenship-and-how-to-avoid-them Thu, 16 Mar 2023 16:34:12 +0100 common-mistakes-when-applying-for-spanish-citizenship-and-how-to-avoid-them Thinking about applying for Spanish citizenship but worried about the exams? Here's how many people pass the culture and language tests required to become a Spanish national. https://www.thelocal.es/20260220/whats-the-pass-rate-for-the-culture-and-language-exams-for-spanish-citizenship Fri, 20 Feb 2026 09:50:39 +0100 whats-the-pass-rate-for-the-culture-and-language-exams-for-spanish-citizenship As rhetoric on immigration in Spain continues escalating, the far-right Vox party has called for an 'audit' of Spanish citizenships granted by the Sánchez government. https://www.thelocal.es/20260203/spains-far-right-calls-for-review-of-a-million-citizenships-granted-under-sanchez Tue, 03 Feb 2026 10:33:34 +0100 spains-far-right-calls-for-review-of-a-million-citizenships-granted-under-sanchez Being born in Spain gives you the life-long right to apply for Spanish nationality after a year of residency, but if you’re a foreigner who left Spain as a child or later, do you also have the automatic right to move back to the country? https://www.thelocal.es/20231214/does-being-born-in-spain-give-me-spanish-residency-rights-for-life Thu, 14 Dec 2023 18:01:10 +0100 does-being-born-in-spain-give-me-spanish-residency-rights-for-life Spain has received a surge of citizenship applications from descendants of emigrants who fled the country's 1930s civil war and Francisco Franco's dictatorship under a scheme aimed at addressing historical injustices. https://www.thelocal.es/20251215/how-spain-has-paved-the-way-to-citizenship-for-descendants-of-franco-era-exiles Mon, 15 Dec 2025 11:38:58 +0100 how-spain-has-paved-the-way-to-citizenship-for-descendants-of-franco-era-exiles If you've acquired Spanish citizenship but end up living in a country other than Spain, you may be rightfully wondering if time spent outside of the country, or certain actions while overseas, can result in you losing your nationality. https://www.thelocal.es/20240405/how-to-make-sure-you-dont-lose-spanish-citizenship-if-you-live-abroad Fri, 05 Apr 2024 11:47:33 +0200 how-to-make-sure-you-dont-lose-spanish-citizenship-if-you-live-abroad If you meet all the requirements and have applied for Spanish citizenship, it can be a long and frustrating wait to find out if it has been granted or not. Fortunately, there are several ways you can check on the status of your application. https://www.thelocal.es/20230815/how-to-check-the-status-of-your-spanish-citizenship-application Tue, 15 Aug 2023 15:06:52 +0200 how-to-check-the-status-of-your-spanish-citizenship-application Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has announced that his government will grant Spanish citizenship to almost 170 descendants of the International Brigades, foreigners who fought for the Republicans side during the Spanish Civil War. https://www.thelocal.es/20251103/spain-to-grant-citizenship-to-170-descendants-of-international-brigades Mon, 03 Nov 2025 12:33:42 +0100 spain-to-grant-citizenship-to-170-descendants-of-international-brigades Spain's opposition party recently announced they will raise the language level needed to obtain Spanish citizenship if they get into government in 2027. So just how fluent in Spanish would foreign applicants have to be? https://www.thelocal.es/20251027/how-good-would-my-spanish-have-to-be-to-get-citizenship-if-the-pp-reached-power Mon, 27 Oct 2025 15:09:42 +0100 how-good-would-my-spanish-have-to-be-to-get-citizenship-if-the-pp-reached-power Are the foreign parents of a child born in Spain automatically entitled to get Spanish citizenship? Or does the fact that your child is Spanish mean you can also become a Spanish national faster? https://www.thelocal.es/20220906/does-having-a-baby-in-spain-mean-i-can-become-spanish Tue, 06 Sep 2022 14:33:53 +0200 does-having-a-baby-in-spain-mean-i-can-become-spanish The application window for Spain's Grandchildren's Law has finally come to an end. As of 22nd October 2025, no new applications will be accepted for this citizenship via descent scheme. https://www.thelocal.es/20251023/application-window-for-spanish-citizenship-via-grandchildrens-law-closes Thu, 23 Oct 2025 13:51:16 +0200 application-window-for-spanish-citizenship-via-grandchildrens-law-closes The leader of the Partido Popular (PP) opposition party Alberto Núñez Feijóo has proposed raising the language level to B2 in order to obtain Spanish nationality. https://www.thelocal.es/20251017/opposition-party-calls-for-tougher-language-and-culture-exams-for-spanish-citizenship Fri, 17 Oct 2025 16:10:32 +0200 opposition-party-calls-for-tougher-language-and-culture-exams-for-spanish-citizenship Applications for Spanish citizenship through the Grandchildren's Law are nearing one million as the deadline approaches this month, with experts suggesting the bureaucratic process could take years to finally finish. https://www.thelocal.es/20251008/900000-people-apply-for-spanish-citizenship-as-grandchildren-law-deadline-looms Wed, 08 Oct 2025 17:23:43 +0200 900000-people-apply-for-spanish-citizenship-as-grandchildren-law-deadline-looms Survey data has revealed the political leanings of naturalised Spanish citizens, a group forecast to grow considerably and play an increased role in electoral politics in Spain in the coming years. https://www.thelocal.es/20251002/who-do-foreigners-vote-for-when-they-gain-spanish-citizenship Thu, 02 Oct 2025 14:27:22 +0200 who-do-foreigners-vote-for-when-they-gain-spanish-citizenship Foreigners who've continuously resided in Spain for ten years have the option of applying for Spanish citizenship. But what happens when your get you new Spanish DNI number? How do you change all your documents over to your new nationality? https://www.thelocal.es/20220603/the-little-known-process-you-have-to-do-when-you-become-a-spanish-citizen Fri, 03 Jun 2022 15:12:47 +0200 the-little-known-process-you-have-to-do-when-you-become-a-spanish-citizen How important is integration when it comes to applying for Spanish citizenship through residency? And what are the most common ways for a foreigner to prove they've made an effort to integrate into Spanish society? https://www.thelocal.es/20250516/can-you-have-spanish-citizenship-denied-for-not-being-integrated-enough Fri, 16 May 2025 11:59:24 +0200 can-you-have-spanish-citizenship-denied-for-not-being-integrated-enough