Spanish citizenship oath (everything you need to know) (2023)

If you've just received your citizenship resolution and it's favorable to you, if you're waiting for it, or if you're going to submit your application soon, read on. In this article you will learn how the last phase of the process works (in detail): theoath of Spanish citizenship.We are about to look at exactly how this procedure works and where it is performed, how much time you have to have it done after you receive your favorable resolution, what questions they will ask you on the day of the consultation, and what legal advice they will give you. be very helpful to complete the process successfully.

What is the citizenship oath?

After obtaining Spanish nationality, you will still have to take one last step to complete the process:swear or promise to respect the Spanish Constitution and its laws.

And this process is calledoath of citizenship.

Although it is a very simple procedure, it requires following the formal steps that we will analyze in this article.

You have two different but equally valid ways to formalize this respect for the Spanish legal order:

• Or you can complete it by swearing
• Or you promising (in the latter case there would be no associated religious connotation)

But again,both options are completely equivalent legally speaking

Through this procedure,you will be registered for the first time in Spain as a national through the birth certificate; and, depending on your country of origin, this will be the moment when you will have torenounce your original nationalityacquire spanish (if you cannot maintain dual nationality).

Therefore, once you receive the decision stating thatSpanish nationality was favorably granted, what you'll have to do right away (and now you'll understand why so quickly) is request an appointment for this last stage of the process.

And this can be done in two at two different institutions.

Where is the oath taken?

currently theretwo different options or places to take the nationality oath:

• At the nearest Civil Registry Office
• Before a notary or at the Spanish consulate

While it is true that traditionally this procedure could only be performed at the Civil Registry,The possibility of doing so before the recent constitution of a notary, something that can be very advantageous due to the long waits involved in booking an appointment with the first option.

Therefore, taking an oath before a notary may be your best alternative (especially if you live in a big city).

here you canaccess an article in which we detail step by step how the notarial oath process works.

To understand how the process usually goes, you must first go to the nearest Civil Registry to make an appointment, and there they will indicate a specific date to carry out the procedure again. However, it is true that nowadays many civil registries have an online platform where you can request an appointment.

Can I make an appointment at any Civil Registry in Spain? No.You will have to do it in what corresponds to you according to the municipality in which you are registered at the time of receiving the nationality resolution.

That is, if when you applied for nationality and submitted your application you resided in a municipality but between that presentation and the deliberation you moved to another location, the reference municipality will be the latter (the one in which you reside at the time ). receipt of notification).

When should I take the oath? deadlines

This is very important:you have 180 days to make an appointment to take the oath, time that starts counting from the moment the nationality is granted.

Here we must emphasize thatyou can't start this oath processuntil you officially receive the nationality resolution.

To mean,see the “favorable resolved” on the online platform “how are my things going”it is not enough to be able to take an oath.

Therefore, you must fully consider this 6-month period; because passing would mean losing the process and your right to be a Spanish citizen (because your file would be archived and with that you would lose your nationality).

Therefore,Our recommendation is that you do this in time and make an appointment as soon as possible.; as many civil registries (especially those in large capitals like Madrid or Barcelona) are saturated and it can take a long time to make an appointment.

However, if you requested your appointment immediately and it was granted after 180 days, that would be fine as you would already have the appointment and that would be sufficient justification.

Do you have any doubt? Ask our nationality lawyers or continue reading this article for more information:

Documents to bring on the day of the appointment

the day of the oathWhat documents should you bring with you?

Mainly the following:

• favorable resolutionof Spanish nationality and their receipt
• Passport, which must be the original and current
• Residence card, which must be valid and in effect (you must not be undocumented at this time) or receipt if in the midst of a renewal
• City Hall registration (“padrón”)
• Birth certificate(the same used in the nationality application)
• criminal record(legalized or apostilled)
• declaratory data sheet, document in which basic information such as name, surname or place of birth is collected

It is important to note that the criminal record certificate and the birth certificate are two documents that you should not present if you have submitted your request for nationality through the Civil Registry. Only if you did it online will you have to provide them again at the swearing-in ceremony.

What is done on the day of the oath and how long does it last?

Contrary to what many people think, the nationality oath is a very simple and easy process.

On the day of your consultation,first you will have to hand in your favorable citizenship resolution, for the responsible public secretary to verify its validity.

Once verified,you will be asked two very simple questions(which we'll cover in the next section), and with that, you'll beregistered with the Civil Registry as a Spanish citizen through your birth certificate.

In terms of time, the process is usually completed on the same day, andthe oath itself lasts no more than 30 minutes.

However, it is also possible for the process to be split into two parts, as the employee hands his process over to another employee and the process is completed in a few days or weeks.

What questions will they ask on the day of the nationality pledge?

This procedure revolves around two key questions that you must answer in the affirmative.

More specifically, on the day of the oath you will be asked:

• If you swear to respect the Spanish legal system and its constitution
• If you agree to renounce your original nationality (only if necessary as you cannot maintain dual nationality)

And that is!

What happens after this process is completed?

Once you have completed the nationality oath process and registered in the Civil Registry as Spanish through your birth certificate, the next step ismake an appointment at the police station to get your Spanish ID and passport.

Here is the link to make an appointment

Additionally, you will have torequest the "certificate of agreement" to be able to change your name with the different institutions where you were registered in Spain; a very important procedure that many foreigners (now Spaniards) forget.

In all the institutions in which you were registered during your life in Spain as a foreigner before obtaining nationality, you did so with your name as it appears on your original document. And it is that, on many occasions, when you register with the Spanish Civil Registry as a national of the country, your first and last name may vary slightly, adding a second last name if you do not have it, etc.

Thus, you will have to carry out this identity verificationindicating that you are still the same person, but now with your details as they appear on yourspanish identityThe passport.

Differences between "jura" and "prejura"

Finally, it is important to understand thatthis process can be divided into 2 steps, especially if you carry out the procedure in a crowded Civil Registry:the "oath" and the "oath".

How does the process work in this case?

In "damage",a series of important data is collected for the day of the oath, the information sheet we saw in the documents section.

We are talking about fundamental information for your registration on the birth certificate; and you will do it forsign a data collection declaration, specifying your name, surname, place of birth, surname of your parents, etc.

After this first phase, you will have toreturn another day to the Civil Registry to take the oath and answer the 2 necessary questionswe saw before, now the whole process is over.

Do you still have questions or need specialized legal help to take the oath or obtain Spanish nationality? Then contact us through the following link:

I want to talk to a lawyer