# How long does Spanish nationality by residence take in 2026?

The law gives the Ministry of Justice one year to decide your application for nationality by residence. If you get no answer in that year, the application is deemed refused by administrative silence, and you can appeal. In practice many files take longer than a year, and the real time depends on the Ministry's workload.

## What is the legal deadline to decide?

Article 11.3 of Real Decreto 1004/2015 (Royal Decree) sets a maximum of one year to decide and notify. The year starts when your application reaches the Directorate General that handles it, today the Dirección General de Seguridad Jurídica y Fe Pública. It does not start on the day you file it at a registry office.

The deadline can be suspended if the Ministry asks you to correct something or to provide documents. The suspension lasts from when you are notified of the request until you reply or until the period you were given ends (article 22.1.a of Ley 39/2015, the administrative procedure law).

## How long does it take in practice?

The Ministry does not publish an official average processing time. There is data on the backlog:

| Figure | Number | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Files pending on 31/12/2025 | 256,393 | Subdirección General de Nacionalidad, quoted by The Objective |
| Of those, filed in 2025 | 218,659 | Same source |

These figures show that at the end of 2025 most pending files were from that same year. They do not tell you how long yours will take. Times change from year to year and from file to file.

## What are the stages of the file?

Real Decreto 1004/2015 divides the procedure into these stages:

1. **Filing.** You send the application with the documents and the fee, online or on paper. A paper application is digitised, because the file is electronic at every stage (article 3).
2. **Requests for documents.** If something is missing or a document has a defect, you are asked to correct it (article 10).
3. **Reports.** The Ministry asks other authorities for the reports it needs. A report from the Ministry of the Interior is always required. It can also check your CCSE and DELE results online with the Instituto Cervantes (article 8).
4. **Decision.** The Directorate General drafts a proposal and the Minister of Justice decides on it: grant or refusal (article 11).
5. **Notification.** You are notified of the decision, preferably electronically. The notification states the possible appeals, the deadline and where to file them (article 11.4).

## How do I check the status of my file?

The Ministry of Justice online portal (sede.mjusticia.gob.es, page "Nacionalidad española") has the "Consulta telemática de expedientes de nacionalidad española por residencia" (online file tracker). Many people call it "Cómo va lo mío" ("how is mine going"). You do not need a digital certificate: click "Tramitación On-line sin Certificado Digital" and enter:

- Your NIE (foreigner identity number).
- Your application number.
- The year of the application.
- Your date of birth.

The tracker shows the stage your file is at. The Ministry warns that this information is not a notification. Once a grant has been notified to you, you can also see the electronic original of the decision there.

## Where do notifications arrive?

Nationality notifications can be read in the DEHú (Dirección Electrónica Habilitada única, the government's single electronic notification inbox, dehu.redsara.es). They go to the person named in the application: you or your representative. You have 10 calendar days to open an electronic notification. If you do not open it in that time, it is treated as refused and the procedure moves on (article 43.2 of Ley 39/2015). So check the DEHú regularly, especially if you expect a request for documents.

## What is a "requerimiento" and how long do I have to reply?

A requerimiento (request for documents or corrections) is a notice from the Ministry asking you to fix a defect in your application or to provide a document that is missing or has expired. You can reply online or on paper.

You have **three months** from when the request is notified to you (article 10.2 of Real Decreto 1004/2015). If you do not reply in that time, you are treated as having withdrawn: your application is closed by a formal decision.

While the request is open, the one-year deadline to decide can stay suspended (article 22.1.a of Ley 39/2015).

## What happens if a year passes with no answer?

The application is deemed refused. This is called negative administrative silence (silencio administrativo negativo, article 11.3 of Real Decreto 1004/2015). This silence only serves to let you appeal (article 24.2 of Ley 39/2015). The Ministry is still obliged to decide (article 21.1), and its late decision is not bound by the silence, so it can still grant nationality later even if you did not appeal (article 24.3.b).

You have two options:

- **Wait.** Your file stays open and you wait for the formal decision.
- **Appeal.** You file a recurso de reposición (administrative appeal) or a recurso contencioso-administrativo (court appeal), as explained below.

Talk to a lawyer before appealing. An appeal has costs and does not always speed up the outcome.

## Which appeals exist and what are the deadlines?

| Appeal | Before | Against a formal refusal | Against silence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reposición (optional) | Ministry of Justice | 1 month from notification | At any time from the day after the silence |
| Contencioso-administrativo | Audiencia Nacional (national court) | 2 months from notification | No time limit, according to the Constitutional Court |

The legal basis:

- **Reposición.** Article 14 of Real Decreto 1004/2015 allows a recurso de reposición against a refusal. It is optional: you can go straight to court (article 123 of Ley 39/2015). The deadlines of one month or "at any time" are in article 124.1 of Ley 39/2015. The Ministry has one month to decide the appeal (article 124.2).
- **Contencioso-administrativo.** Article 22.5 of the Código Civil (Civil Code) keeps the court route open against a grant or a refusal. Appeals against acts of Ministers go to the contentious-administrative chamber of the Audiencia Nacional (article 11.1.a of Ley 29/1998, the law on administrative courts). The deadline is two months if the decision is formal (article 46.1). If you first filed a reposición, the two months count from when you are notified of the answer to it (article 46.4).
- **Silence and the courts.** Article 46.1 of Ley 29/1998 mentions six months for presumed acts. The Constitutional Court, in judgment 52/2014, held that an appeal against a refusal by silence is not subject to that deadline.

Before the Audiencia Nacional you need a lawyer (abogado) and a court representative (procurador) (article 23.2 of Ley 29/1998).

## What can slow down or speed up my file?

There is no official way to speed up a file. What you can do is avoid delays:

- **File a complete application.** Each request for documents can suspend the one-year deadline until you reply. Check the list of [nationality documents](/en/nationality-documents) before filing.
- **Keep your documents valid.** A criminal record certificate that does not state its validity is valid for 6 months. The requirements are in the guide [Spanish nationality by residence requirements](/en/guides/spanish-nationality-by-residence-requirements).
- **Watch your notifications.** An electronic notification left unopened for 10 days is treated as refused, and the three months to answer a request keep running.
- **Reply to requests quickly.** The one-year deadline can stay suspended while you have not replied.

Filing online puts your application in the electronic system from day one. We have found no official source saying that online applications are decided faster than paper ones.

## What happens after nationality is granted?

From the day after the grant is notified, you have 180 days to take the oath or pledge before the Registro Civil (Civil Registry) or a notary and ask for registration. If you miss that deadline, the grant loses its effect (article 12.1 of Real Decreto 1004/2015). The Registro Civil records your nationality within five days of the oath, and that ends the procedure (article 13.1).

The steps, the appointment and the documents are in the guide [Spanish nationality oath](/en/guides/spanish-nationality-oath).

## Frequently asked questions

### How long does the Ministry have to decide on nationality by residence?

One year from when your application reaches the Directorate General that handles it (article 11.3 of Real Decreto 1004/2015). The deadline can be suspended while you have an unanswered request for documents.

### More than a year has passed. Has my nationality been refused?

Legally the application is deemed refused by silence, but only so that you can appeal. The Ministry is still obliged to decide and can grant it later.

### How long do I have to reply to a requerimiento?

Three months from when it is notified to you. If you do not reply, you are treated as having withdrawn and the application is closed.

### Is the "Cómo va lo mío" tracker a notification?

No. It only shows the stage of your file. Official notifications arrive through the DEHú or the channel you chose in the application.

### Can I pay someone to make my file go faster?

There is no official way to speed it up. Be wary of anyone who promises a faster decision for money. Nacionaliza is not an official site and does not process applications.

## Sources

- Real Decreto 1004/2015, Reglamento del procedimiento de nacionalidad por residencia, artículos 8 a 14 (BOE): https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2015-12047
- Código Civil, artículo 22.5 (BOE, texto consolidado): https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-1889-4763
- Ley 39/2015, del Procedimiento Administrativo Común, artículos 21, 22, 24, 43, 123 y 124 (BOE): https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2015-10565
- Ley 29/1998, de la Jurisdicción Contencioso-administrativa, artículos 11, 23 y 46 (BOE): https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-1998-16718
- Tribunal Constitucional, Sentencia 52/2014, plazo para recurrir el silencio negativo (BOE): https://www.boe.es/buscar/doc.php?id=BOE-A-2014-4822
- Sede electrónica del Ministerio de Justicia, nacionalidad española: https://sede.mjusticia.gob.es/es/tramites/nacionalidad-espanola
- Ministerio de Justicia, guía de la consulta telemática de expedientes de nacionalidad por residencia (PDF): https://sede.mjusticia.gob.es/documents/d/guest/consulta-telematica-de-expedientes-de-nacionalidad-espanola-por-residencia-opacado-1
- Ministerio de Justicia, acceso a las notificaciones de nacionalidad en la DEHú (PDF): https://sede.mjusticia.gob.es/documents/d/guest/triptico-acceso-a-notificaciones-de-nacionalidad-en-la-dehu
- The Objective, 23 April 2026. Justicia agiliza la nacionalidad de 256.000 inmigrantes (data from the Subdirección General de Nacionalidad): https://theobjective.com/espana/2026-04-23/justicia-nacionalidad-256000-expedientes-aluvion-solicitudes/

URL: https://nacionaliza.es/en/guides/how-long-does-spanish-nationality-take