Recovery of Spanish nationality: who can apply and how it works

Recovery is intended for people who were Spanish and lost that status in certain circumstances, for example by not declaring in time their wish to retain it or by acquiring another nationality in specific cases.

This is not a first-time acquisition, but rather the rebuilding of the registry and legal link with Spanish nationality based on previous records.

As a rule, legal residence in Spain is required at the time of application, except in cases where an exemption is expressly provided. The application is submitted before the Civil Registry corresponding to the applicant's address.

Tests such as DELE or CCSE are usually not required if the person previously held Spanish nationality, although each case should still be reviewed individually.

It is usually necessary to provide the full Spanish birth certificate, documents explaining the reason for the loss, local registration, a valid passport and criminal or residence certificates depending on the history of the case.