I. Spanish citizenship for a Peruvian citizen after two years of legal residence

For a Peruvian citizen of origin, Spain offers one of the most important advantages within its nationality legislation: the general ten-year residence requirement is reduced to only two (2) years.

Article 22.1 of the Spanish Civil Code expressly establishes that two (2) years of residence are sufficient for nationals of origin from Ibero-American countries, a category that includes Peru. The residence must also be legal, continuous and immediately prior to the application.

This means that completing the two years does not automatically grant Spanish citizenship. What is acquired is the right to submit an application for Spanish citizenship by residence.

1. From when are the two years counted?

The period must be counted from the date on which the Peruvian citizen holds a genuine legal residence authorization in Spain.

In principle, periods under residence categories such as the following may count:

• Residence and employment as an employee

• Residence and self-employment

• Non-lucrative residence

• Residence as a family member, when it legally constitutes residence

• Residence for international remote work

This concept should not be confused with simple physical presence or municipal registration. Nor should it be assumed that a stay for study purposes has exactly the same effects as residence for nationality purposes.

The Civil Code expressly requires the two years to consist of legal and continuous residence immediately prior to the application.

For this reason, before filing the application it is advisable to review:

• Exact start date of the first residence authorization

• Renewals

• Previous TIE cards

• Entries into and departures from Spain

• Prolonged absences

• Continuity of municipal registration

• Validity of passports

• Any period of irregular immigration status

2. Which authority handles the application?

Spanish citizenship by residence is processed by the Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Parliamentary Relations, through the Directorate-General for Legal Certainty and Public Faith.

The procedure is essentially electronic. The most efficient way is to submit the application through the Ministry of Justice Electronic Office, either personally with an electronic certificate or through a lawyer or authorized representative. The applicable regulations expressly establish the electronic nature of the procedure.

Therefore, the citizenship application is not initially filed with the Police, the Immigration Office or the Peruvian Consulate.

The Civil Registry becomes involved mainly after citizenship has been granted, for the oath or promise and the subsequent registration.

3. Substantive requirements

A Peruvian citizen relying on the two-year benefit must basically prove:

1. That he or she is a Peruvian national of origin

2. That he or she has legally resided in Spain for at least two years

3. That the residence has been continuous

4. Good civic conduct

5. A sufficient degree of integration into Spanish society

6. No relevant criminal record

7. Passing the CCSE test, unless a legal exemption or waiver applies

8. Compliance with the corresponding documentary and registration formalities

The Civil Code expressly establishes the requirements of good civic conduct and sufficient integration.

4. Documents the Peruvian citizen should prepare

For an adult applicant, the file should be prepared, at a minimum, with the following documents:

1. T.I.E. and NIE

Copy of the valid Foreigner Identity Card, Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero (T.I.E.)

It is also advisable to keep previous cards that make it possible to reconstruct the two years of residence without difficulty.

In certain cases, the Ministry allows the applicant to authorize electronic consultation of immigration information.

2. Peruvian passport

The following should be submitted:

• Complete and valid passport, including copies of all pages

• Where applicable, the previous passport covering the required residence period

For a Peruvian citizen, it is particularly important that the passports make it possible to verify entries and departures during the two years prior to the application.

3. Peruvian birth certificate

A certified Peruvian birth certificate or birth record should be obtained and should have been issued recently.

To use it before the Spanish authorities, it must:

1. Be issued by the competent Peruvian authority, RENIEC or the corresponding Peruvian Consulate

2. Carry a Hague Apostille when applicable

3. Be in a condition that allows its authenticity to be verified

Of course, because both countries are Spanish-speaking, an official translation is not required. An exception may arise if the applicant has lived in another country during the previous five years and Spanish is not spoken in that country. In that case, the criminal record certificate will require an apostille and translation into Spanish.

The Ministry requires a birth certificate duly legalized in accordance with the applicable international conventions.

4. Peruvian criminal record certificate

A sufficiently recent criminal record certificate from Peru must be obtained so that it can be accepted as part of the application.

It must be:

• Original or electronically verifiable

• Apostilled for use in Spain by the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

• Consistent with the information shown in the passport and birth certificate

As it is issued in Spanish, no translation is required.

The Ministry requires a criminal record certificate from the country of origin, duly legalized in accordance with the corresponding international convention.

5. Spanish criminal record

The Administration may directly consult the Spanish Central Register of Convicted Persons if the applicant authorizes this consultation.

In a properly submitted electronic application, it is usually not necessary to obtain this separately when such authorization is granted.

6. Municipal registration

The Administration may also consult address information, but from a professional perspective it is advisable to review the following beforehand:

• Historical municipal registration certificate

• Addresses during the two-year period

• Consistency between the address, TIE and immigration file

Municipal registration does not replace immigration residence, but it is an important documentary element for proving continuity and domicile.

7. CCSE test

As a general rule, the Peruvian citizen must pass the:

CCSE — Test of Constitutional and Sociocultural Knowledge of Spain.

It is administered by the Instituto Cervantes and assesses knowledge of:

• The Constitution

• Territorial organization

• Spanish institutions

• Rights and duties

• Culture

• Society

• Daily life

8. Peruvians are exempt from the DELE

This is another important advantage.

Nationals of countries where Spanish is an official language are exempt from taking the DELE Spanish-language test for citizenship by residence.

A Peruvian citizen may prove this exemption through a valid passport or certificate of nationality, as applicable.

In practical terms:

Peruvian national of origin:

• CCSE: YES, as a general rule

• DELE A2: NO

9. Payment of the fee

The application is currently subject to a fee of: EUR 104.05

This amount corresponds to the application fee for citizenship by residence and may be updated in future years. The applicant must be correctly identified when payment is made.

II. Recommended additional documentation

In addition to the mandatory minimum, a legally well-prepared application should review the following before submission:

• Historical municipal registration certificate

• Decisions granting and renewing residence

• Previous Foreigner Identity Cards, “T.I.E.”

• Reports or certificates relating to your employment record in Spain, when applicable

• Your employment contract

• Your registration as self-employed, when applicable

• Your tax returns

• Your approved CCSE certificate

• Where applicable, documents related to changes of name or surname

• Marriage certificate, divorce certificate or documents relating to a change in civil status

• Proof of Peruvian nationality of origin where any doubt could exist

This does not mean that all of these documents must necessarily be uploaded in every application. Their purpose is to identify inconsistencies in advance that could lead to a request for additional information.

III. The particular importance of proving that the applicant is a Peruvian national “of origin”

This issue deserves special attention. The two-year benefit is not drafted simply in favor of anyone who holds a Peruvian passport at the time the application is filed.

Article 22 refers to: nationals of origin from Ibero-American countries.

For a Peruvian born in Peru, there is normally no difficulty.

There is also a solid legal basis in the case of a person born in the United States, Canada, Europe or another country but legally recognized by Peru as Peruvian by birth because he or she is the child of a Peruvian father or mother, provided that this original status can be proven.

By contrast, a person who later acquired Peruvian nationality through naturalization should not automatically assume that the same benefit applies. Such a case deserves an individual analysis before relying on a period of only two years.

IV. Absences from Spain during the two years

I do not recommend interpreting “continuous residence” as an absolute prohibition on travel.

A resident may travel for:

• Vacations

• Family matters

• Work

• Business

• Medical reasons

However, the longer and more frequent the absences are, the greater the risk that the Administration may question whether the residence was genuinely continuous.

For this reason, before filing the application I recommend preparing a complete record of entries into and departures from Spain during the two (2) years and comparing it with passport stamps and available immigration records.

In an application where Spanish citizenship is the objective from the beginning, the residence must be genuine and Spain should remain the applicant’s effective center of life during the legally required period.

V. Step-by-step procedure

The practical route for a Peruvian applicant would be as follows:

1. Complete two years of legal residence

2. Review all entries and departures

3. Confirm that the TIE and residence authorization remain valid

4. Obtain the Peruvian birth certificate

5. Have it apostilled

6. Obtain the Peruvian criminal record certificate

7. Have it apostilled

8. Pass the CCSE beforehand

9. Prepare the current and previous passport

10. Pay the EUR 104.05 fee

11. Complete the electronic application form

12. Authorize consultation of Spanish records when appropriate

13. Submit the application electronically to the Ministry of Justice

14. Immediately obtain the filing receipt and application number

15. Monitor the application electronically

16. Respond to any request for additional information or correction

17. Receive the decision granting Spanish citizenship

18. Complete the oath or promise

19. Register the acquisition of citizenship with the Civil Registry

20. Once registered, obtain the corresponding Spanish documentation and apply for the DNI and finally the passport

VI. How long does Spain legally have to decide the application?

This issue must be divided into the legal timeframe and the practical timeframe.

Legal timeframe: one year

Royal Decree 1004/2015 establishes that the procedure must be decided and notified within a maximum period of one (1) year from the date the application reaches the competent body of the Ministry of Justice.

If that year passes without an express decision, negative administrative silence applies.

This does not necessarily mean that the application has been substantively rejected. Legally, it allows the applicant to pursue the appropriate administrative or judicial remedies against the lack of a decision.

VII. Actual processing time in 2026

The actual timeframe cannot be guaranteed. As a practical reference, in July 2026 Spanish professionals specializing in this area are reporting electronic applications being decided in approximately 7 to 9 months, while during other periods of 2026 applications have been observed to take approximately 6 to 12 months. These figures are not official processing times and do not constitute guarantees.

The Spanish Administration continues to handle a very high volume of applications: during 2025, 221,176 Spanish citizenship applications by residence were granted, according to official statistics published in May 2026.

For professional planning purposes, I would consider it prudent to work with the following scenarios: