Applying for Spanish Citizenship? Keep reading to learn about what your Spanish Citizenship Test and Interview will consist of and to get some helpful, practical tips to ace them!
Table of Contents
- How to get Spanish Citizenship
- Spanish Proficiency Test and Citizenship Interview
- How can Progress with Lawless Spanish help me prepare for my Spanish proficiency test and citizenship interview?
How to get Spanish Citizenship
Obtaining Spanish citizenship by residency requires living in the country legally (that is, in possession of a residency permit) for up to 10 years.
You will also need to pass a Spanish proficiency test as well as demonstrate your knowledge of Spanish history and culture.
For an overview of the requirements and procedures involved in applying for Spanish citizenship, check out our audio article La nacionalidad española por residencia. We created this feature to help you get the facts AND practise your Spanish at the same time!
For additional information about the conditions and requirements of obtaining Spanish citizenship, see the official sites for the Ministerio de Justicia and the Gobierno de España.
Spanish Proficiency Test and Citizenship Interview
In order to obtain Spanish citizenship, you need to prove your Spanish proficiency by either passing a test or meeting certain criteria (e.g., having a degree from a Spanish university).
The most daunting part of the citizenship process, however, may be the interview, during which you need to demonstrate your knowledge of Spanish history and culture. To learn this information, study the Manual para la preparación de la Prueba de Conocimientos Constitucionales y Socioculturales de España (CCSE).
Our friend María Virginia went through this process a few years ago and shared her experiences and thoughts for our bilingual Reader: Ciudadanía española: la experiencia de María Virginia.
Spanish citizenship: Language proficiency test
The Spanish language level test includes both listening and speaking sections, but there’s a chance you might be eligible to be exempted from it by obtaining an official diploma or certificate to prove you have reached at least B1 level in all four competencies: listening, reading, writing and speaking.
Spanish citizenship: Constitution and Culture test
This is the time to demonstrate your knowledge of Spanish government and culture. As mentioned above, you can take a look at the Manual CCSE to discover the information you'll need.
You are expected to know about things like key dates in Spanish history, Spanish values, important symbols and governmental organisation, among other topics.How can Progress with Lawless Spanish help me prepare for my Spanish proficiency test and citizenship interview?
The Spanish resources offered throughout Progress with Lawless Spanish will help you steadily improve your language skills. We also have a series of Spanish kwizzes based specifically on the content from the Manuel CCSE so that you can put your Spanish to the test while simultaneously learning this essential information.
In addition to the facts and figures from the Manuel CCSE, you'll also need to demonstrate knowledge of and an appreciation for Spanish culture. Progress with Lawless Spanish has a huge body of content related to everything from art to sports that you can use to learn more about the richness of Spanish history and culture.
Art & Design
- 12 self-portraits by Pablo Picasso
Learn about Pablo Picasso's self-portraits. - Desde mi balcón
instead of being a physical event, 2020's PhotoEspaña will be an online event. This reading and listening exercise can help you practise El Subjuntivo. - Un viaje a Egipto (A2)
Choose the correct form of the demonstrative adjective given in the hint. Remember to look for gender and number clues in the rest of the phrase to make sure you get the agreement right.
Employment
- 21st century shepherds
Rosa is changing her profession to became a shepherdess. - Solicitando un trabajo
Read and listen to this text describing how to write a formal email for a job application. - Child care "Madre de día"
Berta tells us about her profession.
Famous People
- ¿Quién es Alejandro Sanz? (A1)
Write the correct form of each verb in El Presente.
- Javier Bardem y Penélope Cruz (B1)
Learn a bit about these two famous Spanish actors. Choose the right verb from the options given: saber or conocer
- Gisela Pulido (A1)
Fill in the blanks with the right form of El Presente. Pay attention to the hints!
Film & TV
- Javier Bardem y Penélope Cruz (B1)
Learn a bit about these two famous Spanish actors. Choose the right verb from the options given: saber or conocer
- A horror film
Marta watched a terrifying film yesterday. - ¿Harás caso a todo lo que se dice? Coca-Cola Light advert
This advert for Coca-Cola Light can help you practise El Imperativo and El Futuro.
Food & Drink
- ¿Sabías cuál es el origen del turrón?
Discover the traditional Spanish Christmas nougat called turrón. - A creepy recipe for this Halloween
Enjoy a terrifying Halloween recipe! - Las Tapas (B1)
Choose either El Imperfecto or El Pretérito Indefinido to complete this story. Pay attention to the hints to use the right verb!
Monuments, Tourism & Vacations
- ¿Qué tipo de viajero eres?
This C1 exercise can help you practise pronominal verbs, relative pronouns and the general use of idiomatic expressions. - Un viaje a Egipto (A2)
Choose the correct form of the demonstrative adjective given in the hint. Remember to look for gender and number clues in the rest of the phrase to make sure you get the agreement right.
- ¿Beach or mountain?
Olivia has find the perfect summer destination that means not choosing between the beach and going to the mountains.
Politics & History
- Mayo, el mes de las flores (B2)
Fill in the gaps with the correct conjugated form of the verb. You need to use the pronoun "se" with all verbs.
- Arabismos
This B2 reading and listening exercise can help you practise El Pretérito Perfecto, and El Pretérito Indefinido. - El nombre de La Alhambra (A2)
Conjugate the verb in the hint in El Pretérito Imperfecto, for example: hablar = hablaba
Celebrations & Important Dates
- ¿Y a ti qué te ha dejado Santa?
It's Christmas morning! Our gift to you is this reading and listening exercise that can help you practise El Pretérito Perfecto and El Imperfecto Progresivo. - 2021: the Year of the Ox
Learn about the new Chinese year for 2021. - 6th of January
Eduardo is thinking about the 6th of January in order to get his Christmas presents.
Immigration & Citizenship
- La Constitución española
Every 6th of December Spain celebrates El Día de la Constitución. This A1 exercise can help you practise prepositions and El Futuro Próximo. - Ciudadanía española: la experiencia de María Virginia
Listen to María Virginia's experience of applying for Spanish nationality and, in particular, the types of questions that came up in the General Culture exam. This A2 exercise can help you practise El Indefinido, El Imperfecto, and the use and position of the preposition de for descriptions. - Emigration
Roman tells us why he is emigrating and where to.
Language & Education
- Refranes de febrero (A2)
Fill in the gaps with either the definite or the indefinite article.
- ¡Somos la leche!
What if your best friend was also your sibling? This C1 exercise can help you practise idioms related to food. - A change of career
Discover Vanessa's career plans.
Literature, Poetry, Theatre
- Carlos Ruiz Zafón
On Friday 19th June 2020, the Spanish writer Carlos Ruiz Zafón, best known for the novel La Sombra del Viento, passed away. We pay homage with this bilingual reader. - Juan Ramón Jiménez (A2)
Fill in the gaps with the right form of El Pretérito Indefinido. Pay attention to the hints!
- And you, why do you write?
Antonio is trying to find out why he wants to do writing therapy.
Music
- Campana sobre campana
The Christmas bells are ringing with this B1 reading and listening exercise that can help you practise the position of pronouns, diminutives and written accents. - A saeta
Jaime tells us about his experience in Seville during Easter celebrations. - A magic piano
Learn about Pablo Alborán and his excellent piano skills.
Sports & Leisure
- ¿Me apunto o no me apunto? (B1)
Choose between "saber" and "conocer" from the hint to fill in the gaps.
- A day at the zoo
Palmira is excited about her upcoming visit to Cali zoo. - Coincidencias - Mundial Qatar 2022
Check out this clever video comparing what's happening in 2022 to what happened in 1986, which was the last time Argentina won the World Cup. This C1 exercise can help you practise using the Preterite, repetition of indirect object pronouns and you will also hear the very characteristic voseo and yeísmo rehilado present in Argentinian Spanish.
Create your free Progress with Lawless Spanish account here to get your Spanish level and start practising your reading and listening skills while learning about all the topics you’ll need for your Spanish citizenship test and interview.