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. - Un viaje a Egipto
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.
- Aprende a decorar mesas navideñas
It’s time to add a seasonal touch to really get in the festive sprit! This exercise can help you practise subordinate clauses in the subjunctive and the indicative plus relative clauses with prepositions.
Employment
- Child care "Madre de día"
Berta tells us about her profession. - Carta para puesto de secretaria
Choose the right answer from the hint, consider carefully the position of the pronoun.
- A business meeting
Noelia tells us about her business meeting.
Famous People
- Gisela Pulido
Fill in the blanks with the right form of El Presente. Pay attention to the hints!
- ¿Quién es Alejandro Sanz?
Write the correct form of each verb in El Presente.
- Día del Idioma Español y Día Internacional del Libro
23 April book lovers is International Book Day and also United Nations Spanish Language Day
Film & TV
- La Guerra de las Galaxias
Fill in the blanks with the right conjugation for each verb.
- A film review
Antonio makes us a review of a movie. - Cines de verano al aire libre
Experience the magic of cinema outdoors! This reading and listening exercise can help you practise El Presente and El Futuro Próximo.
Food & Drink
- La receta del gazpacho de Sonia
Choose the correct passive form from the hint.
- ¿Sabías cuál es el origen del turrón?
Discover the traditional Spanish Christmas nougat called turrón. - Baby squid in its ink
Sergio tells us how to cook one of his favourite dishes.
Monuments, Tourism & Vacations
- A bike tour through Tierra del Fuego
Berta is excited about her spring bike tour. - ¿Qué tipo de viajero eres?
This C1 exercise can help you practise pronominal verbs, relative pronouns and the general use of idiomatic expressions. - ¿Qué harías en Bilbao?
Learn about the delights of the Basque city of Bilbao while practising El Condicional.
Politics & History
- ¿Cuál es la capital de Bolivia?
Do you know which city is the capital of Bolivia? Not as simple a question as you might think! This exercise can help you practise la pasiva de estado, por mí que vs para mí que, using ni... ni... and subordinate causal clauses. - Altamira
Marta is very excited about her trip to Altamira where she plans to visit some very important prehistoric paintings. - Mayo, el mes de las flores
Fill in the gaps with the correct conjugated form of the verb. You need to use the pronoun "se" with all verbs.
Celebrations & Important Dates
- San Fermín
Choose the right expression to complete the text about San Fermin.
- Bolsas de plástico
Did you know that 3 July is International Plastic Bag Free Day? It seems a bit strange but actually has an important message and serious repercussions. This B2 exercise can help you practise using a and de + el que, la que, los que, las que (relative pronouns), using a preposition + el que, la que, los que, las que (relative pronouns) and using the infinitive after prepositions. - 2021: the Year of the Ox
Learn about the new Chinese year for 2021.
Immigration & Citizenship
- Armed Forces
Learn about The Spanish Armed Forces - El certificado de empadronamiento
The Spanish "certificado de empadronamiento" is one of the first bureaucratic steps someone from abroad needs to get sorted when settling in Spain. - Una queja por ruido
Carlos asks his friend Merche for some advice about some noisy neighbors. Practise El Condicional Simple with this gapfill exercise. Pay attention to the instructions!
Language & Education
- En abril aguas mil
Fill in the gaps with the right form of El Presente.
- ¡Somos la leche!
What if your best friend was also your sibling? This C1 exercise can help you practise idioms related to food. - A very interactive lesson with Kwiziq
Clara is using kwiziq for the first time and tells us about a lesson she is taking.
Literature, Poetry, Theatre
- Juan Ramón Jiménez
Fill in the gaps with the right form of El Pretérito Indefinido. Pay attention to the hints!
- Almagro International Classical Theater Festival
Sol works for the Almagro International Classical Theater Festival, and will be on a radio show tomorrow to promote it. - Almudena Grandes
Find out more about her life and work of author Almudena Grandes with this B1 reading and listening exercise that can help you practise the pasiva refleja, El Pretérito indefinido and El Pretérito imperfecto.
Music
- Ay mamá - Rigoberta Bandini
This reading and listening exercise can help you practise no sé vs no lo sé = I don't know, using the neuter article "lo" to refer to a clause, verb, adjective or adverb and using the infinitive after prepositions (not present participle). - Alaska y Dinarama - Mi novio es un zombi
The song "Mi novio es un zombi" was released in 1989 by new wave band Alaska y Dinarama. This B2 exercise can help you practise the Spanish Preterite, using hacer with the subjunctive/infinitive = to make [someone] do something and prepositions followed by infinitives. - A saeta
Jaime tells us about his experience in Seville during Easter celebrations.
Sports & Leisure
- A day outside
Julián tells us about his amazing weekend. - Cines de verano al aire libre
Experience the magic of cinema outdoors! This reading and listening exercise can help you practise El Presente and El Futuro Próximo. - Alquilando un piso
This reading and listening exercise can help you practise pronominal verbs, verbal periphrasis and subordinate clauses.
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.