Spain grants citizenship via residency to over 220,000 foreigners in 2024
Spain granted residency-based citizenship to 221,805 foreigners in 2024, marking the third highest annual total since records began in 2009. Although this figure represents an 8.9 percent drop from 2023, when 243,481 people were naturalised, it confirms a sustained upward trend.
The rise in successful applications is attributed largely to automation, with digital systems accelerating the review of pending files and easing administrative delays.
Latin Americans lead nationality acquisitions
The majority of new Spanish citizens were from Ibero-American countries. Venezuelans topped the list with 33,021 approved applications, followed by Moroccans (29,033), Colombians (27,946), Hondurans (13,915), Peruvians (10,799), Ecuadorians (9,925), and Argentinians (9,165).
Fifty-seven percent of successful applicants were women, and the average age was 34. Nearly 70 percent were between 18 and 49 years old.
Dual nationality is allowed for applicants from Ibero-American countries, enabling them to retain their original passports.
Legal residence and eligibility pathways
Most applicants qualified through legal residence. Sixty-one percent received citizenship after two years of residence, a rule applicable to nationals from Latin American countries. Others qualified through shorter routes:
- 24 percent after one year due to being born in Spain (32,572), marrying a Spaniard (20,185), or having Spanish ancestry (637)
- 13 percent after ten years of residence, 99 percent of whom were Moroccans
- 17 individuals gained citizenship via asylum after five years
To qualify, applicants must show good conduct, legal and continuous residence, and a degree of integration into Spanish society.
Rejections reach record level
Spain rejected 20,099 applications in 2024, more than double the 7,399 denials recorded in 2023. The rise is linked to faster digital processing, a growing applicant pool, and the reopening of files previously stalled.
The extended deadline for the Grandchildren’s Law, now set to the end of 2025, has also contributed to the increase in applications.
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