Can I get Spanish citizenship just because of my surname?
The short answer: no. It is not possible to obtain Spanish nationality solely on the basis of your surname.
Nor is it true that there is an official list published by the government containing surnames that will facilitate Spanish nationality.
As we will see later in this article, there are different ways to obtain Spanish nationality, some of them thanks to your ancestors, but none of them allow you to obtain nationality solely on the basis of having a specific surname.
Furthermore, there have been no recent changes in the laws governing the different procedures for obtaining nationality, so there is nothing new that currently makes this procedure easier.
Why is “Spanish citizenship by surname” such a common belief?
In 2015, Spain passed a law that would last for three years plus one extendable year (Law 12/2015), which allowed Jews of Sephardic origin to obtain Spanish nationality much more directly.
One of the ways to prove that the applicant was indeed Sephardic was through their surname.
At that time, a large number of online portals began to publish lists of surnames of Sephardic origin so that applicants could verify and check if theirs was on that list.
However, this list was NOT an official list published by the government.
It was simply a way to check whether the applicant had a surname recognized as Sephardic in order to validate one of the many requirements in the process.
In addition, this surname had to be proven through a report issued by an entity recognized by the Spanish authorities, so in no case was the process as easy as having a surname on the list.
Although this procedure ended years ago, these lists have remained public online, even though they erroneously promise to obtain nationality simply by having the surname on that list.
Law 12/2015 (Sephardic Jews) expired on October 1, 2019 (with an operational extension and very limited corrections), meaning that there are no official lists currently in force.
Who can actually get Spanish citizenship? (Real legal paths)
Currently, the only real and valid options for obtaining Spanish nationality are those listed below.
However, whatever your situation, you must ensure that you meet the following requirements:
- Legal, continuous, and immediately prior residence
- Demonstrate good civic behavior
- Demonstrate integration (by passing the CCSE tests and, except for Spanish speakers, taking the DELE A2 language exam)
- Pay the corresponding fees
- Take the oath and register in the Civil Registry
So, let’s look at the main ways to obtain nationality.
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