Can I receive Spanish citizenship after being naturalized as a Mexican citizen and fulfilling the 2-year residency requirement in Spain?

Last Updated on April 21, 2026 by Bruno Bianchi

Question

I’ve read that if you are a citizen of an Ibero-American country like say, Mexico, and you want to apply for Spanish citizenship, the requirement is that you have to reside in Spain for 2 years.

I am a U.S. citizen that recently became a naturalized Mexican citizen this year having obtained it through my mother who was born in Mexico.

I was registered in the Registro Civil in the state Chihuahua. I received a birth certificate and a CURP number that allowed me to obtain a Mexican passport. These things effectively state that I was born in the state of Chihuahua.

Has anyone been naturalized in this way and completed the 2 year requirement and received Spanish citizenship after they applied? And if not, does anyone know if it is possible? If someone could verify this for me, I would greatly appreciate it.

Answers

These are the answers of some Facebook group members:

“Sounds like you’ve got your Latinoamericano passport by blood relation. So it’s no problem to get a Spanish passport after residency in Spain for two years.”

“Mexico considers you born on the land, meaning a natural born citizen, so it counts for Spain too. You have to keep a legal residency in Spain, which requires renewals, and meeting those requirements.

In order to renew an Spanish Non Lucrative Visa, you have to of been in Spain for just over 6 months for each visa year. You have to continue renewing and staying legal until your whole citizenship process goes through.”

“Be careful, It’s no more than 3 months in the 2 years is what we were told by an attorney. I’m not even chancing it and only limiting myself to less than 6 weeks out per year just to be safe. I’m hoping to submit Nov 1. For my citizenship.”

Check out Gaining Spanish citizenship with a dual nationality in 2023

“Simplify your life until you have obtained citizenship. I can’t emphasize that enough. But in cases where people need to do certain forms of travel, the courts —not the Ministry of Justice— may deem those absences to be admissible and therefore grant citizenship.

But all of that after thousands of euros spent on an initial application and thousands of euros on a judicial process. Simplify.”

“Semantics, but you are not a naturalized Mexican citizen. You are a citizen by birth. You should qualify unless you have left out a detail.

My husband is a native born citizen of Mexico and my kids are Mexican citizens vis a vis my husband even though born outside Mexico. They all qualify independently for Spanish citizenship on their own merits.

I am the only loser here that will have to qualify on my own means. But once my husband naturalizes to Spanish citizenship, I can qualify as the wife of a Spaniard.”

“You weren’t naturalized, you were always Mexican.”

Conclusion

In summary, Mexico has always considered this Spainguru’s community member as Mexican (Article 30 of the Mexican constitution).

Therefore, he/she will be able to pursue the Spanish Nationality request by residency by fullfilling 2 years residency period in Spain, as long as there are not too many absenses during that period. (no more than 3 months in the 2 years).

This article is not legal advice. Make sure to consult with Immigration experts before deciding to pursue a Spanish citizenship application.

Bruno Bianchi CEO & Spain Immigration Expert

Bruno Bianchi is the founder and CEO of Spainguru, Spain's largest expat immigration community with 150,000+ members. Since 2014 he has helped thousands of people relocate to Spain through expert guides, webinars and vetted professional services covering visas, residency, taxes and life in Spain.

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