Portugal is the neighbour with the most advantages for settling in Spain: free movement as an EU citizen and, on top of that, a privileged citizenship regime that the Spanish Civil Code puts on a par with Ibero-American countries. Many Portuguese live and work on both sides of the border, from Galicia to the Algarve. Here is registration, documents and the route to Spanish citizenship without losing Portuguese nationality.
Key facts
- Entry and work: with a Cartão de Cidadão or passport you live and work in Spain without a visa or permit.
- Registration: if you stay longer than three months, apply within that period for the EU registration certificate (certificado de registro de ciudadano de la UE) at the Central Register of Foreign Nationals; it includes your NIE. After five years of continuous legal residence you can apply for permanent residence.
- Citizenship: only 2 years of legal, continuous residence, and no renunciation of Portuguese nationality (art. 24 of the Civil Code). As Spanish is not an official language in Portugal, you do need the DELE A2 as well as the CCSE.
- Documents: under Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 Portuguese certidões need no apostille, but they do need a sworn translation unless you use the multilingual standard form.
- Driving: a Portuguese carta de condução is valid without exchange; as a resident you will renew it with Spain’s DGT.
How people usually move
- Work or business in Spain. Contract and social security registration, or registration as self-employed; then you register. EU registration certificate
- Cross-border work. If you live in Portugal and work in Spain, you do not register as a resident, but you need an NIE and Spanish social security registration. The other way round, you register here and contribute in Portugal, with an S1 for healthcare.
- Retirees. You register with your resources and the S1 form from the Portuguese system, which you register with the INSS.
- Studies. Enrolment, health insurance and a declaration of resources.
- Non-EU family. A spouse, registered partner, children or dependent parents from outside the EU (for example, Brazilians) get the residence card for family members of an EU citizen. Family of EU citizens
- Spanish citizenship in 2 years. Spanish citizenship
Documents and apostille
- Cartão de Cidadão or passport, valid.
- Certificado de registo criminal: not required for EU registration, but required for citizenship. It is requested online with the Cartão de Cidadão or Chave Móvel Digital, and people living abroad have a dedicated online form.
- Certidão de nascimento and de casamento with the EU multilingual form or a sworn translation into Spanish. Documents and translations
- Proof of the basis for registration: contract and social security registration, self-employment registration, enrolment, or resources and health insurance (with an S1 if you are a pensioner).
- DELE A2 and CCSE diplomas from the Instituto Cervantes, which you can start preparing in your first year.
What to keep in mind
- The registration certificate is requested in person, by appointment, at the immigration office (Oficina de Extranjería) of your province or at a National Police station: form EX-18, fee 790 code 012 and your Cartão de Cidadão or passport. It is issued on the spot.
- Common mistake: delaying registration. The 2 years for citizenship count from when you have legal residence in Spain, and the registration certificate is the clearest proof of that date.
- Cartão de Cidadão, passport and updating your address abroad are handled by the Portuguese Embassy in Madrid or the Portuguese consulate for your area.
- Tax: with more than 183 days a year in Spain you are tax resident here; the Spain–Portugal double taxation agreement allocates the taxation of salaries and pensions.
Frequently asked questions
Will I lose Portuguese nationality if I become Spanish?
No. Portugal is one of the countries whose nationals do not have to renounce their nationality when acquiring Spanish citizenship (art. 24 of the Civil Code), and Portuguese law allows dual nationality. You keep both.
What do I need to apply for citizenship after 2 years?
Two years of legal, continuous residence immediately before the application, a certificado de registo criminal, the CCSE and the DELE A2, because Spanish is not an official language in Portugal. The application is filed with the Ministry of Justice, usually online.
I live in Portugal and work in Spain. Do I need to register?
Not as a resident, because you do not live in Spain. You do need an NIE and Spanish social security registration, where you contribute, and healthcare in Portugal is arranged with the S1 form. That time does not count as residence for Spanish citizenship.