Moving to Spain from Puerto Rico

Puerto Ricans travel on a US passport, so Spain applies the rules for US citizens: visa-free entry for short stays and a national visa to live here. The difference lies in Spanish citizenship, where Puerto Rico can be treated as an Ibero-American country, and in the fact that many documents from the island are already in Spanish. The reference office is the Consulate General of Spain in San Juan.

Key facts

• Entry: as a US citizen you can stay in the Schengen area visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; the Entry/Exit System (EES) records each crossing. This does not allow work or residence.
• Citizenship: the DGRN Resolution of 25 June 2007 treats Puerto Rico as an Ibero-American country for article 22 of the Civil Code. With the Puerto Rican citizenship certificate you can apply after 2 years of legal, continuous residence; without it, the period is 10 years. Practice is not uniform (for example, for people born outside the island), so it is worth having a lawyer assess your case.
• Exams: Royal Decree 1004/2015 lists Puerto Rico among the countries whose nationals are exempt from the DELE; the Instituto Cervantes CCSE is still required.
• Documents: Puerto Rican documents are apostilled by the Puerto Rico Department of State, and federal ones, such as the FBI report, by the US Department of State’s Office of Authentications. Anything already in Spanish needs no translation; anything in English needs a sworn translation.
• Driving and contributions: there is no exchange for US licences, including Puerto Rico’s: after six months as a resident you need a Spanish licence with tests. The Spain–US social security agreement does let you combine US Social Security contributions.
• Taxes: as a US citizen you keep your IRS obligations while living in Spain, and if you spend more than 183 days a year here you are usually a Spanish tax resident too.

How people usually move

• Studies. A degree, master’s or vocational course with a study authorisation, which allows work up to 30 hours a week. It is a stay, not residence: that time does not count towards citizenship. Study permit
• Non-lucrative residence. For people living on income or savings without working in Spain: a consular visa, private health insurance with no co-payments or waiting periods, a medical certificate and a criminal record certificate. Non-lucrative residence
• Remote work. The digital nomad visa fits if you work remotely for companies or clients outside Spain, with a relationship of at least three months. You can apply at the consulate or from Spain while legally present. Digital nomad
• Skilled work. With a highly qualified job in Spain you can apply for the highly qualified professional permit or the EU Blue Card, both processed by the Large Companies Unit (UGE). Highly qualified professional
• Family. Marriage or a registered partnership with a Spanish or EU citizen gives access to residence as a family member, with the right to work. Family member of a Spanish or EU citizen
• Spanish ancestry. If your father or mother is Spanish by origin and born in Spain, you can opt for citizenship with no residence period. The grandchildren route under the Democratic Memory Law closed in October 2025. If you were born outside Spain and your father, mother, grandfather or grandmother was originally Spanish, you can apply for citizenship by residence after just 1 year of legal, continuous residence. Spanish citizenship

Documents and apostille

• Criminal record: the FBI Identity History Summary (fingerprint-based), apostilled by the US Department of State and with a sworn translation, or the Certificado de Antecedentes Penales from the Puerto Rico Police, requested online at policia.pr.gov and apostilled by the Puerto Rico Department of State. Check the consulate’s list to see which one your application requires.
• Puerto Rican citizenship certificate from the Puerto Rico Department of State, apostilled: it is the key document for Spanish citizenship after 2 years. Get it before you move.
• Birth certificate, recent, from the Demographic Registry, apostilled. Certificates issued before 2010 were invalidated by Law 191-2009, so request a new one.
• Translations: documents in Spanish need no translation; those in English (FBI, US university degrees) need a sworn translator appointed by Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

What to keep in mind

• If you live in Puerto Rico, national visas are handled by the Consulate General of Spain in San Juan, which has a visa section; check its website for the requirements list and how to book. If you live on the US mainland, the Spanish consulate for your state is competent.
• The FBI report and its federal apostille can take time; request them early, but bear in mind that criminal records usually have to be recent.
• A common mistake: assuming that as a US citizen you can stay beyond 90 days or work without a permit. To reside you need a Spanish visa or authorisation.
• In Spain: register at the town hall (padrón) and, if you came with a residence visa, apply for your TIE within the first month. The 2 years for citizenship run from when you obtain legal residence, not from arrival or a study stay.

Frequently asked questions

Related services