Which exams do I need to pass for Spanish citizenship by residence?

Checked on 2026-10-25

To prove integration for Spanish citizenship by residence, you must pass two Instituto Cervantes exams: the DELE Spanish language diploma at level A2 or higher, and the CCSE test on the Constitution and Spanish society and culture. Nationals of countries where Spanish is official skip the DELE. People under 18 skip both.

Key facts

What	The law says	Source
Language exam	DELE (diploma of Spanish as a foreign language), level A2 or higher	Ley 19/2015, final provision 7.3; Real Decreto 1004/2015, art. 6.1
Second exam	CCSE: knowledge of the Constitution and of Spanish social and cultural reality	Ley 19/2015, final provision 7.3; Real Decreto 1004/2015, art. 6.1
Who runs them	Instituto Cervantes designs and administers both	Ley 19/2015, final provision 7.3; Real Decreto 1004/2015, art. 6.2
CCSE content	60% Constitution and Spain’s administrative and territorial organisation; 40% culture, history and society; closed questions of equal value	Real Decreto 1004/2015, art. 6.3
Exempt from the DELE	Nationals of countries or territories where Spanish is official; people who already hold a DELE A2 or higher	Ley 19/2015, final provision 7.3; Real Decreto 1004/2015, art. 6.5
Exempt from both	People under 18 and people whose legal capacity has been modified by a court	Ley 19/2015, final provision 7.3
Proof in the application	Certificates, or your authorisation in the form to check the results with Instituto Cervantes	Real Decreto 1004/2015, arts. 5.1.d, 6.4

Two exams, one requirement

The Civil Code asks applicants to show a sufficient degree of integration into Spanish society. Ley 19/2015 says that this requires passing two tests. The first proves basic Spanish at level A2 or higher of the Common European Framework of Reference, through the DELE exam. The second assesses knowledge of the Spanish Constitution and of Spanish social and cultural reality, which the regulation calls the CCSE.

The regulation says the tests are taken in person, but may also be taken remotely with electronic means that check identity, in the cases and with the requirements Instituto Cervantes sets (Real Decreto 1004/2015, art. 6.2).

Who skips the DELE

The law exempts nationals of countries or territories where Spanish is the official language. The regulation lists them: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Equatorial Guinea, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela. Anyone who already holds a DELE at A2 or higher is also exempt. These applicants still take the CCSE.

Children

People under 18 don’t take either exam. Instead, their legal representatives submit certificates from the schools or centres where the child has been enrolled; for school-age children this certificate is mandatory (Real Decreto 1004/2015, arts. 5.2 and 6.6).

Passing is not the whole test

The regulation says the ministry assesses the exam results together with the other documents and with official reports, including the mandatory report of the Ministry of the Interior (Real Decreto 1004/2015, arts. 6.8 and 8).

Sources

Change history

2026-10-25: Page created

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