The decision
How the matter was handled
Spanish citizenship by residence is not granted for the years spent in Spain, but for what is evidenced: lawful, continuous residence immediately before the application, good civic conduct and a sufficient degree of integration. For nationals of an Ibero-American country — Nicaragua, in this file — article 22.1 of the Civil Code cuts the general ten-year period down to two. It cuts the time, not the evidence.
We built the file piece by piece and lodged it with the Directorate-General for Legal Certainty and Public Attestation, which decides these procedures under delegation from the Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes.
The decision came in September 2026: Spanish citizenship granted on grounds of residence, on a proposal from the Sub-Directorate-General for Nationality and Civil Status, which found the legal requirements met.
Being granted citizenship is not yet being Spanish. The decision is conditional on the oath or promise of allegiance to the King and obedience to the Constitution and the laws being made before the Civil Registry within one hundred and eighty days of notification, and on the corresponding entries being applied for. Let that deadline pass and the grant lapses. That is why the work does not end with the decision: a new clock starts running.
Every case is unique: it depends on its facts, its evidence and the authority deciding it. The outcome of one matter does not anticipate the outcome of any other, and the timescales given here are the ones that particular file took: they are set by the authorities, not by us.