Does Spain Allow Dual Citizenship? The Treaty Country Rule

Whether you can keep your Spanish passport while holding another one is decided by Spain, not by the country issuing the second document. This page sets out the current position, the statute behind it, and what it means in practice for someone considering a second citizenship.

Short answer: Spain permits dual citizenship only under conditions. The detail below matters more than the headline, because the consequences of getting it wrong fall on the individual — usually years later, at a passport renewal or a border.

Does Spain allow dual citizenship?

Only with certain countries. Spain permits dual nationality with Ibero-American states and a defined group of others; with everyone else, naturalising Spaniards are required to renounce.

The rule to establish first is always the one that applies to you at home. A second country can only grant its own status; it cannot preserve a nationality that your own law terminates. How conditional regimes differ from outright permission is set out in our guide to multiple nationality, with the country-by-country table.

Key facts at a glance

What the law says

Article 11 of the Constitution and the Civil Code allow dual nationality with Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea, Portugal and — since the bilateral agreement entered into force on 1 April 2022 — France. Spaniards by origin do not lose their nationality by acquiring another, provided they declare their wish to retain it within three years. That declaration is the rule for nationalities outside the treaty group: where the second nationality is one of the treaty countries listed above, the second paragraph of Article 24.1 of the Civil Code means no declaration is needed at all. Foreigners naturalising as Spanish from outside the treaty group are formally required to renounce their previous nationality.

What this means in practice

• The treaty group is the key distinction; outside it, the renunciation declaration is part of the naturalisation ceremony.
• Spaniards by origin retain nationality if they make the declaration of retention within three years of acquiring another nationality.
• The renunciation made before Spanish authorities is not always recognised by the other country, which produces the familiar situation of people who are legally dual in one system and not in the other.
• Spanish nationality carries EU citizenship.

The authoritative source is the text of the Spain–France nationality agreement in the BOE. Rules in this area change by amendment and by notification, so the position should be confirmed at the time you act, not from any article.

What usually goes wrong

The mistakes below account for most of the cases where people discover a problem years after the event, typically when renewing a passport or crossing a border.

• Relying on an article instead of the current notification or treaty list, which can change without a change in the statute.
• Missing the declaration or notification deadline — the most common way a permitted arrangement becomes an unlawful one.
• Assuming the rule for citizens by birth also applies to naturalised citizens; frequently it does not.
• Acquiring the second nationality first and asking the question afterwards.

Spanish citizens and Vanuatu citizenship

Spaniards by origin can add a Vanuatu passport provided they observe the three-year declaration rule. People who became Spanish by naturalisation should check their own file first, because their position under the Civil Code differs.

If the route does make sense for you, the practical detail is in the application process, the cost breakdown and the visa-free list.

Other conditional regimes

The same question, answered for comparable jurisdictions:

• Dual citizenship in Pakistan — permitted with conditions.
• Dual citizenship in Egypt — permitted with conditions.
• Dual citizenship in India — not permitted.