Cómo va lo mío: checking your citizenship file

It is a different body, and that is the point

Many people look for their citizenship file in the immigration status check and do not find it. It is not there because citizenship by residence is processed by the Ministry of Justice. They are two administrations, two systems and two separate checks.

If what you are after is the status of a residence permit, the right check is in immigration file.

The three ways to check

For grants already notified, the system gives access to the electronic original of the document, which is what you will later need for the oath.

What happens after the grant

The grant is not the end. You then have to swear or promise loyalty to the King and obedience to the Constitution, and register the citizenship in the Civil Registry, within the period the rules set. The procedure is regulated in Royal Decree 1004/2015, and the substantive rules on acquiring citizenship are in articles 17 to 26 of the Civil Code.

Letting that period pass has consequences, so keep the date under control from the moment the decision is notified.

If the file has been stalled for a long time

First check there is no unanswered request: a file that seems dormant is sometimes waiting for a document from you. Then review the maximum decision period for the procedure and what Law 39/2015 provides when the administration does not decide in time.

On that basis a written request to move it forward can be filed and, where appropriate, court action considered. It is a decision that depends on the specific case and is worth discussing before taking the step.

The one-year deadline and silence as refusal

Article 11.3 sets a maximum period of one year to decide and notify, counted from when the application enters the Directorate-General. And here is the important part: once that year passes with no express decision, applications are deemed refused. It is negative silence, not positive.

That does not mean your file is dead. The administration is still obliged to decide expressly, and in practice the vast majority of files are decided after the year. What silence opens is a procedural door: it allows a court appeal for inaction, which in many cases is what unblocks a file stalled for no reason.

The decision to appeal or wait is not automatic and depends on how long it has been stalled, whether there were requests and whether something in the police report explains the delay. It is one of the most frequent questions we receive.

After registration

Once the acquisition is registered in the Civil Registry you are Spanish for all purposes, and the DNI and passport come next, requested by appointment with the National Police. It is also the moment to check the registration of minor children, which has its own route.

If your file has not got there yet and what you lack is residence time, what matters is that it is not broken: any period in an irregular situation ruins the continuity required. See residency renewal and, if you have already lost it, second-chance arraigo.