After you submit your nationality application, your file will go through different phases, which you will be able to check online. Which are all the possible status your file will pass and what does each of those mean? How long does it take to exit each phase? In this article we will answer those questions and expand with extra information that will be really useful while waiting for your resolution.
Let’s get started!
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What are the different phases and what is the meaning of each one?
You have prepared all the documentation and have just submitted your nationality for residency application. As you know, it is now time to wait for the administration’s resolution.
Although it is true that the file has to be resolved within approximately one year, it is very likely that you will want to know, during this time, how your application is doing and which is its exact status.
In other words, you may want to keep track of the status of the procedure to find out if everything is in order or not, and whether you have to provide any extra documents.
Since most files are submitted online, you will always be able to know the exact status of your application, and you will be able to do it easily.
How?
By consulting the platform called “como va lo mío” (you can find all the details here).
However, after entering your file number you may find different results.
What does each of them mean? What are the possibilities?
Let’s see each of them in detail.
Do you have any doubt? Ask anything to our immigration lawyers and get an instant answer:
"A la espera de ser admitido a trámite" (Waiting to be admitted)
This is the first status after the file submission (in case you started the process online).
This first stage is quite simple.
The file has been correctly registered and received by the Spanish Ministry of Justice, and you are now waiting for the administration to admit it so it can be processed.
However, bear in mind that legally speaking the file will be admitted for processing from the very moment you click on the “send file” button.
In other words, for official purposes, from the very moment the file enters the administrative body that has to analyze it, it is already considered to be admitted.
"Abierto - Registrado" (Open - Registered)
When you decide to submit your nationality application in person through the Civil Registry you will find this previous extra step.
This stage is something you would avoid if you start online (recommended), but it is required as long as the Civil Registry acts as an intermediary.
It has the same meaning and purpose as the previous point.
"Abierto - En tramitación" (Open - Being Processed)
At this stage, the process actually starts in a practical way.
Your file has been correctly registered without any incidents or trouble during its submission.
All the procedures that must be carried out by the administration to finally resolve your citizenship application start running.
That is, all the documentation presented and attached has been properly received, but the mandatory reports have not yet been requested (next point).
If your file has reached this status, you may be one of the first to benefit from the shock plan (“plan de choque”).
Pendiente de solicitud de los informes preceptivos
This is one of the most crucial steps during the process. Let us explain why.
One of the main steps to review your application happens when the Spanish administration makes sure that you meet all the requirements.
Thus, in order to continue processing your file, a series of extra documentation is requested internally by the Spanish Ministry of Justice to other institutions. Which documents?
- Criminal records.
- Police record.
- If your profile has been investigated by the CNI in case you have been investigated.
- Verification of the minimum period of continuous residence in Spain (to see if you have fulfilled it and if you currently do), something that is verified with the Immigration office.
Thus, if your nationality file has reached this stage means that the administration is requesting these documents internally or about to do so really soon.
You (as the applicant) do not have to do anything at this point.
You can find all the information about this pending official reports stage here.
"Pendiente respuesta informes preceptivos solicitados" (Pending response to mandatory reports requested)
This status is a continuation of the previous stage, which will start once the Ministry of Justice has requested all the documentation it needs.
In other words, the files have been requested and the administration is waiting for to receive them so it can start assessing.
"En Estudio" (In Study)
At this stage, your file is complete with all the required reports and documents (that is, the administration has received everything it had requested), and now all that remains is for them to study the whole paperwork to resolve your file.
Once this phase is over, you will not necessarily go directly to the resolution stage: documents may be missing and additional information may be required (something you will have to provide).
"Requerido" (Documents requested)
When your file is incomplete or the public clerk in charge of analyzing it has certain doubts about its validity, your application will enter the “Abierto- En tramitación. Requerido” phase.
After being notified you will be asked to provide that extra or missing documentation in order to continue with the resolution.
That is to say, here you will have actually do something (submit the requested documents) in order to be able to continue and finally achieve your positive resolution.
This part is crucial, and you must respond to this request properly and on time. Otherwise, your citizenship application would get rejected.
"Pendiente de firma" (Pending signature)
At this point, a motion for resolution has been initiated.
The only step left is to officially dictate and officially sign the application so that the applicant can be notified with a positive or negative resolution.
"En calificación" (Being qualified)
This is a status that can appear both during the “en estudio” phase and prior to obtaining the final resolution.
The administration is in possession of the required reports, and those have been studied. But it still has to make the final decision about whether to grant you Spanish nationality or not.
This stage takes a few weeks or at most a few months to complete.
If your file has this status and you do not receive a response (of any kind) after several months, the best option is to file a judicial administrative appeal to finally obtain your nationality response asap.
"Abierto - concedido" (Open - Granted)
Here you finally receive a favorable resolution.
You will have to pay close attention at this stage, as you will receive notification of that decision online (in your e-mail).
You will then get a code so that you can download the official resolution through “carpeta ciudadana“, and from there the period for getting your appointment for the oath of allegiance begins.
"Expediente archivado" (Archived application)
Whether you have requested your file to be archived yourself or the Ministry of Justice has identified a cause for doing so, this is a possible result.
"Nacionalidad denegada" (Denied application)
Your application for Spanish nationality has been resolved as negative (rejected).
You will then need to go to the Civil Registry to pick up the resolution or wait to receive it via postal mail or via email.
"Expediente en vía de recurso" (Appealed file)
After your application has been denied, you can appeal that decision as long as you consider the denial reason is not justified.
If that is the case and you submit your appeal, the application status will change to “en vía de recurso”; while you wait for it to be considered.
"Estimado por recurso de reposición" (Approved after an appeal)
After initiating and submitting your appeal, this status will show up when it has already been studied and approved (estimated), but has not yet been signed by the competent authority (the General Director of the DGRN).
How long does each stage take?
Giving an exact answer to this question is totally impossible. Even any effort at estimation would be totally inaccurate.
And the reason is very simple: it largely depends on each particular case.
There are many applications that have passed all the phases in just one month, and others after 2 years are still in any of the initial statuses.
Or others that in one phase stagnate and go very slowly at the beginning, and then accelerate and in a matter of days pass all the remaining phases.
The speed of processing and how long each application takes will depend a lot on the particular file and how you submitted it: whether you did it online, by the civil registry, or by the public registry.
However, if you would like our team of lawyers to speed up the process as much as possible and give you the advice you need to avoid obstacles while obtaining your nationality, do not hesitate to contact us.
We will make your citizenship application as easy and as fast as possible!
