If you are going to apply for Spanish citizenship, keep on reading. In this post you will find out the exact fee you will have to pay, how much that tax is, the different payment options, and the answers to other very frequent doubts that will undoubtedly help you out in the process.
Key takeaways
- What it is: form 790 code 026 is the fee you must pay to apply for Spanish nationality by residence, and it is separate from the fees you pay for the CCSE or DELE exams.
- If you don't pay: the Ministry of Justice will not accept your application or start processing it; if you file without proof of payment, the administration asks for it afterwards, which slows the process down.
- Amount: the fee is €104.05; it usually changes every year by around €1, so check the exact amount when you apply. A rise after filing does not mean paying the difference.
- Pay online: use the electronic office of the Ministry of Justice, with the payment going to the Spanish Tax Agency; you need a digital certificate or another official online ID.
- Pay in person: download form 790 code 026 and pay at any associated bank, which gives you a copy marked as paid; upload that copy with the rest of your application documents.
- Other costs: expect further expenses: the nationality exams (only the cultural exam if you are from a Latin American country), the cost of uploading the documentation online, and any appeal.
Applying for Spanish nationality by residence implies fulfilling a series of requirements.
Demonstrating continuous residence without extra absences than those allowed, not having criminal records, having lived in the country legally with a residence permit,…
These are some of the fundamental requirements, but there is one that is just as important and that you must comply with if you want your application to be processed successfully: the payment of the corresponding nationality fee.
In this case, we are referring to form 790, and you can download it from the Ministry of Justice website under the “tasas” section.
It is important to note that this is a completely different fee from the ones you will pay when taking the CCSE or DELE exams (if applicable in your particular case).
To find out how to pay this fee, read on. Below we are going to explain the 2 different options available you currently have.
But if you have any questions, ask us here. Our immigration lawyers will help you out:
What happens if I don't pay this tax?
Very simple: the Ministry of Justice will not accept your application and will not start processing your file.
Therefore, as you can see, it is 100% mandatory to make this payment if you want to obtain the nationality in Spain.
However, if you submit your application without attaching proof of payment of this required tax, the administration will initiate a request for payment afterwards.
But this would only slow the process down substantially.
How much is it?
Both in the case of applying for Spanish nationality by residence and in the case of nationality as a Sephardic descendant, the amount is exactly the same: € 104.05 (something we have seen in our updated 2022 immigration fees article).
However, keep in mind that the costs of these types of fees vary frequently (usually every year), and especially with the approval of the new general state budgets.
Although the increase is usually an amount close to €1 per year, make sure to check the exact amount at the time of your application.
But let’s now solve a very frequent doubt that many foreigners have.
If the cost of the fee goes up once my file is being processed, should I pay the difference?
The answer is no. The amount you will have to pay is the amount existing at the time of the application.
Once your file has been submitted and accepted for processing, you will not have to pay any extra fee.
How to pay the nationality fee
There are currently two different ways to pay the nationality by residence fee:
Pay online
The first option, and probably the most convenient one, is to make the payment completely online through the electronic office of the Ministry of Justice; payment that will be made to the Spanish Tax Agency.
Bear in mind that you will need a digital certificate or any other official online ID to formalize this payment.
Pay in person
On the other hand, you can also make the payment physically and upload the receipt afterwards.
To do so, you will have to download the corresponding form (form 790-Code 026) and attend any associated bank to formalize the payment.
After paying the specific amount, the bank will give you a copy of the form stating that is already “paid“.
This document will be the accreditation that you will have to upload together with the rest of the documentation in the application and that will verify that you have paid.
Once I have paid this fee... Is there any other tax?
Unfortunately, it is likely that you will still have to pay certain extra costs associated with your application.
On the one hand, you will have to pay for the nationality exams (which in the case of being from a Latin American country would only be the cultural exam).
On the other hand, there are the costs of uploading and submitting all the documentation through the online platform.
And finally, in case for example your application takes longer than usual or you have been denied for a reason you don’t fully agree with, you can initiate an appeal; a process that also has a cost associated with it.
If you would like to know exactly how much would all these costs sum up and our prices for managing the Spanish nationality application for you, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Get in touch with our lawyers and let us guide you step by step:
