Dual Nationality in Spain: Who Keeps Their Original Passport
One of the first questions people ask about Spanish citizenship is whether they have to give up the passport they already hold. The honest answer is that it depends less on Spain than on where you are from, and the gap between the letter of the law and how it plays out in practice is wider than most people expect. Here is how dual nationality really works.
The treaty country rule
Spain openly allows dual nationality with a defined set of countries, essentially the same ones that enjoy the two-year fast track: the Ibero-American nations, plus Portugal, Andorra, the Philippines and Equatorial Guinea, along with people of Sephardic Jewish descent. If your passport is from one of those, you keep it and add Spanish nationality with no conflict at all. This is the cleanest position to be in, and it is worth knowing early whether you are in it.
Everyone else and the renunciation
If your country is not on that list, Spain asks you, at the final oath before the Registro Civil, to renounce your previous nationality. This is the step that worries people, and it deserves a clear explanation. The renunciation is a declaration you make to Spanish authorities. Spain does not, and cannot, force your home country to strike you off its register. Many people complete the oath and find their original citizenship still exists in the eyes of their birth country, because that country never treated the Spanish declaration as a formal loss.
Where Germany stands
Germany changed course in 2024. Its reform of nationality law dropped the old requirement to renounce, so German citizens can now generally acquire another nationality and keep their German one. That makes Spanish citizenship far more attractive for German residents than it was even two years ago, and it removes what used to be the hardest part of the decision. It is the clearest recent example of how much this question turns on your own country rather than on Spain.
Where the Netherlands stands
The Netherlands has historically been restrictive about dual nationality, and many people who naturalise elsewhere are expected to give up their Dutch passport, with exceptions for spouses of Dutch nationals, those born with two nationalities, and a few other cases. The policy has been debated and reviewed for years without a settled outcome, so anyone Dutch weighing Spanish nationality should check the current Dutch position rather than assume. Losing Dutch nationality is a real risk that Spain's own tolerance does not cancel out.
The practical reality
For people from countries that do not have a treaty with Spain but also do not strip nationality when a citizen naturalises elsewhere, the usual outcome is de facto dual nationality. Spain records the renunciation, the home country keeps them on the books, and life goes on with two passports in the drawer. This is a grey area rather than a guarantee, and it is not something to build a plan around without understanding both legal systems. The one thing that is certain is that Spain will not make the decision for your other country.
When you genuinely have to choose
There are cases where the choice is real. Some countries do actively cancel citizenship when a person naturalises elsewhere and formally renounces. If you are from one of those, the oath is not a formality, and you should treat it as a genuine fork in the road, especially if your original passport carries rights, residence, property or pensions, that you are not ready to lose. For people who want the security of staying without naturalising, permanent residency is the alternative that keeps your existing passport completely untouched.
Frequently asked questions
Not ready to naturalise? Secure your stay first
Easy to Spain walks you through residency and permanent residency step by step, so your status is solid whatever you decide about citizenship. Your status sorted, your passport your business.
