DELE A2 for Spanish citizenship by residence

Applicants for Spanish nationality by residence must pass two Instituto Cervantes exams: a DELE at level A2 or higher, and the CCSE on the Constitution and Spanish society. Spanish law calls this nationality (nacionalidad), and many English speakers call it citizenship. An Escuela Oficial de Idiomas certificate at A2, B1 or B2 can replace the DELE. Nationals of Spanish-speaking countries skip the DELE but still take the CCSE. Applicants under 18 skip both.

Who has to pass DELE A2

Article 22 of the Civil Code requires every applicant to show sufficient integration in Spanish society. Law 19/2015 sets the two tests that prove it.

Article 22 asks for ten years of residence in general and five for refugees. Nationals by origin of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea or Portugal need two years, and so do Sephardic Jews (sefardíes). Several groups need only one year, including people born in Spain and people who have been married to a Spanish citizen for a year and are not separated. The tests apply on every route. Nationals of Andorra, the Philippines and Portugal are on the two-year route but are not exempt from the DELE.

The CCSE

The CCSE (Conocimientos constitucionales y socioculturales de España) tests knowledge of the Spanish Constitution and Spanish social and cultural life. It has 25 multiple-choice or true/false questions and lasts at most 45 minutes. You pass with 15 correct answers, and wrong answers do not lose points. Registration costs 85 euros in every country. The fee includes a second attempt at the same centre within six months if you fail or miss the first.

For nationality purposes, a CCSE certificate is valid for four years from the certificate date. The Instituto Cervantes gives that date as the day the results record (acta) was approved. The rules do not say whether the certificate must still be valid on the day you file or on the day Spain’s Ministry of Justice decides. A DELE diploma never expires.

CCSE sittings usually fall on the last Thursday of the month, with none in August or December. Registration for the last 2026 sitting, on 26 November, closes on 5 November 2026. Registration for 2027 sittings opens on 23 November 2026. In 2027, each sitting also has an appointment window that ends on the sitting’s official date. For the 28 January 2027 sitting, registration closes on 7 January and appointments run from 14 to 28 January.

Who is exempt

Applicant	DELE	CCSE
National of a listed Spanish-speaking country	Exempt	Required
Under 18	Exempt	Exempt
Person with judicially modified legal capacity	Exempt	Exempt
Schooled in Spain with ESO passed	ESO certificate instead	ESO certificate instead
Cannot read or write, or has learning difficulties	Waiver (dispensa) on request	Waiver (dispensa) on request

Royal Decree 1004/2015 (article 6.5) lists 20 exempt nationalities, including Argentina, Colombia, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. If your exempt nationality is a second nationality, and not the one recorded with the Interior Ministry, provide a valid passport or consular certificate for it. The Instituto Cervantes FAQ says an acquired nationality does not give the exemption. The law, the regulation and the Ministry’s application form do not make that exclusion.

Minors file a certificate from their school or care centre instead of the tests. The certificate is required for children of compulsory school age who are enrolled in school. Applicants schooled in Spain who passed ESO (Educación Secundaria Obligatoria) attach their ESO certificate to the nationality application. The Ministry’s form says they do not need to request a dispensa.

How a dispensa works

People who cannot read or write, or who have learning difficulties, can ask the Ministry for a dispensa, and the request can be made online. For a learning difficulty, include a medical report. For a disability, include a certificate of the degree of disability. Request the dispensa before you apply for nationality, because since 29 October 2022 the Ministry archives any application filed while a dispensa request is pending. The Ministry can grant the dispensa, refuse it or authorise adapted tests. It has six months to decide, and if it does not reply in that time, the request counts as refused.

With a dispensa for illiteracy, candidates take the A2-NA instead of the DELE. The A2-NA is a 15-minute speaking test with 10 minutes of preparation, held only in Spain. A pass gives a certificate that is valid for nationality, but no DELE diploma. The A2-NA was offered at every 2026 A2 sitting. The 2027 calendar published so far does not list it. For these candidates, the CCSE is oral and recorded, and it is held at designated centres in Spain.

Under the Instituto Cervantes 2026 special-needs programme, people with severe or profound hearing loss do not take the DELE. They present a disability certificate, and the Instituto Cervantes gives them a letter to file with the Ministry in place of the exam. People with mild or moderate hearing loss can be exempted from one of the four tests, listening or speaking, but never from both. The DELE FAQ gives a broader rule and says that any applicant with officially certified deafness does not take DELE A2.

Certificates that count instead

• Any DELE from A2 to C2, including diplomas issued before the DELE was updated in 2008.
• Escuela Oficial de Idiomas certificates in Spanish as a foreign language at A2, B1 or B2, entered in the education authority’s register.
• The school DELE, which the Instituto Cervantes says leads to the same diploma as the general DELE. The Ministry’s nationality forms and pages do not mention it.

SIELE does not count. In its table comparing SIELE with the DELE, the Instituto Cervantes lists Spanish nationality as a use of the DELE only. Royal Decree 1137/2002 gives equivalence to other certificates in the SICELE system, but it excludes nationality from that equivalence. No official list of accepted proof includes a Spanish university degree or the Bachillerato.

How results reach your application

You do not have to send your Instituto Cervantes certificates. The nationality application form assumes that you authorise the Ministry to check your DELE and CCSE results unless you object. If you object, you must supply the certificates yourself. The Instituto Cervantes says you can also add a paper copy of the DELE results certificate to your application file, because it carries a secure verification code. If you pass, the digital diploma arrives by email with the results certificate, and you can view results and download certificates in your personal area at tienda.cervantes.org.

The Ministry’s nationality fee of 104.05 euros does not cover the DELE or CCSE fees. The Ministry must decide within one year. If it has not decided by then, the application counts as refused.

Timing your DELE A2

A2 has more sittings than any other level. The A2 sittings and their registration dates are listed in the table after this guide. The exam centre may hold the speaking test on a different day from the written exam. You take the speaking test in person.

For DELE A2 in Spain, register with your NIE (foreigner identity number). On exam day, bring your original TIE (residence card) and passport. EU citizens can bring their national ID card or EU registration certificate instead. Expired documents are accepted.

The Instituto Cervantes results page says results take about two months from the written exam, or about three months for the May and November sittings. One answer in its FAQ says about three months for every sitting. For the 5 March 2027 sitting, that means results between early May and early June 2027. A candidate who fails must register again, pay again and retake all four tests.

What to do next

1. Check the exemption table. If you need a dispensa, request it before you apply for nationality.
2. Take the level test to see how close you are to A2.
3. Pick a sitting on the exam dates page and register before the closing date.
4. Prepare with the study plan, practice tasks and speaking timer. The score calculator applies the pass rule of at least 30 of 50 points in group 1 (reading and writing) and in group 2 (listening and speaking).
5. Book the CCSE close to your filing date, because the CCSE certificate is valid for four years.