Spain CCSE Citizenship Test Study Guide 2026

Who can become Spanish by residence

Most foreign residents become Spanish through nationality by residence (nacionalidad por residencia). The rules are in articles 21 to 23 of the Civil Code (Código Civil). Your residence in Spain must be legal, continuous and immediately before you apply.

You must also show good civic conduct and enough integration into Spanish society. Two exams prove integration:

• DELE A2 or higher: a Diploma of Spanish as a Foreign Language. Nationals of countries or territories where Spanish is an official language do not need it.
• CCSE: the test of the Spanish Constitution and social and cultural reality. This guide helps you prepare for it.

The nationality application is handled electronically, and all messages about it are sent electronically.

The CCSE test

The CCSE (conocimientos constitucionales y socioculturales de España) is written and marked by the Instituto Cervantes. Anyone over 16 with legal capacity can register.

• 25 questions in five tasks.
• Each question is multiple choice with three options (one correct), or true/false.
• 45 minutes in total.
• You pass with 15 correct answers (60%). Wrong or blank answers score 0; nothing is taken away.
• Questions are in simple peninsular Spanish, about 30 to 40 words each.

Since January 2026 every CCSE test uses the questions in the official CCSE 2026 manual. The Instituto Cervantes also offers a free app, a model exam, an audio version and a glossary that translates key words into English, French, Portuguese, Arabic, Turkish and Hebrew.

People who hold the Spanish ESO certificate (compulsory secondary education) are fully exempt. Candidates with a disability, reading difficulties such as dyslexia, or a long hospital stay can ask for special conditions at least two weeks before the test.

Task 1: the State, its institutions and participation

The Constitution of 1978 was approved by referendum on 6 December 1978. Article 1 says Spain is a social and democratic State under the rule of law. Its higher values are freedom, justice, equality and political pluralism. National sovereignty belongs to the Spanish people, and the political form of the State is the parliamentary monarchy (monarquía parlamentaria).

The Crown

The King is the Head of State and the symbol of its unity. He sanctions and promulgates laws, calls elections, proposes the candidate for President of the Government and holds the supreme command of the Armed Forces. Juan Carlos I reigned from 1975 to 2014. Felipe VI was proclaimed King on 19 June 2014.

The three powers

Other institutions

• Constitutional Court (Tribunal Constitucional): interprets the Constitution, independent of the other powers.
• Defensor del Pueblo (Ombudsman): appointed by the Cortes Generales to defend rights by supervising the administration. Anyone, Spanish or foreign, can complain for free.
• Tribunal de Cuentas (Court of Auditors): checks the State's accounts and the accounts of political parties.
• BOE (Boletín Oficial del Estado): where laws are officially published.

Taking part

Spaniards become adults and can vote at 18. General, regional and local elections are held every 4 years, and European Parliament elections every 5 years. Some foreign residents can vote in municipal elections when a treaty or law allows it on a reciprocal basis. Citizens can also propose a law with at least 500,000 signatures (popular legislative initiative), except on topics such as taxes or organic laws.

Task 2: rights and duties

Title I of the Constitution lists rights and duties. Learn the main ones with their article numbers, because questions often name them.

Task 3: territory and geography

Article 137 organises Spain into municipalities, provinces and autonomous communities. Spain has 17 autonomous communities, 2 autonomous cities (Ceuta and Melilla, in North Africa) and 50 provinces. Each community has a Statute of Autonomy (Estatuto de Autonomía) as its basic law.

• Municipalities are run by the ayuntamiento: the mayor (alcalde) and councillors (concejales). They provide services such as water supply and street lighting.
• Autonomous communities manage areas such as health care and the teaching of co-official languages.
• The State alone handles nationality, immigration, foreign affairs and the law on foreigners.

Languages

Castilian (Spanish) is the official language of the State, and all Spaniards have the duty to know it. Other languages are co-official in their communities: Galician in Galicia, Basque in the Basque Country and Navarre, Catalan and Aranese in Catalonia, Catalan in the Balearic Islands and Valencian in the Valencian Community.

Geography

• Spain borders France, Portugal, Andorra and Morocco (next to Ceuta and Melilla).
• The Balearic Islands are in the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands in the Atlantic. The Canaries have a subtropical climate.
• The highest mountain is Teide (Tenerife). Mulhacén (Sierra Nevada) is second and Aneto (Pyrenees) third.
• The Ebro is the main river flowing into the Mediterranean. The Miño, Duero, Tajo, Guadiana and Guadalquivir flow into the Atlantic.
• The Meseta is the high central plateau. Madrid is the capital; Santiago de Compostela is the capital of Galicia and Mérida of Extremadura.

Task 4: culture and history

Key moments

• Middle Ages: Al-Andalus, especially Córdoba, was a centre of science. The Toledo School of Translators turned Arabic and Greek works into Latin and Castilian. El Cid (Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar) was an 11th-century Castilian knight.
• 1975 to 1978: King Juan Carlos I led the return to democracy, the Transition. The Constitution was approved in 1978.
• 1979: Adolfo Suárez became the first President of the Government under the new Constitution.
• 1 January 1986: Spain joined the European Economic Community, today the European Union.
• 2014: Felipe VI became King.

Spain has many UNESCO World Heritage sites. The first ones, added in 1984, include the Alhambra in Granada, the Mosque of Córdoba, Burgos Cathedral and El Escorial.

Task 5: daily life and dealing with the administration

• The Policía Nacional issues the DNI (identity card) and passport, and handles immigration documents.
• The Agencia Tributaria collects taxes.
• Call 060 for information about the General State Administration.
• Many procedures, such as registering on the padrón or getting certificates, can be done online. You need a digital identity: the electronic DNI, a digital certificate or Cl@ve.
• School is compulsory and free from 6 to 16: primary (6 to 12) and ESO (12 to 16).
• The autonomous communities run the public health service. The public Social Security system helps people in need, especially those without work.
• The Guardia Civil watches traffic on interurban roads; the Policía Local handles traffic in towns.
• The minimum age to marry is 16, and only for emancipated minors; otherwise it is 18. During a strike, minimum services must continue.

After the tests: applying and swearing loyalty

1. Pass the DELE A2 (if required) and the CCSE.
2. Apply for nationality by residence through the electronic procedure.
3. If nationality is granted, within 180 days of being told, swear or promise loyalty to the King and obedience to the Constitution and the laws (if you are over 14).
4. Declare that you give up your previous nationality, unless the law exempts you: nationals of the countries listed in article 24 of the Civil Code and people of Sephardic origin do not have to.
5. Register the new nationality in the Spanish Civil Registry (Registro Civil).