Which Spanish Level Do You Need for Nationality?

Facts last checked on 30 September 2026. Confirm with the Ministry of Justice or the Instituto Cervantes before you register.

Spain asks for different Spanish levels for different goals, and the three most common ones are far apart: A2 for nationality, usually B2 for university, and C1 or C2 for foreign doctors who sit the MIR. This post explains each, which exams count, who is exempt from the language test, and what the fees and session dates look like.

Nationality: DELE A2 plus the CCSE

To acquire Spanish nationality by residence you normally pass two exams, both run by the Instituto Cervantes:

• DELE A2 (or any higher DELE level): the language exam. A2 is basic independent use: shopping, work routines, simple letters and conversations.
• CCSE (Conocimientos Constitucionales y Socioculturales de España): 25 multiple-choice questions on the constitution, government, culture and daily life in Spain. You need 15 correct answers.

Nationals of countries where Spanish is an official language are exempt from the DELE, but not from the CCSE. Other groups are exempt too, for example minors and people who completed secondary education in Spain, and people with a disability or who cannot read and write can ask for an exemption. Check the Ministry of Justice's current list before you book.

The DELE A2 has a session reserved for it in February, which exists because of nationality applications, and it costs €138 in Spain in 2026. It is the most taken DELE of all: in 2024 more than a third of all DELE candidates sat A2.

University: usually B2

Spanish universities set their own language requirements for foreign students, and B2 is the usual bar for degree programmes taught in Spanish; some ask for C1. The DELE B2 or the SIELE with a B2 result in each skill are the common proofs. Erasmus placements often ask for B2 as well, and several countries give school credit for a DELE B2.

Doctors and the MIR: C1 or C2

Foreign doctors from countries where Spanish is not an official language must prove C1 or C2 to take the MIR, the exam for specialist training. The DELE C1 or C2 are the usual proof.

Fees and session dates

DELE fees depend on the level and the country. In Spain in 2026, the A2 costs €138, B1 €173, B2 €204 and C1 €225; other countries set their own prices (for example €235 for the B2 in Germany or 685 zł in Poland). The DELE runs several times a year, with May and November the largest sessions, and registration closes about six to seven weeks before each exam date. The CCSE is held most months of the year.

How to prepare

For A2 and the CCSE, the words of daily life and administration (housing, work, health, the town hall) and the CCSE question bank, which the Instituto Cervantes publishes in full, are most of the work.

For B2, the exam is a different animal: the writing and speaking tasks mark argument, register and cohesion. Connectors (sin embargo, por lo tanto, a pesar de que), phrases for evaluating proposals and commenting on data, and the subjunctive triggers carry as much weight as nouns. Our Spanish DELE B2 Exam Kit is built around exactly those tasks, with audio and a plan to your exam date; read DELE B2 in 2027 for the format paper by paper.

Official sources

• DELE and CCSE: examenes.cervantes.es
• Ministry of Justice, nationality: mjusticia.gob.es

Words on Repeat is not affiliated with the Instituto Cervantes.