Blueskythinking

Hello, I am looking for help, because I hope to move to Spain post January 2021 and become a Spanish citizen in order to stay there. I have looked on GOV.UK and other websites for information but I'm none the wiser.

I currently live in the UK with my wife who is Spanish and has lived here for over ten years but has always said she wants to go home one day.

We should have moved a few years ago when it would have been straight forward, but we didn't and now I fear it will be much more complicated and I might not be able to live there.

If anyone can give me assistance or point me in the right direction I would be most grateful.

Joppa

In your case, you need to live in Spain with your wife for one year before you can apply for naturalisation, and you will have to renounce your existing nationality, presumably British.
Within 3 months of arrival in Spain, you need to apply for residence permit as a family member of EU citizen. When accepted, you will receive a residence card valid 5 years, and after a year you can apply for naturalisation. You will need to pass a test in Spanish and of Spanish history and culture, and make an undertaking to renounce your existing citizenship. I suggest you seek the help of an immigration lawyer in Spain.

inbarcelona

As the spouse of a Spanish National you will be fine. I don´t know the procedure to take but Spain will allow family unification if that helps.

Blueskythinking

Thank you for your help Joppa and inbarcelona. Is there anything I can do before moving there? I fear now we are not part of the EU I will start from the back of the queue along with everyone else going there from outside of the continent.

It will be ironic if my wife gets British citizenship which she is applying for and I have to renounce mine!

Joppa

As your wife is Spanish, you simply apply for residency as family member (spouse) of a Spanish national. Up until Thursday, you can still register as British national during the transition period under the EU freedom of movement, but from Friday you are a third country (non-EU) national but a family member of a Spanish citizen. The procedure isn't arduous and it will take around 3 months to get your residence permit. You will need a Spanish version of your marriage certificate (if you were married in UK or anywhere outside Spain), but General Register Office issues multilingual certificate through General Register Office - Online Ordering Service - Login (gro.gov.uk), or National Records of Scotland if married there.
Under the Spanish law, your wife will have to renounce her Spanish citizenship upon naturalisation, but it isn't enforced (no checks or submission of proof etc) and she will only get into trouble if she starts using her British passport in Spain etc. As for you, again you can quietly keep your British passport, but you shouldn't use it in Spain, as you are regarded simply as a Spanish national and nothing else in Spain.

Blueskythinking

Phew, thank goodness we got married in Spain!

Do you know how difficult the Spanish history and language tests are? My wife just did the Britishness test and she aced it. The advantage she has great understanding English and my Spanish is so so.

Joppa

The citizenship (CCSE) and language (DELE) test is administered by Cervantes Institute, and language test is around A2 level, similar to English test for UK immigrants, except that DELE test has reading and writing tasks as well as speaking. See Spanish Nationality Test: Everything You Need to Know (immigrationspain.es) which has some mock questions. Citizenship test is taken from a bank of 300 questions, so you can just memorise the answers, just like the Life in the UK test.

Blueskythinking

Thank you Joppa