At a glance
Rules checked in October 2026. Requirements change: before you apply, check the official site of your country’s authorities.
Which certificates are accepted
| Exam | What to know |
|---|---|
| DELE A2 | The Instituto Cervantes diploma, issued on behalf of the Spanish Ministry of Education. There is no special citizenship version: you take the regular DELE A2, four papers (reading, listening, writing, speaking) with a result of APTO or NO APTO, and the diploma never expires. You can sit it at Instituto Cervantes branches and accredited exam centres in Spain and in many other countries. |
| DELE B1, B2, C1 or C2 | Any DELE above A2 counts too, since the rule says “A2 at least”. But each DELE tests one level only, and a NO APTO at B1 does not turn into an A2 diploma, so go higher only if you pass that level’s sample exam comfortably. |
| Escuela Oficial de Idiomas certificate (A2, B1, B2) | Official certificates in Spanish as a foreign language at A2, B1 and B2, issued by the state language schools (EOI) or the education authorities, are accepted instead of the DELE, and so are the older Certificado de Aptitud and Certificación Académica de Ciclo Elemental. The certificate must be recorded in the education authority’s register of qualifications, and you authorise the check in your application. |
| DELE A2-NA for people who cannot read or write | An adapted exam for applicants with a partial exemption (dispensa) from the Ministry of Justice: instead of four papers you take only the speaking test, 15 minutes plus 10 to prepare, with the tasks explained orally. The CCSE is then also given orally: a member of staff reads out the questions and records your answers. |
Who does not need a certificate
- Nationals of Spanish-speaking countries: every Spanish-speaking country in Latin America, plus Puerto Rico and Equatorial Guinea. They skip the DELE but still take the CCSE; if it is your second nationality, you need a valid passport of that country or a consular certificate.
- Children under 18 and people whose legal capacity has been limited by a court: they take neither exam. For school-age children a certificate from their school is attached instead.
- People who went to school in Spain and completed ESO (compulsory secondary education): they can be exempted from both exams without a separate request, because the Ministry checks the qualification itself.
- People who cannot read or write or who have learning difficulties: they can ask for an exemption (dispensa). It must be requested before the citizenship application; the Ministry decides within 6 months, no answer means a refusal, and with a partial exemption you take the adapted DELE A2-NA and CCSE-NA.
Civics test: CCSE
The CCSE (Conocimientos Constitucionales y Socioculturales de España) is an Instituto Cervantes test on the Constitution, the state, culture and everyday life in Spain: 25 questions in five tasks, up to 45 minutes, on paper, each question with three options or true/false. You need 15 correct answers for APTO, and every question comes from the 300 in the official handbook: the Manual CCSE 2026, used from January 2026, replaced a quarter of the questions compared with 2025. The CCSE is held only at exam centres in Spain, results come in about 20 days, the certificate is valid for 4 years, and your registration includes a second attempt at the same centre within 6 months.
Tips- Study only from the 2026 handbook or the free official CCSE app: older collections and third-party tests contain questions that are no longer used. For unfamiliar terms there is an official CCSE glossary with English translations.
- Start with tasks 1 and 5: government, law and civic participation (10 questions in the exam, 120 in the handbook) and society and everyday life (7 questions, 84 in the handbook) make up 17 of the 25. At 6–7 handbook questions a day you get through all 300 in about 7 weeks.
- Answer every question, since a wrong answer costs nothing. In task 2 (true or false on rights and duties) watch for words like únicamente, solo, siempre and en cualquier momento: they usually decide the answer.
How the exam works
4 tasks, 25 questions. A personal letter or email of 250–300 words with 5 questions; eight short texts such as ads, posters and rules, with one question each; three texts of 100–120 words to match with 6 statements; and a narrative text of 375–425 words (a biography, a blog post, a news item) with 6 questions. Every question has three options or is a matching item.
Tips- Read the question first, then look for the answer: at A2 the information is usually stated directly, but in other words. The question says gratis, the text says no cuesta nada; the question says cerrado, the text says no abre.
- Watch out for false friends: embarazada means pregnant, constipado means having a cold, éxito means success, la librería is a bookshop and actual means current.
- Allow about 15 minutes per task, mark your answers straight on the answer sheet (hoja de respuestas) and never leave a blank: a wrong answer costs nothing.
4 tasks, 25 questions, and every recording is played twice. Six short everyday conversations with pictures as answer options; six short radio items (news, ads, event announcements); a conversation between two people where you decide who said what: the man, the woman or neither; and seven announcements and voicemail messages to match with 7 of 10 statements.
Tips- Use the pause before each recording to read the questions and options; when the options are pictures, tell yourself how they differ: time, price, transport, place.
- Practise numbers, times and prices by ear: sesenta and setenta or trece and treinta are easy to confuse, and announcements turn on the figures.
- Answer on the first listening and check on the second. Don’t get stuck on an unknown word: the next sentence usually explains it.
2 tasks, 130–150 words in total. First a reply to a short message, letter or invitation: a note, postcard, email or letter of 60–70 words about your life, habits and plans. Then a 70–80 word text of your choice: a personal everyday topic, or a biography or story based on photos or data.
Tips- Cover every point in the instructions (pautas): a missing point lowers your task mark even if your Spanish is accurate.
- Learn a frame for short letters: ¡Hola, Ana! or Querida Ana: to open, Un abrazo or Hasta pronto to close, and simple linkers inside: porque, pero, además, por eso, primero, después.
- Keep 5 minutes to check gender and agreement, past-tense endings, written accents (está, también, después) and the opening ¿ and ¡ that English doesn’t have.
3 tasks after a few warm-up questions. A 2–3 minute monologue on one of two personal topics, such as an important trip, your neighbourhood or your job; a description of a photo of an everyday scene (a shop, transport), also 2–3 minutes; and a 3–4 minute conversation with the examiner in a situation based on that photo. There are two examiners: one talks with you, the other only marks.
Tips- In the preparation time write key words for each point of the topic, not a script: you may keep your notes, and a missing point costs marks here too.
- Learn a frame for the photo: En la foto hay…, Están en…, Una mujer está comprando…, Creo que… and one sentence about what happens next: Después van a…
- Keep vowels short and pure, without English glides: no is not “know” and me is not “may”. In the role play be brief and polite: Quería…, ¿Me puede…?, ¿Cuánto cuesta?
How it is scored
Each paper is worth 25 points, 100 in total. Reading with writing and listening with speaking form two groups, and APTO needs at least 30 points in each: a strong group cannot carry a weak one. Reading and listening are marked automatically, one point per correct answer with no penalty for mistakes, while writing and speaking are marked by two examiners on a scale from 0 to 3 where 2 means A2, about 16.7 out of 25: with writing at that level, 14 correct reading answers out of 25 are enough to pass the group.
How many words you need for A2
For A2 you usually need about 1,500–2,500 of the most frequent words, counted as word families (Milton and Alexiou, 2009). For the DELE A2 everyday vocabulary matters most: family, home, work, shopping, transport, health and free time. The CCSE needs its own small vocabulary from the handbook: institutions, rights and duties, documents, holidays and geography.
Check where you are now: the free vocabulary test takes 3 minutes and shows how many of the 5,000 most frequent words of the language you know.
Take the vocabulary test →Vocabulary for the exam topics
- el apellido surname (Spaniards have two)
- el estado civil marital status
- la pareja partner, couple
- los hermanos brothers and sisters, siblings
- el piso flat, apartment; also floor
- el alquiler rent
- el barrio neighbourhood
- mudarse to move house
- la empresa company, firm
- el contrato contract
- el horario timetable, working hours
- el compañero de trabajo colleague, co-worker
- estar en paro to be unemployed
- la baja (laboral) sick leave
- las vacaciones holidays, vacation
- levantarse temprano to get up early
- las rebajas the sales
- la talla clothes size
- el probador fitting room
- la caja checkout, till
- devolver to return (a purchase)
- la parada stop (bus, tram)
- el abono de transporte travel pass
- el billete de ida y vuelta return ticket
- la cita previa appointment booked in advance (doctor, public office)
- el centro de salud local health centre
- la tarjeta sanitaria health card
- la receta prescription; also recipe
- el empadronamiento registering your address with the town hall (padrón)
- el ayuntamiento town hall, city council
- la Seguridad Social Social Security, the state insurance system
- rellenar un formulario to fill in a form
- la Constitución the Constitution (approved in 1978)
- la monarquía parlamentaria parliamentary monarchy
- el jefe del Estado head of state (in Spain, the king)
- el presidente del Gobierno prime minister, head of government
- las Cortes Generales Parliament: the Congress of Deputies and the Senate
- el Congreso de los Diputados Congress of Deputies, the lower house
- el Senado Senate, the upper house
- la comunidad autónoma autonomous community, a region; there are 17, plus 2 autonomous cities
- los derechos y deberes rights and duties
- la igualdad equality
- votar en las elecciones to vote in elections
- pagar impuestos to pay taxes
- el Defensor del Pueblo Ombudsman
- la Transición the transition to democracy after 1975
- la Fiesta Nacional Spain’s National Day (12 October)
- el Día de la Constitución Constitution Day (6 December)
Paste a topic name from the list above into the generation chat in the app and get a word set made for your exam, with examples in context, audio and smart reviews. You can get words for any other topic the same way.
Grammar for A2: what you need
Ser says who or what something is, estar where it is and how it is, hay what there is; you need all three to talk about yourself and describe the photo. Example: En la foto hay una tienda; la dependienta es joven y está contenta.
For a trip, a move or a short biography: the perfecto with hoy, esta semana or nunca, the indefinido with ayer, el año pasado or a date. Example: Este año he cambiado de trabajo, pero en 2019 viví en Valencia.
For background and habits in the past, especially in the biography option of the second writing task; it often matches English “used to”. Example: Cuando era niño, vivía en un pueblo y jugaba en la calle.
The key structure for the photo: who is doing what right now. Example: Un hombre está pagando en la caja y una niña está mirando el móvil.
For replying to an invitation, talking about plans and the role play: what you are going to do, have to do or can do. Example: El sábado voy a ir al cine, pero antes tengo que trabajar.
The monologue and the letters ask what you like and why; gustar agrees with the thing you like, not with you. Example: Me gusta mi barrio y me encantan los parques, pero prefiero vivir cerca del trabajo.
The app has a big grammar section for every level from A1 to C2, with short lessons and exercises. Paste a topic name from the list above into the generation chat and get exercises on exactly that topic. Any other topic works the same way.
An 8-week preparation plan
Do the official DELE A2 sample exam and the CCSE sample test from the Instituto Cervantes website to see where you stand, and book both exams now: DELE registration closes several weeks ahead, CCSE registration usually about three weeks ahead. Start learning 15 new words a day on family, home and work, for example with the ready-made DELE A2 and CCSE sets in NewLexi, plus 6–7 CCSE questions a day, starting with task 1.
Grammar: ser, estar and hay, and irregular verbs in the present. One timed reading task every day. CCSE: carry on with task 1 on government and law.
Listening week: 20 minutes a day of slow Spanish (learner podcasts, news, dialogues) and all four task types. Grammar: pretérito perfecto and indefinido. Topics: shopping, town and transport, health and paperwork.
Writing: two replies of 60–70 words and two texts of 70–80 words (a trip and a short biography from data), against the clock. Grammar: the imperfecto. CCSE: tasks 2–4 on rights, territorial organisation, culture and history.
Speaking: every day one 2–3 minute monologue, one photo with your frame and one role play, recorded on your phone. Grammar: estar + gerundio and ir a + infinitivo.
A full DELE A2 mock under exam conditions: score both groups and give the week to the weaker one. CCSE: task 5 on society and everyday life, and fix weak grammar topics with the lessons and exercises in NewLexi.
A second DELE A2 mock and a few CCSE mocks of 25 questions in 45 minutes. If your CCSE session falls this week, take it calmly: the result arrives in about 20 days. Write two more texts and run through the speaking test with a partner or a teacher.
Review only: your mistakes, set phrases and the CCSE questions you keep missing, with hardly any new words. Check your centre’s notice (convocatoria) for the day and time of your speaking test, your documents and the route, and rest the day before.
Common mistakes
In Spain SIELE counts as equivalent to DELE for many purposes, but explicitly not for nationality. Your application needs a DELE A2 or higher, or an official EOI certificate.
A2 is all the application needs, and B1 or above only counts with an APTO: a failed B1 does not become an A2. Unless you pass a B1 sample exam with a margin, take A2.
The CCSE certificate is valid for 4 years and must still be valid when you apply, so don’t take it years ahead. And learn the 2026 handbook: older collections no longer match the exam.
Ser says what something is: Soy ingeniero, Mi barrio es tranquilo. Estar gives states and location: Estoy cansado, El banco está en la plaza. For “there is” use hay: Hay un banco en la plaza.
English has no grammatical gender, so learn every noun with its article (el problema, el día, la mano, la foto) and make adjectives agree: una casa bonita, unos vecinos simpáticos. The A2 marking scale counts agreement errors among the basic ones.
How to submit the certificate
- You apply for nationality by residence online at the Ministry of Justice’s electronic office (sede electrónica), signing with a digital certificate, either yourself or through a representative such as a lawyer or gestor. Documents are scanned and attached inside the application, and a draft must be completed and submitted within 2 months or it is deleted.
- For the DELE and the CCSE you can give your consent for the Ministry to check your results directly with the Instituto Cervantes; without that consent, attach the certificates. They are electronic Spanish documents with a verification code (CSV), so they need no translation and no legalisation.
- The CCSE certificate must still be valid on the day you apply: 4 years from the date of the certificate. The DELE never expires, so an old A2 diploma is fine.
- An EOI certificate only counts if it is recorded in the education authority’s register of qualifications and you authorise the check. If you are exempt from the DELE through the second nationality of a Spanish-speaking country, attach a valid passport of that country or a consular certificate.
- If a certificate is missing or the CCSE has expired, the Ministry usually sends a request for documents (requerimiento), and your file waits. An exemption (dispensa) for people who cannot read or write must be granted before you apply, not afterwards.
On exam day
- For the CCSE bring the registration receipt (resguardo de inscripción) from your email and the originals of your passport and TIE, plus the Ministry of Justice exemption (dispensa) if you have one. EU citizens may bring their national ID card or EU registration certificate instead of the passport or TIE.
- Arrive early: everyone is identified and photographed before the test. You cannot go in wearing a hat, a cap or a face covering (a headscarf is fine if your face is visible), and phones, smartwatches and bags are best left outside.
- In the CCSE, 45 minutes for 25 questions is plenty: answer everything first, then calmly recheck the true-or-false task.
- For the DELE bring the same ID you registered with, and check your centre’s notice (convocatoria) for your speaking slot: it may be on another day or at another time. Mark reading and listening answers straight on the answer sheet.
- You get 12 minutes to prepare all three speaking tasks: about 3–4 minutes each for the monologue plan and the photo, and a couple of minutes for role-play phrases. You may keep your notes, but talk to the examiner instead of reading.
How NewLexi helps you prepare
Generate word sets straight for the DELE A2 and the CCSE: they come already split into categories, from family and work to the Constitution and the autonomous communities. Need something else, like the words for your job or a visit to the town hall? Generate a set on any topic and start practising it right away, and close grammar gaps in the big A1–C2 section with lessons and exercises. Practise the writing paper with instant AI feedback, and train your ear with stories and dialogues written for you, at your level and with your words, all with audio.
