Do I have to give up my US citizenship if I become Spanish?

Legally speaking, Spain only allows dual nationality with certain countries that it has a specific connection with (mainly Latin American countries), and this does not include the US.

Therefore, Americans are technically supposed to renounce their original nationality when gaining Spanish citizenship – and this is the part that most people are worried about.

The last step in applying for Spanish nationality is when you’re called in front of a judge to swear allegiance to the Spanish constitution. During this time, they will ask you to renounce your US nationality.

Does this mean that you have to though and will you lose your American passport?

The most important point you need to know is that you will not be requested to physically hand over your US passport to Spain, so it will remain in your possession.

According to Spanish legal firm Echevarría Abogados, the renouncement of your original nationality is a "mere formality" for Spain.

The US government on the other had states: "the acquisition or retention of foreign nationality does not affect US citizenship".

“US law does not impede its citizens' acquisition of foreign citizenship whether by birth, descent, naturalisation or other form of acquisition, by imposing requirements of permission from US courts or any governmental agency and not require a US citizen to choose between US citizenship and another (foreign) nationality (or nationalities). A US citizen may naturalise in a foreign state without any risk to their U.S. citizenship,” it clarifies.

This means that while Spain may ask you to renounce your US citizenship, the US will not force you to give up your American citizenship when you get Spanish nationality.

“A person may have and exercise rights of nationality in two countries and be subject to the responsibilities of both” the US government concludes.

READ ALSO: Does Spain check if you've renounced your original nationality?

Because of the two different stances between the two countries, you can in fact hold on to your US citizenship and passport, even if you become Spanish.

In December 2025, Republican Senator Bernie Moreno proposed banning dual citizenship to ensure "sole and exclusive allegiance" to the US.

This "Exclusive Citizenship Act" has been stalled with no hearings scheduled and action taken. It has only one co-sponsor and according to GovTrack it only has a three percent chance of becoming law.

There was also an April Fool's joke post widely shared online which looked like a screenshot of Donald Trump's Truth Social account announcing an end to dual citizenship in the US. It may be believable given the US President's track record, but fortunately not true.

So as things stand, dual citizenship with the US and Spain remains perfectly legal today from a US standpoint.

Even though you are allowed to keep your US passport, you need to be very careful when using it or you may risk losing your new Spanish citizenship.

For example, you should always show your Spanish passport upon entering Spain and always use your US passport when entering the US.

The United States government website says: "U.S. nationals, including U.S. dual nationals, must use a U.S. passport to enter and leave the United States".

This is basically the only thing you should be using your US passport for. You should not be using your original passport for anything while in Spain. If asked for your passport, you should only ever show your Spanish passport. Here, you won’t be American at all and will be treated exactly like any other Spanish citizen.

As for travel to other countries, it’s advisable to use your newly acquired Spanish passport, especially for travel to, from and within the EU.

READ ALSO: Do you really have to give up your original nationality if you become Spanish?

According to the website of Spain's Justice Ministry, Spanish nationals who are not nationals by origin (for example, Americans who acquired Spanish nationality through residence) shall lose their Spanish nationality if:

• After acquiring Spanish nationality, they use the nationality they renounced during a period of three years.
• When they join the armed forces or take on a political role for a foreign state which the Spanish government expressly prohibits.
• When a court sentence finds that the person committed perjury, concealment or fraud in the acquisition of Spanish nationality.

Although Spanish law mentions that three-year period, the wording "durante un periodo de tres años" is ambiguous. It could mean if someone is caught using their original passport once in the first three years after acquiring Spanish citizenship they face losing it, or it could be if they are caught doing this regularly. And what happens if you use your US passport after that three-year period has elapsed? As you can see, it's open to interpretation.

In theory it means that while Spain won’t actually check if you have renounced your US nationality, if you are found using your original passport in Spain, you will most likely lose your new Spanish citizenship.

You also can’t really claim to be from the US in order to get legal help from the US embassy or consulate in Spain, for example as it could put your Spanish nationality in jeopardy.

Renouncing your US citizenship

You may, however, want to give up your US citizenship when you become Spanish. The most likely reason for this is that the US has citizenship-based taxation, meaning you’ll have to file and potentially pay taxes there even if you’re not resident there. For some people this can get expensive, as well as being time consuming.

Previously you had to pay $2,350 in order to renounce your US citizenship, but now, as of April 2026, the government has brought this down to $450, making it a lot less costly.

READ ALSO: 'More and more' Americans in Europe look to renounce passports after fee cut