CCSE Exam for Spanish Nationality: Price, Pass Mark, Dates

You need both the DELE at level A2 or higher and the CCSE to apply for Spanish nationality by residence. The CCSE has 25 questions and you pass with 15 right. Registration costs 85 euros and covers two sittings. DELE diploma holders and nationals of the Spanish-speaking countries named in the regulation skip only the DELE.

To apply for Spanish nationality by residence you have to pass the DELE Spanish exam at level A2 or higher and the CCSE on Spain’s constitution and society, unless you are exempt from the DELE. None of the exemptions below covers the CCSE, and you pass it with 15 correct answers out of 25.

This page is for people who already meet the years of residence. If you are still counting them, start with the guide to Spanish nationality by residence or the route from visa to permanent residency.

Which exams do you need for Spanish nationality?

Two: the DELE at level A2 or higher and the CCSE, unless an exemption applies.

Los interesados deberán superar tanto los exámenes para la obtención del diploma de español como lengua extranjera (DELE) como mínimo de nivel A2, como la prueba que acredite el conocimiento de los valores históricos, constitucionales y socioculturales de España (CCSE)

Applicants must pass both the exams for the diploma of Spanish as a foreign language (DELE) at level A2 at least, and the test proving knowledge of Spain’s historical, constitutional and sociocultural values (CCSE)

BOE · Real Decreto 1004/2015, art. 6.1

The Instituto Cervantes designs and administers both, and passing them is one part of showing you are integrated, because your results are assessed together with the reports the regulation names. If you do not attach the certificates, you must authorise access to your results in the Cervantes databases on the nationality form.

The exam fees are separate from the nationality fee, which does not include them. Because the whole procedure is electronic, we recommend having your digital certificate and Cl@ve ready before you file.

Who is exempt from the DELE A2?

Anyone who already holds a DELE diploma at level A2 or higher is exempt from the DELE exam. Two more groups are exempt too, and none of these exemptions names the CCSE, so plan on sitting it either way.

If you are a national of a Spanish-speaking country

Nationals of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Equatorial Guinea, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela are exempt from the DELE exam. The list does not name Brazil, Portugal, the Philippines or Andorra.

If you hold an official language certificate

An official certificate at A2 or higher in Spanish as a foreign language, issued by an education authority and handed to the Instituto Cervantes, also works. In that case you are exempt from the language validation tests.

If the applicant is a minor or has court-modified capacity

For minors and people whose capacity was modified by a court, the legal representatives hand in certificates from the training, residence, care or special-education centres where the person was enrolled.

What is on the CCSE, and what is the pass mark?

You pass with 15 correct answers out of 25, and wrong or blank answers cost you nothing.

The test has five tasks of three-option multiple-choice or true/false questions, and you get 45 minutes. The questions are closed-answer and all carry the same value, with sixty percent on the Constitution and Spain’s administrative and territorial organisation and forty percent on culture, history and society. Results come about 20 days after the sitting.

To prepare, we recommend starting with Cervantes’ own material: a 2026 preparation manual, a free official app, and the registration price already includes the manual. If you have a disability, Cervantes offers special arrangements for the DELE and CCSE.

How much does the CCSE cost, and how do you book it?

Registration costs 85 euros, which covers the exam fees, your grade certificate and the preparation materials, and it entitles you to sit the test a maximum of two times.

1. Check you can register: candidates of any nationality over 18 with legal capacity can.
2. Create your account on the Instituto Cervantes exams site, then register and pay online in your private user space.
3. Pick a sitting from the calendar below.
4. Sit the test and add the result to your nationality file, or authorise access to it on the form.

When are the next CCSE and DELE sittings?

The last CCSE sitting of 2026 is on 26 November, and registration for it closes on 5 November.

Registration for the 2027 CCSE sittings opens on 23 November 2026, so register when it opens if you want a particular date.

Checked November 2026.

DELE A2 dates

If you need the DELE, registration for the 2027 exams opens on 18 November 2026. The November 2026 sitting is already closed, because its registration ended on 30 September 2026.

Checked November 2026. For a course that prepares you for the DELE, see Spanish courses in Valencia.

Where do you sit the CCSE in Valencia?

You register and pay in your Cervantes account, and the University of Valencia’s language centre lists a CCSE sitting on 26 November, the same date as the official Cervantes calendar.

For the rest of the file, see the guides to the criminal record certificate and to the apostille and sworn translation.

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Not confirmed: Which Valencia centres hold the sittings, with address and phone. The DELE A2 price and current exam format. How long a CCSE or DELE result stays valid for a nationality file. Confirm all three with the Instituto Cervantes before you pay.

General information checked against the sources listed above, not legal advice for your situation. Rules and office practice change; confirm with the immigration office or a licensed adviser before you act. See how guides are checked.

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