US PASSPORT

THE SPANISH PASSPORT
If you are a foreign national living in Spain with Spanish citizenship, you can apply for a Spanish passport. This passport allows you to travel abroad as an EU citizen and enjoy all the associated benefits.

Spanish passports are issued by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores y de Cooperacion). Since 2006, Spain has issued biometric passports with an electronic chip containing the passport holder's essential personal data. The standard biometric passport is a 32-page, burgundy-colored booklet containing the holder's photo, signature, essential personal information, and the individual passport number. Spanish passports issued today include the holder's fingerprints.

There are four types of Spanish passports:

The standard passport (Pasaporte ordinario), a biometric passport issued to citizens for normal travel.
The collective passport (Pasaporte colectivo), a temporary passport valid for three months, which is issued, for example, for pilgrimages, provided there is a reciprocal agreement with the destination country.
The diplomatic passport (Pasaporte diplomatico), issued to government officials and diplomats.
The official passport (Pasaporte oficiales y de servico), issued to officials who represent the government on official business.
Spanish citizenship is also possible without a passport. All Spanish citizens can instead apply for an identity card, the Documento Nacional de Identidad (DNI). This serves as proof of nationality and allows travel within the EU, the European Economic Area (EEA), and Switzerland, as well as short stays in most other European countries.

Application for a Spanish passport
ADVANTAGES OF A SPANISH PASSPORT
The advantages of a Spanish passport include:

You can leave and re-enter Spain as often as you like, as long as your passport is valid.

Traveling the world as a Spanish or EU citizen.

Visa-free or visa-on-arrival travel to 156 countries. Spain ranks third in the world in the Passport Index.

You are also eligible for dual nationality and can hold two passports if you are from a Latin American country, Andorra, Equatorial Guinea, the Philippines, or Portugal, or if you are of Sephardic Jewish descent. Nationals of other countries must renounce their home country's citizenship to acquire Spanish citizenship and obtain a passport. For more information, see our Spanish Citizenship Guide.