From Residency to Citizenship: How Long, and What Is the Test?
"I am afraid of the history exam," she said.
On a Sunday video call, Winifred told her friend Barnaby she had been counting. She is 66 and has held legal residence in Mexico for four years. In one more year she could apply for citizenship.
"I am afraid of the history exam," she said. "I am 66. I have not studied for a test since I was 22."
Barnaby lives in Lisbon. He arrived in 2020 and filed his own application in early 2026, just ahead of a change. He laughed, then stopped. "Look up your country's rule. Mine changed while I waited."
She looked it up. Mexico's foreign ministry asks for 5 consecutive years of legal residence, then an exam in Spanish, history and culture. People over 60 sit only the Spanish test. Winifred read that line twice and said nothing for a while.
Barnaby's story went the other way. Portugal's new nationality law took effect on 19 May 2026, as reported. For Americans the clock is now 10 years, counted from the first valid residence permit and not from the months spent waiting for one. Applications filed before 19 May 2026 stay under the old 5-year rule. His neighbor Philippa received her first permit in 2023. Under the old rule she could have filed in 2028. Under the new one, 2033.
"Same street," Barnaby said. "A date on a form made the difference."
| Country | Years of legal residence | Test | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico | 5 | Spanish, history, culture; over 60 sit the Spanish test only | Oct 2026 |
| Panama | 5 (3 with a Panamanian spouse or child) | Spanish, geography, history | Oct 2026 |
| Colombia | 5 (2 if married to a Colombian or with Colombian children; Spanish nationals also get 2) | Exams including Spanish, two attempts | Oct 2026 |
| Costa Rica | 7 | Spanish, history exam | Oct 2026 |
| Greece | 7, reported | Language, history, culture; 2025 pass rates reported at 44.5% to 50.7% | Oct 2026 |
| Spain | 10, reported | A basic (A2) Spanish test plus a culture test | Oct 2026 |
| Portugal | 10 for filings from 19 May 2026 | A basic (A2) Portuguese test, culture and civics | May 2026 |
| Italy | 10 | A mid-level (B1) Italian test, plus income of at least €8,263.31 a year for each of the last 3 years for a single applicant | Oct 2026 |
Waiting does not end at the application. Italy's official page gives 24 months for a decision, which can extend to 36. And several countries ask for an oath to give up other nationality. The United States does not require its citizens to give up theirs, and Spain's rules, as reported, list no exemption for US citizens. A lawyer who works with Americans abroad could confirm how the oath and US nationality fit together in your case.
Some details remain open. Spain may exempt people over 70 from the culture test, according to one law firm, while another page lists only people with court-modified capacity. Ask the consulate, or a paid professional. Portugal's constitutional court struck down four provisions of the law in December 2025, and sources differ on which survive; ask the office for the final text.
You could…
- Write down the date your clock started, and which document starts it in that country.
- Ask the consulate or the immigration office whether your age changes the test.
- Ask which rule applies if the law changes after you file.
- Ask a lawyer who works with Americans abroad about the oath.
If you have sat one of these exams, what was on it? Add your story here, and it may help the next person decide whether to study.
Figures are estimates for planning, based on public data. Rules change, so each figure shows the year it applies to; ask the official office before you act.
Sources: Mexico's foreign ministry naturalization page (portales.sre.gob.mx/tramites-dgaj/naturalizacion/carta-de-naturalizacion-por-residencia); Colombia's foreign ministry nationality page; Italy's interior ministry citizenship guide; the constitutions of Panama and Costa Rica; law-firm and trade-press reports for Spain, Portugal and Greece, which we could not check against official texts.
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