DELE A2 in 2026 and 2027: exam dates and fee for Spanish nationality

Updated on 27 September 2026. Registration is open for only one more 2026 session with the DELE A2 (Friday 13 November, until 30 September), and the 2027 calendar is now official, with registration opening on 18 November 2026. We have also checked fees, the CCSE, exemptions and waivers against the official sources.

If you are going to apply for Spanish nationality by residence, you will normally have to pass two tests run by the Instituto Cervantes (Spain's official institute for the Spanish language): the DELE A2 (or a higher level), which certifies basic Spanish, and the CCSE (Conocimientos Constitucionales y Socioculturales de España, a test on the Spanish Constitution and on Spain's social and cultural life). Together they show the ‘sufficient degree of integration into Spanish society’ required by article 22.4 of the Código Civil (Spanish Civil Code).

The essentials at a glance

• DELE A2 fee in Spain in 2026: €138 (it was €134 in 2025). The 2027 fee has not been published yet.
• Last 2026 session with A2: Friday 13 November. Registration was open until 30 September 2026.
• 2027 calendar: A2 is offered in all seven sessions and registration opens on 18 November 2026.
• CCSE: €85, with two attempts included. Two 2026 sessions remain: 29 October and 26 November.
• The DELE diploma does not expire; the CCSE certificate is valid for 4 years.

DELE A2 fee and the total cost of the tests

According to the Instituto Cervantes' official 2026 price table, registering for the DELE A2 at a centre in Spain costs €138. If you would rather certify a higher level, the B1 costs €173. Outside Spain, each country sets its own price.

Before you pay, bear in mind that:

• You have 14 calendar days from registration to ask for a refund.
• If you do not turn up, as a general rule you lose the fee and it is not carried over to another session.
• The DELE has no free second attempt: if you do not pass, you pay again and resit all the papers.

To work out the minimum cost of the process, add up the DELE A2 (€138), the CCSE (€85) and the nationality application fee (€104.05, form 790, code 026), which the Ministerio de la Presidencia, Justicia y Relaciones con las Cortes (Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with Parliament, referred to below as the Ministry of Justice) says may be revised. That makes €327.05 in total, not counting certificates, translations or legalisations from your home country or, where applicable, professional fees.

DELE 2026 calendar: what is left

The official calendar has not changed since it was published. This is where each general session stands on 27 September 2026:

The May and November sessions also include the DELE exams for schoolchildren (Friday 22 May and Friday 13 November). There is no September session in 2026. If you miss November, your next chance to sit the A2 is February 2027.

DELE 2027 calendar

The Instituto Cervantes has already published the 2027 dates. Registration opens on 18 November 2026 and A2 is offered in every session:

Note that registration closes between five and nine weeks before the exam, and that the speaking test may be held on a day immediately before or after the official date, depending on how your centre organises it.

The CCSE: fee, format and dates

• Fee: €85, unchanged since 2023. It includes a second attempt if you fail or miss the first one.
• Format: 25 questions in 5 tasks, with a maximum of 45 minutes. You pass with 15 correct answers, and wrong answers do not count against you. The questions come from the CCSE 2026 handbook (Manual CCSE 2026), which renewed 25% of the questions compared with 2025, so always study with the edition for the year in which you sit the test.
• Where and when: ordinary sessions are held only in Spain. Once you register, the centre gives you an appointment on a day before the session's official date or on that date itself.
• Left in 2026: 29 October (registration until 8 October) and 26 November (until 5 November). In May 2026 the Instituto Cervantes brought the registration deadline forward to 24 April because of a data migration between its systems, so do not leave it to the last minute.
• 2027: registration opens on 23 November 2026. Official dates: 28 January, 25 February, 18 March, 29 April, 27 May, 24 June, 29 July, 30 September, 28 October and 25 November.
• Results: in about 20 days. The pass certificate is valid for 4 years.

Why is the DELE A2 required and who is exempt?

The requirement has existed since 2015 and is set out in the seventh final provision of Ley 19/2015 (Law 19/2015), article 6 of Real Decreto 1004/2015 (Royal Decree 1004/2015) and article 10 of Orden JUS/1625/2016 (Ministerial Order JUS/1625/2016). The diploma is awarded by the Instituto Cervantes on behalf of the Ministerio de Educación, Formación Profesional y Deportes (Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sport), and it has official status and indefinite validity.

The language exemption depends on your nationality, not on your mother tongue. Specifically, the following do not have to take the DELE:

• 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. If this is not your main nationality (the one under which you are identified before the Ministry of the Interior, that is, the one you declared for your residence permit), you must also provide a valid passport of that country or a consular certificate recognising that nationality. The Instituto Cervantes considers that the exemption only applies if you hold that nationality by origin rather than having acquired it later; the rules do not say so, so check your case before filing without the DELE. They do still have to pass the CCSE.
• Anyone who already holds a DELE A2 or higher, whatever year it was issued.
• Anyone holding an official A2, B1 or B2 certificate from an Escuela Oficial de Idiomas (state language school) or from the education authorities, entered in the qualifications register.
• Under-18s and persons whose legal capacity has been modified by a court, who do not take the CCSE either. Instead, certificates from their school or care centre are provided. That is the wording the nationality rules still use, although since Ley 8/2021 (Law 8/2021) the Civil Code refers instead to persons with disabilities who have support measures, so check your case.

If you are deaf, be careful. The Instituto Cervantes says in its FAQs that anyone who officially proves that condition does not have to take the DELE A2, but no legal rule provides for that exemption: Orden JUS/1625/2016 only provides for adapted tests for people with disabilities and for the Ministry of Justice waiver (in another answer, the Instituto Cervantes itself only mentions exempting the listening or the speaking paper for candidates with total hearing loss). Before filing without the DELE, confirm your case with the Ministry or apply for the waiver. You do have to take the CCSE, and there is an adapted version in Spanish Sign Language (lengua de signos española).

Waivers and the DELE A2-NA if you cannot read or write

If you cannot read or write, or have learning difficulties, you can ask the Ministry of Justice for a waiver (dispensa) under article 10.5 of Orden JUS/1625/2016, which is decided by the Dirección General de Seguridad Jurídica y Fe Pública (Directorate-General for Legal Certainty and Public Faith). Key points:

1. It must be requested before the nationality application. If you file both at the same time, the nationality application is archived (archivo) by a decision that ends the administrative route (pone fin a la vía administrativa).
2. The Ministry has 6 months to decide; if it does not reply, the waiver is deemed refused.
3. It may grant the waiver, refuse it or authorise you to sit adapted tests: the DELE A2-NA, which is only held in Spain and only for nationality applicants, and consists solely of a 15-minute speaking test (plus 10 minutes' preparation) graded pass or fail; and the CCSE-NA, with the same questions read aloud. For the DELE A2-NA you must bring the Ministry's authorisation decision on the day of the exam. The CCSE-NA has its own sessions, and you can only register at the special centres for non-literate candidates, not at ordinary CCSE centres; the remaining 2026 dates are 29 October (registration until 8 October) and 24 November (until 5 November).

The only exception to the prior request is for anyone who went to school in Spain and completed the ESO (Educación Secundaria Obligatoria, compulsory secondary education): they file the nationality application directly with that documentation. We explain this in Spanish nationality: changes to the requirements.

How to register for the DELE in Spain, step by step

1. Register online: in Spain, registration and payment are done over the internet. At the moment the Instituto Cervantes exams website sends DELE and CCSE registrations to its online shop (tienda.cervantes.org).
2. Register with your NIE (foreigner identity number): this is compulsory if you are sitting the exam for nationality purposes.
3. Choose your centre and session, check that your centre offers the A2 on that date, and pay online.
4. Check your registration receipt: name, level, date and centre must be correct.
5. On the day of the exam, bring the receipt and your original TIE (foreigner identity card) and passport (the Instituto Cervantes accepts expired documents). If you are an EU citizen, bring two documents, for example your passport and your registration certificate showing your NIE.

The DELE A2 has four papers: reading comprehension (60 minutes), listening comprehension (40), written expression and interaction (45) and spoken expression and interaction (12, plus 12 minutes' preparation). To pass, you must reach the minimum score in each of the two groups of papers: a good overall mark is not enough. Practise with the official sample papers, especially the speaking test. Preparation courses are never compulsory.

How to fit the tests around your nationality application

• DELE results take about two months, and three for the May and November sessions. If you sit the exam on 13 November 2026, expect them around February or March 2027.
• If you disagree with your mark, you can request a review within 30 days of receiving the email with your certificate. It costs 60% of the exam fee, which is refunded if your result changes to a pass.
• In your application you either provide the certificates or authorise the Ministry to check them directly with the Instituto Cervantes (article 6.4 of Real Decreto 1004/2015).
• Since the DELE does not expire but the CCSE does (4 years), you can take the DELE first and leave the CCSE until the rest of your requirements are close.
• The Ministry has one year to decide; if it does not do so in time, the application is deemed refused (article 11 of Real Decreto 1004/2015).

Common mistakes

• Thinking that speaking Spanish since childhood exempts you. What counts is holding one of the listed nationalities.
• Registering with your passport instead of your NIE. You will have to ask the Instituto Cervantes to change it.
• Applying without having passed the tests or without a decided waiver. In 2026 the Audiencia Nacional (National High Court) annulled a nationality grant made in those circumstances in a recurso de lesividad (an action in which the authorities ask a court to set aside one of their own decisions that favoured the applicant) brought by the Ministry of Justice itself (ECLI:ES:AN:2026:1227).
• Waiting until the last day to register: places at each centre are limited.

Dates and fees can change, so check them on the Instituto Cervantes website before you pay. If you are unsure whether you need the DELE, whether a waiver applies to you or when to file your application, you can book a consultation or first run a quick check with our Spanish nationality tool.

Legislation and sources

• Civil Code, article 22 (BOE)
• Law 19/2015 of 13 July, seventh final provision (BOE)
• Royal Decree 1004/2015 of 6 November, Regulation on the nationality-by-residence procedure (BOE)
• Order JUS/1625/2016 of 30 September, article 10 (BOE)
• Instituto Cervantes: DELE dates for 2026 and 2027
• Instituto Cervantes: DELE fees (2026 table)
• Instituto Cervantes: CCSE dates for 2026 and 2027
• Instituto Cervantes: CCSE for non-literate candidates (CCSE-NA)
• Ministry of Justice: nationality by residence