Hello

For you ( as an US national ) to be eligible for the Spanish citizenship, you need to have resided in Spain for ten years in advance, holding a valid residence permit. Therefore the first step is to become a resident. If you could get back your Philippine nationality, the period will be reduced to two years instead of ten.

If you initially start being a resident without a work permit ( Non Lucrative residence permit ), you can either renew you permit as long as you still meet the same conditions, or you can also apply for a modification of the permit if you need to have a work permit along with the residence one. The requirements vary depending on whether you will be working as a salaried or self-employed worker.

Please note that the first renewal applies after the first year and once granted, it is valid for two additional years.

Regards,