Filipino Wanting Spanish Citizenship

[Patricia]

Hello Petervhuey,

She would need to be in Spain; she cannot apply from the Philippines. She needs to live in Spain for one year if she wants to apply for citizenship due to her Spanish ancestry. Her residency during that year must be legal.
Her son cannot apply for Spanish citizenship until his mother does not get it, as he is a Thai citizen ( and he would also have to acquire legal residency during one year ).

Usual ways to acquire legal residency are:

- Salaried Work and residence permit ( not recommended due to the current high unemployment rate )
- Self employed work and residence permit: It allows to live and work in Spain by investing in a business and be a self employed individual; a business plan and a minimum investment of 80.000 Euros will be required.
- Residency as being a relative to an EU citizen, in the event they have a family relationship with a EU citizen living in Spain ( spouse, children and/or parents )
- Family reunion, if a non EU relative ( spouse, children and/or parents ) had legal residency in Spain.


Best Regards,

[raypozas]

I have applied for spanish citizenship at the Spanish Consulate in the Philippines over a year and a half ago but was given a strange answer as to what i have to do. The lady in charge, a certain filipina by the name of Maravillosa told me i have to prove that my father renounced his spanish citizenship before i was born in order for me to apply. I said that was the stupidest thing i had ever heard because if he did that then when i was born he was not a spaniard anymore. She had first shown me an index card with my grandfathers name and my fathers on it. In the card it showed that my grandfather had entered the philippines in 1918 on what seemed to be some form of an I.D. card not a passport but that he was a spanish citizen and the second entry was next to my fathers name saying he was issued a passport right after the end of World War 2, 1945 or 46. At that time i said it should be ok already since both my grandfather and father were both spanish citizens but she gave me that answer that i have to prove that my farther renounced his citizenship. An odd thing was that the index card had only 2 entries but i know for a fact that my dads younger sister, my aunt , also had a passport of which i have a photocopies issued in 1958,1960 and 1963. So i wonder why my aunt's name does'nt appear in the index card.

The filipina lady is the only person you can approach in the consulate and she has the power to just refuse to deal with you. Is there any way to get to talk with a real spaniard in the philippine consulate? My grandfathers name was Ramon Lopez-Pozas, he was the son of a spanish general Jose Lopez-Pozas stationed in the Philippines during the late 1800's. There is a General Lopez-Pozas street in Madrid. My fathers name was also Jose. All civil recordas of my father and his sister were destroyed during the japanese occupation of the Philippines during World War 2.

Am at a loss as to what should my status be.

[bindy]

I am a filipino living in Canada. I have dual citizenship. Can I apply for a non lucrative visa to Spain as a Filipino from Canada or do i have to apply from the Philippines?

[Unregistered]

Greetings,

My name is Mik I have a somewhat complicated case. My mother formalized her Spanish nationality last year so now she and my grandmother has spanish birth certificates. I on the other hand am already 32 years old. May I opt to be a spanish citizen because I was not given a chance to do so when I was 18 due to the fact that my mothers citizenship was not yet formalized by then? Also I read in article 24 that if you are born in the philippines it is not enough for the loss of spanish nationality, if I have understood it correctly then my mother should not have lost her spanish nationality. And I was born of a spanish parent. I hope you could give me some advice on this. Thank you

-Mik

[Patricia]

Greetings,

My name is Mik I have a somewhat complicated case. My mother formalized her Spanish nationality last year so now she and my grandmother has spanish birth certificates. I on the other hand am already 32 years old. May I opt to be a spanish citizen because I was not given a chance to do so when I was 18 due to the fact that my mothers citizenship was not yet formalized by then? Also I read in article 24 that if you are born in the philippines it is not enough for the loss of spanish nationality, if I have understood it correctly then my mother should not have lost her spanish nationality. And I was born of a spanish parent. I hope you could give me some advice on this. Thank you

-Mik

Dear Mik,

If your mother has been granted the Spanish Nationality by Origins, this means that has never lost it, so you could be in a position to apply for it, as you are also considered of Spanish origins.

It all depends on what grounds your mother has been granted the Spanish Nationality.

There is an age limitation for those who lost their opportunity to apply by option, that is 20 years old.

If you cannot take this option, you can then apply after one year of legal residency, as your mother and grandmother are Spanish Nationals.

You can find the exact information here.

Regards,

[Gallardo]

Hi Patricia

I am interested in acquaring spanish citizenship by residing in Spain for two years. But the thing is I am still a student with no job. I am studying here in Cyprus with a student visa. My mother lives here as she was married to a cypriot. I want to live here but theres no other way if you are not a citizen here. So maybe if I become a spanish citizen I can enter Cyprus without visa since it is a member of EU. What procedures do I need to follow and options I have. I am 20. Thank you in advance!

[Patricia]

Hello Gallardo,

Before you take the decision to apply for a residence permit in Spain, you need to have a clear idea of your residency plans in Spain, so you can check if you are eligible for any of the immigration programs available.

There are options for students, in the event he/she joins in an official education program, ( university Degree, Masterd Decree, Specialization, Investigation, etc ). Also, there are options for Investors and business people interested in setting up a business in Spain, or those workers that are demanded in Spain at the moment, that are related to the Ship/Maritime Indistry, Sportspeople and Doctors. The Situation is quite complicated for workers from other sectors, as there are no job offers, and if there are, the Spanish residents have priority.

Also, there is the option to apply for a work permit if you get a job offer from an overseas company that is in need of workers to carry out a service in Spain during a limited period of time. A temporary transfer work permit is granted in those cases.

Please feel free to contact us once you have an idea of your residency plans and we will give you a more detailed advice.

Regards,

[Patricia]

I am a filipino living in Canada. I have dual citizenship. Can I apply for a non lucrative visa to Spain as a Filipino from Canada or do i have to apply from the Philippines?

Hello Bindy,

You can certainly apply for the Non Lucrative residence permit, and the place where the application needs to be filed is at the corresponding Spanish Consular office of the country where you are a resident right now, that is Canada.

If you wish to have further information about the application process, please feel free to contact us by e-mail.

Regards,

[Unregistered]

Hello I'm Australian with Filipino grandmother and Filipino grandfather who has Spanish lineage. Do I qualify for Spanish citizenship after two years residency? I have lived in Spain while on a UK 2 year visa and was able to spend time with family there also, I'd like to return.

Thank you for taking the time to respond,

Ellen

[SpanishStudent]

Hi All,

I will be studying in Spain for a Masters degree next year. I hold a Filipino Passport. While browsing I was informed that Filipino individuals can get a Spanish Citizenship for only two years.

Can I apply directly while arriving there(in Spain) since the length of stay for my schooling is a bit more than 2 years. Also, will I be able to acquire dual citizenship or are there other options to retain my Filipino Citizenship.

Thanks in advance