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Poll:Have you considered becoming a citizen of another country as a result of the UK voting to leave the European Union?
Thursday, September 15, 2016 @ 8:26 PM

People with UK passports are scrambling to get passports for other EU countries and considering leaving the country due to of the EU referendum. I personally will be applying for a Spanish passport as I don't want any surprises.

Ireland’s foreign ministry said it had seen a significant rise in applications from Britain. There was also evidence that panicked expatriates were trying to acquire citizenship and naturalisation in other EU countries.

Ireland’s minister for foreign affairs and trade, Charlie Flanagan, said there had been a “a spike in interest in Irish passports in Northern Ireland, Great Britain and elsewhere”, and moved to reassure UK citizens with an entitlement to an Irish passport that these rights have not changed after the referendum result.

Anyone with an Irish parent or Irish grandparent is entitled to an Irish passport. An estimated 5 million Britons are eligible and a surge in interest after the referendum is threatening to overwhelm Irish officials.

Ian Paisley Jr, the MP for North Antrim in Northern Ireland, urged his constituents to get a second passport even though he had campaigned for the leave campaign.

“My advice is if you are entitled to second passport then take one,” he tweeted in response to a BBC tweet asking viewers if they had “made a mad dash for an Irish passport”.

In Spain you are entitled to Spanish citizenship if you have resided in Spain for 10 continuous years prior to applying. Naturally if one of your parents is Spanish or was born in Spain you would also be entitled to citizenship. Funnily enough being married to a Spaniard does not directly entitle you to Spanish citizenship, but it does reduce the period of time necessary before applying down to 1 year. There are more ways but they are slightly more complicated and can be read here:

http://www.mjusticia.gob.es/cs/Satellite/Portal/en/areas-tematicas/nacionalidad/nacionalidad/como-adquiere-nacionalidad/modos-adquisicion

So, are you interested in dual nationality?

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11 Comments

Falcón said:
Thursday, September 15, 2016 @ 8:46 PM

Very good Mac75 for a Spanish passport. I think than when a person is living for a long time in Spain or any other country, he/she should obtain nationality.

chris swinb said:
Saturday, September 17, 2016 @ 6:03 AM

Where can we find out more about it and the procedure?
I assume you still continue to hold a full uk passport as well?

DAVEW said:
Saturday, September 17, 2016 @ 8:04 AM

If a British citizen becomes a Spanish citizen then he/she LOSES British nationality. It is also necessary to sit a multi-choice citizenship examination IN SPANISH on the constitution, culture, literature, art etc.You have to register online and can download an 80+ page instruction manual in Spanish. Not too hard if you have learnt the language and taken an interest in the culture here, which you should have done after the obligatory 10 years here, otherwise you have no chance.

This site will not let me post full link, but google the following and up it pops!

Cómo se adquiere la nacionalidad española - Ministerio de Justicia

Hugo T said:
Saturday, September 17, 2016 @ 8:05 AM

If you become a Spanish national you must renounce your previous nationality.

windtalker said:
Saturday, September 17, 2016 @ 8:47 AM

And if you want to be Spanish you should have to speak the language fluently ./change your name to Mygel/wear a sombrero.😅

grahaminspain said:
Saturday, September 17, 2016 @ 9:17 AM

My wife is from the Dominican Republic and we are nearly 3 years down the line of applying for her nationality. This included both f us spending a NIGHT sleeping on the street outside Orihuela court house to deposit the paperwork because that is what you had to do to get in the queue. They only allow 10 applications per day. (maybe different in other areas)
Because l am English she didnt have an interview like my friends that have Spanish partners did. Infact our case was different because of a Non Spanish partner (me) and so they said we will present the paperwork to Madrid and see what happens. She did have to answer questions regarding culture and rivers in Spain etc but obviously being Spanish speaking that was not a problem. Be warned, while waiting in the queue I saw people being rejected because their level of Spanish was not sufficient (mainly Morrocons). Anyway nearly there,,just checking every day on a website for her application to change from En Estudio (waiting for someone to stamp it) to whatever process is next. All I say is be warned, we speak Spanish and what a performance so if you dont speak it ???

Tom said:
Saturday, September 17, 2016 @ 1:31 PM

Just waiting for my Scottish Passport.

ian jackson said:
Saturday, September 17, 2016 @ 6:42 PM

Do you really think that British passport-holders will be turned away by the Spanish, French or German authorities. I'm sure most European countries would be very glad of any revenue the Brits provide, and you sure as hell will not need a visa to visit or live in Europe. This is just another scare tactic by the Remainians

terradas said:
Saturday, September 17, 2016 @ 8:16 PM

There are thousands of people living in Spain from other (non-European) countries. If it is suggested that because the UK is leaving the EU , members of the UK will be chucked out of Spain, then it surely follows that other Non- EU members (Chinese, American, etc) will also then be thrown out - right?

migueldelnorte said:
Sunday, September 18, 2016 @ 3:28 PM

I think your comment, terradas, is most valid. There are very many non EU nationals living in Spain and indeed throughout Europe quite legally.
I am sure that many people would consider adopting Spanish nationality but would be very loathe to have to renounce their British citizenship for this to happen. Until the conditions of Brexit are formalised, any action taken regarding nationality by a British citizen would likely be premature.
It is worth noting that at the moment a British citizen who does have to renounce this nationality to assume Spanish or other EU citizenship may have the right to recover their British citizenship ONCE only.
Home Office Guide RS1 "Application for registration as a British citizen by a person who has made a declaration of renunciation"
will provide all the relevant information. But there is no saying that this could not change in the future! Maybe the UK would not want back thousands of pensioners to further deplete the resources of the NHS etc.
Let's wait for the facts, and see what is decided over the next two years rather than leaping into a fire that may be fanned by scare tactics. Maybe there will be a return to the useful Tarjeta de Residencia so a British passport does not have to be carried around! Ultimately. there are too many EU citizens living in the UK for Brits living here in Europe to be treated unfairly by the European Union. My concern is more with the British government who in the past have shown disregard for pensioners who live abroad - remember the fuel allowance? If those living abroad still had the right to a vote in the UK, things could be very different!!

Carole W said:
Saturday, November 26, 2016 @ 9:35 AM

Americans and other non-EU nationals can only legally stay in any Schengen country for 90/180 days. Meaning, on day 91 they are illegals. This can result in a fine, a note in your passport that you can re-enter the Schengen area for X period of time, or nothing at all.

As we want to visit our Spanish apartment for more than 90 days (total 180/yr), we applied for and received a non-lucrative long-stay visa, valid for 1 year and renewal for up to 5 years if one spends at least 183 days/yr in Spain.

Assuming Spain were to apply this same regulation to Brits, either you would be subject to the 90/180 day rule, or you apply for a long-stay visa or regular residency.