For several reasons, the immigration of citizens from some countries of the former Soviet Union (namely, Ukraine and Russia) to Spain has reached a peak in recent years. Of course, the main one is the economic crisis that erupted in the CIS. So, people decide to move to a cozy and calm Europe, and at best to get citizenship there. How to obtain Spanish citizenship and what documentation is needed for this? What advantages lie in this operation and are there any disadvantages?
The term "citizenship" must be used correctly!
Most people know that there are several fundamental differences between the terms “nationality” and “citizenship”. In addition, the use of these concepts in relation to Spanish legalization cannot be called correct. For example, in the Constitution of the Russian Federation, these terms have clear boundaries, they have different legal connotations.
Thus, citizenship can be defined as a certain amount of freedoms and rights that a person is allowed to use in a particular state. This includes the duties assigned to him, which are directly proportional to the individual's citizenship of a particular country. In other words, this term can be called a stable relationship between a specific person and the state.
But nationality is nothing more than an individual's belonging to a certain community. In addition, this structure should have its own traditions, culture, language, lifestyle, and so on.
The fact is that in most Romance states the concept of "nationality" is used to determine citizenship or citizenship. That is why in conversations using the term nacionalidad it should be understood that we are talking about citizenship. This fact is confirmed by article 11 of the Constitution of Spain.
What does it mean to have Spanish citizenship?
Before wondering how to obtain Spanish citizenship, you should clearly define the meaning of this concept from a practical point of view. So, the presence of citizenship in this case means nothing more than the assignment to the individual of the full legal capacity recognized by the state of Spain. What is included here? Firstly, a citizen can safely use political freedoms for personal purposes; secondly, he has the right to take part in elections and a priori in state affairs; thirdly, an individual who has obtained citizenship may hold a public position or have obvious advantages in terms of employment; fourthly, if necessary, he has the right to apply to state institutions of health care, education and so on. In addition, a citizen can freely travel both throughout the Spanish Kingdom and across the expanses of the entire European Union.
Before you apply for citizenship in Spain, you should be informed that in the event of diplomatic conflicts, citizenship plays an almost decisive role. That is, a legitimate citizen of the Spanish state has the right to provide him with assistance and protection by diplomatic bodies of the country during his stay abroad in the event of a critical situation.
Preparatory stage
In order to obtain a passport of a citizen of Spain, it is necessary to understand all aspects affecting this issue and, of course, go through the preparatory stage. It is important to know that the Kingdom of Spain has the right to give its citizenship to a citizen of absolutely any country in the world. But this individual is obliged to fully recognize the Constitution and existing orders, and also in no case bear a threat to society, even potential.
How to obtain citizenship in Spain to a citizen of Ukraine or another country? It is logical that in order to accelerate this process, it is necessary to carefully study the immigration law of Spain, and then determine for yourself the most optimal version of the immigration program, the criteria of which will more suit the candidate for the acquisition of Spanish citizenship.
Automatic Spanish citizenship
How to obtain citizenship of Spain? It should be noted that there are a number of situations where this issue is resolved automatically. So, the following categories of people can get a Kingdom passport without some effort:
- Children whose parents are citizens of Spain (or one of the parents).
- Children born in Spain, while their parents are unknown.
- Children who have been adopted by citizens of this state.
- Children of stateless people (childbirth in Spain, citizenship for a child).
- Direct descendants of Spanish citizens.
In any of the above cases, applicants are required to write an application for Spanish citizenship.
Simplification of obtaining Spanish citizenship
How to obtain Spanish citizenship to a citizen of Russia or Ukraine? It is worth noting that this is somewhat more complicated, because today there is a separate group of residents of certain countries, for which the operation of obtaining Spanish citizenship is significantly simplified. Among them are the inhabitants of the former Spanish colonies of Latin America, the Philippines, as well as citizens of Portugal and Equatorial Guinea. In addition, the exception to the basic rules is made by the inhabitants of Andorra, because Spain concluded an agreement with this country some time ago. Thus, in order to obtain a Spanish passport, the above categories of citizens only need to live legally in this country for a year, after which they are entitled to submit a request for the issuance of the main document identifying them as a citizen of Spain.
How to obtain citizenship of Spain? Main programs
To date, the following immigration programs take place, which must be used if you wish to obtain a passport of the Spanish state:
- Naturalization of foreigners in a natural way.
- Family reunification.
- Immigration for business purposes.
- Immigration for individuals with refugee status.
- Immigration of financially independent persons.
Naturalization of foreign citizens
To enter the country you need a visa to Spain, which serves as an entry permit. It can be issued at the diplomatic Spanish mission of the native country. As you know, the Kingdom is included in the Schengen zone, which is why in order to cross the border, you need either a Schengen or a national D-visa.
When a visa to Spain is issued, you should take care of a residence permit. It is important to note that the Spanish state has the right to provide an immigrant with one of several types of this document. But the status of permanent residence corresponds only to a residence permit, assigned after 5 years of residence of an individual in the country. And a person has the right to file a petition for vesting with Spanish citizenship after 10 years of legal stay in Spain. By the way, it is very important to keep all the documentation confirming such a long stay in the country.
Family reunion
Consider another option. Today it is very common to obtain Spanish citizenship through marriage. It is important to note that the legislation in this case considers not only legal, but also civil marriage. But with the latter option, the spouses are obliged to prove to the state bodies that they have a common family economy, have a certain joint budget, and so on. That is, the exclusion of fictitious marriage should be approved. It should be noted that the submission to the state bodies of the application by a foreign spouse for citizenship is possible only after two years of cohabitation of these persons.
This program is also suitable for children of minor age from any of the marriages of a citizen of the country. So, if the mother, father, grandfather or grandmother of the child are citizens of Spain, then a minor can become one after a year of residence in the territory of the state. However, in the event of adoption, the child must live in Spain for at least two years.
It must be added that a Spanish citizen has the right to invite his parents to his permanent place of residence. But they must be older than 65 years, because this border is the retirement age in this country.
Business immigration
This program exists for people doing business in the Spanish state or who are large-scale investors in the economy of this country. In addition, it is necessary to include here future citizens who have the right to work in the country as demanded specialists in a particular field. For such people, Spanish government authorities have developed a simplified program for obtaining a visa and a residence permit, called the Golden Card.
By the way, specific rules also apply to investors, including the following points:
- It is necessary to purchase government bonds worth more than $ 2,000,000.
- It is appropriate to own a stake in one or another structure of Spain for at least 1,000,000 euros.
- You need a deposit in the Bank of the Kingdom in excess of 1,000,000 euros.
It is compliance with these conditions that paves the way for Spanish citizenship. There are cases when a person needs dual citizenship. Is such an option possible in relation to Spain and how to implement it?
How to get a second citizenship in Spain?
Initially, it is necessary to find out whether it is possible to have dual citizenship in Spain. If we are guided by the legislation of the country regarding migration, then the answer is positive only in relation to the citizens of Latin America, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea, as well as Portugal. So, they are not entitled to renounce their original citizenship.
How to get dual citizenship in Spain? The most common method in this case is to obtain it at the residence (this issue was discussed above). It is important to note that natives of the Russian Federation have the opportunity to obtain Spanish citizenship only if they have the citizenship of one of the countries with which Spain has an agreement (listed above; incidentally, Haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago should also be classified as Latin American countries) . So, a residence permit in Spain, which must be in order to obtain citizenship, must be obtained in the same way as a citizen of one of these countries. You need to know: if the Spanish government bodies dealing with migration issues learn about the individual’s citizenship of the Russian Federation, then some sanctions may follow, because when applying for a Spanish passport this was not announced.
Documentation Question
What documents are required for citizenship in Spain? The following papers are required for petition:
- The standard form statement, drawn up in accordance with the standards and approved by the resolution of 05/07/07 (BOE 07/25/07).
- Card defining an individual as a foreign citizen.
- Certificate of registration.
- Passport.
- Birth certificate (it must be confirmed and legalized).
- Certificate of good conduct (in case of citizenship of majority), which must be translated and legalized.
- Birth certificate of minor children (of course, if any).
- Documentation confirming that a foreign citizen has material means of subsistence in Spain. In this case, an employment contract, a certificate from the workplace and so on will be appropriate.
Citizenship by refugees and related documents
Initially, it should be warned that obtaining refugee status in Spain is very difficult. However, in recent years, this country (like other EU countries) has accepted a significant number of migrants from around the world who were forced to move. A refugee is entitled to become a full-fledged citizen of the Spanish state only after five years of permanent residence in the country. It must be added that refugees do not need to pass the most difficult tests of Spanish and integrate into society. In addition, they have the opportunity to get not only a place of work, but also social guarantees. By the way, the Spanish authorities are very tolerant of refugees from the CIS countries, because they behave, as a rule, calmly and adequately, unlike their “colleagues” from African countries.
What documents are necessary for applying for Spanish citizenship for a foreigner in refugee status? Firstly, this is a statement of a standard form, drawn up in accordance with all standards and approved by a resolution of 05/07/07 (BOE 07/25/07); secondly, this should include a card identifying a citizen as a foreigner (indicating refugee status); thirdly, this is the Blue Passport of the refugee (if any); fourthly, you need a certificate of registration in the prescribed manner. In addition, you must provide the appropriate authority with the certificate issued by the Asylum Authority of the Ministry of the Interior of the Spanish State (it is important to note that this certificate is valid only six months after its issuance; it must contain the following information: name and surname refugee, place and date of birth, parents' names and, of course, confirmation of the status directly), as well as birth certificates of minor children, if any .