There were times were I wasn’t sure if I would actually get to write this post. Applying for Spanish Citizenship due to Sephardic Origin is a long process, but I assume it is long in any country. There are a lot of steps, some exams, a decent amount of money, lots of waiting time, a bunch of headaches, and a lot of people telling you to go in various directions involved in the process, but I can officially say: I MADE IT! I HAVE A SPANISH PASSPORT AND IDENTITY CARD IN MY POSSESSION!
So, in my last post, I talked about ‘swearing’ to the Spanish King and how that went here in Madrid (very underwhelming). Less than two weeks later, my ‘birth certificate’ arrived in the mail, which is the document used to apply for the passport and the DNI (identity card). I excitedly ripped open the envelope, only to find that my birth day and month were incorrect, because in the US we use MM/DD/YYYY and in Spain, they use DD/MM/YYYY. Luis and I sped to the office where I swore and luckily, found there to be a manageable line. We found the right people to talk to, and it ended up being an easy fix (yes, this is the first time anything has been easy and fast!). They told me the corrected document would be ready in a few days. A few days later, they called and I was able to go pick it up!
Right after visiting that office, Luis helped me make an appointment to get my Spanish Passport and DNI from the local police. Unlike in the US, you can easily get these documents in the same day, and it is a relatively fast process. If you want to get your passport and ID card in Spain, here is the website to use.
I was able to get an appointment for this week, although there were appointments available even earlier. I chose a date and time, and that was it. Recommendation: before going to this appointment, MAKE COPIES OF YOUR DOCUMENTS BECAUSE THEY WILL TAKE THE ORIGINALS.
For your DNI, you need:
- the ‘birth certificate’, which is the document they send you (BTW, this document should say that you are NOT renouncing your other citizenship)
- your NIE or identity card
- 12€ cash
- your volante de empadronamiento
- your current passport
- a passport photo that you can get from any metro station
- check the police website to be sure you have everything
For your passport, you need:
- the same documents as above
- 30€ cash
They made copies of my documents, scanned my fingerprints, had me sign under my photo to appear on my documents, and that’s it!
Within about 20 minutes, I had both documents in hand. I stood outside for a good 5 minutes flipping through the passport and the security guard told me I looked very happy. I guess I am!
Many people from around the world have reached out with questions, words of encouragement, and stories! Please, if you are in the process of applying for citizenship, or are thinking about it, send me an email. I love hearing from all of you and am happy to help with anything that I can.
