# Dual nationality



## agua642 (May 24, 2009)

Morning ex- pats  Do Spain accept dual nationality? my daughter was born in Spain, and has lived in Spain for 17 years, has a permenant residency certificate but has British citizenship can she apply for Dual nationality in Spain, OR will she need to apply through UK. She will be 18 next year and can then get a 10 year passport.
I don't think there's any real advantages to having dual but I know she'll more then likely want to, I don't want her to give up her British nationality though either. Any answers appreciated

Sent from my iPhone using ExpatForum


----------



## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

agua642 said:


> Morning ex- pats  Do Spain accept dual nationality? my daughter was born in Spain, and has lived in Spain for 17 years, has a permenant residency certificate but has British citizenship can she apply for Dual nationality in Spain, OR will she need to apply through UK. She will be 18 next year and can then get a 10 year passport.
> I don't think there's any real advantages to having dual but I know she'll more then likely want to, I don't want her to give up her British nationality though either. Any answers appreciated
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using ExpatForum


Spain doesnt accept dual nationality, but I dont think they actually demand that you hand over your British passport, either, if you get my drift..........


----------



## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

agua642 said:


> Morning ex- pats  Do Spain accept dual nationality? my daughter was born in Spain, and has lived in Spain for 17 years, has a permenant residency certificate but has British citizenship can she apply for Dual nationality in Spain, OR will she need to apply through UK. She will be 18 next year and can then get a 10 year passport.
> I don't think there's any real advantages to having dual but I know she'll more then likely want to, I don't want her to give up her British nationality though either. Any answers appreciated
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using ExpatForum



It's my understanding that Spain does not accept/allow/comprehend dual nationality.

To that end, if someone wished to become a Spanish national (for work, for example), then they would have to renounce any other nationality.


----------



## agua642 (May 24, 2009)

UK Aaccepts dual nationality? As if they do surely she might be able to upon her passport expiring apply for Spanish passport using her birth certificate from registry office in Spain (when born) then apply for a British certificate using her birth certificate from registry office Uk??

Sent from my iPhone using ExpatForum


----------



## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

agua642 said:


> UK Aaccepts dual nationality? As if they do surely she might be able to upon her passport expiring apply for Spanish passport using her birth certificate from registry office in Spain (when born) then apply for a British certificate using her birth certificate from registry office Uk??
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using ExpatForum


yes, the UK does


----------



## agua642 (May 24, 2009)

Oops not finished previous post..
However having 2 passports will not maybe give her dual nationality?

Sent from my iPhone using ExpatForum


----------



## anles (Feb 11, 2009)

snikpoh said:


> It's my understanding that Spain does not accept/allow/comprehend dual nationality.
> 
> To that end, if someone wished to become a Spanish national (for work, for example), then they would have to renounce any other nationality.


There is no dual nationality treaty between UK and Spain but this doesn't mean you can't have both nationalities. It just means that each country only recognises their own nationality. My children were born here and their dad is Spanish but when they were born I registered their births at the British Embassy and later applied for a British passport. Here thay have Spanish DNI cards.


----------



## agua642 (May 24, 2009)

Ummm got my thinking hat on!!

Sent from my iPhone using ExpatForum


----------



## agua642 (May 24, 2009)

Yes but your children have a Spanish dad! My daughters dad is From the UK.

Sent from my iPhone using ExpatForum


----------



## anles (Feb 11, 2009)

agua642 said:


> Yes but your children have a Spanish dad! My daughters dad is From the UK.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using ExpatForum


If your daughter was born in Spain and her birth was registered here, why don't you go to the Registro Civil where her birth was registered and ask for a birth certificate for the purpose of obtaining a DNI? They issue a special birth certificate for this purpose, if they issue it, you just have to take it to the National police with two photos and get it. If they say she can't have one, i.e. is not entitled to Spanish nationality, ask for the requirements for obtaining this.


----------



## agua642 (May 24, 2009)

Yes nothing ventured nothing gained  she was registered in Ibiza we have a copy of her birth which was registered in the registry book in Ibiza, that she be it? However we now live in Denia ..

Sent from my iPhone using ExpatForum


----------



## anles (Feb 11, 2009)

agua642 said:


> Yes nothing ventured nothing gained  she was registered in Ibiza we have a copy of her birth which was registered in the registry book in Ibiza, that she be it? However we now live in Denia ..
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using ExpatForum


I think what you have is what is called "copia literal" a atmped photocopy of the page of the register. However, the certificate that you have for the DNI is one they issue solely for this purpose. I think you would need to contact the registro Civil in Ibiza for this.


----------



## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

A child born in Spain of foreign parents & brought up/living in Spain, is considered to be the nationality of the parents until the age of 18 , when they have the right to choose Spanish nationality if they so wish. They only have a 2 year window in which to excercise this option. 

If they do so they would then have a Spanish DNI card & be entitled to a spanish passport ( Although they would be able to travel anywhere in the EU ,including the UK , on the DNI card.)

They would then be regarded by the spanish authorities as spanish, spanish & nothing but spanish ! Although the Spanish authorities do not recognise dual nationality with the UK , there would be no problem with her having a British passport as well.

An aquaintance of ours, who is an gestoria, was born in the UK of Spanish parents & lived the first 20 years of her life their until parents retired & they all came back to Spain. 
To the spaniards she is spanish but she still uses a British passport .


----------



## agua642 (May 24, 2009)

So would she then lose her British citizenship?

Sent from my iPhone using ExpatForum


----------



## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

agua642 said:


> So would she then lose her British citizenship?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using ExpatForum


no...


----------



## agua642 (May 24, 2009)

100% No?

Sent from my iPhone using ExpatForum


----------



## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

agua642 said:


> 100% No?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using ExpatForum


she can keep her British passport............... & therefore her nationality/citizenship

to Spain she'll be Spanish.......... to the UK......... dual


----------



## agua642 (May 24, 2009)

off course Thank x

Sent from my iPhone using ExpatForum


----------



## Helenameva (Aug 15, 2014)

I'm just starting to look into this for my daughter. She was born in Spain and has a Spanish passport. I'm British, my wife is Spanish. It seems sensible to also get a British passport for her, just in case it isn't so easy in the (maybe not too distant) future. 

This thread is quite old and I just wondered if any of the advice is out of date, or if anyone has done it recently and has anything to add.


----------



## Madliz (Feb 4, 2011)

My husband, half Spanish, half English, born in Britain, took out Spanish nationality after we'd moved here and once the threat of military service had disappeared. After that, we got it for our children, too. After swearing allegiance to the Spanish flag, they were told to hand their passports back to the British authorities. Of course, they never did. 

My son now lives and works in London. He sometimes travels on his Spanish DNI or passport, and sometimes on his British passport.


----------



## Helenameva (Aug 15, 2014)

Madliz said:


> My husband, half Spanish, half English, born in Britain, took out Spanish nationality after we'd moved here and once the threat of military service had disappeared. After that, we got it for our children, too. After swearing allegiance to the Spanish flag, they were told to hand their passports back to the British authorities. Of course, they never did.
> 
> My son now lives and works in London. He sometimes travels on his Spanish DNI or passport, and sometimes on his British passport.


I understand 'dual nationality' isn't recognised by the Spanish authorities, so I can see why having two passports is frowned upon here, but as you have said they don't really enforce it and I'm not sure how they could anyway. My daughter is Spanish and will remain so but with two passports it could be useful when she's older.


----------



## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

Madliz said:


> My husband, half Spanish, half English, born in Britain, took out Spanish nationality after we'd moved here and once the threat of military service had disappeared. After that, we got it for our children, too. After swearing allegiance to the Spanish flag, they were told to hand their passports back to the British authorities. Of course, they never did.
> 
> *My son now lives and works in London. He sometimes travels on his Spanish DNI or passport, and sometimes on his British passport*.


He should be a bit careful about doing that. Moving around Europe (or indeed anywhere) on different passports might well trigger some anti-terrorist alert on a computer somewhere. The tax authorities might become interested as well. What's really "frowned upon" is leaving one country using one passport and arriving in another using a different passport.


----------



## kalohi (May 6, 2012)

Chopera said:


> He should be a bit careful about doing that. Moving around Europe (or indeed anywhere) on different passports might well trigger some anti-terrorist alert on a computer somewhere. The tax authorities might become interested as well. What's really "frowned upon" is leaving one country using one passport and arriving in another using a different passport.


Frowned upon by who? And why? My children each hold two passports (US and Spanish) and when they travel between Spain and the US they pull out one passport or the other depending on who they're showing it to. US immigration _requires_ them to use their US passports, and so does Spanish immigration, so US immigration officials get shown the US passport, and Spanish immigration officials get shown the Spanish passport. No frowning at all. Many, many people the world over hold two (or more) passports and travel this way. As for taxes? The banks are now involved in that, but I can't see what travel has to do with it.


----------



## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

kalohi said:


> Frowned upon by who? And why? My children each hold two passports (US and Spanish) and when they travel between Spain and the US they pull out one passport or the other depending on who they're showing it to. US immigration _requires_ them to use their US passports, and so does Spanish immigration, so US immigration officials get shown the US passport, and Spanish immigration officials get shown the Spanish passport. No frowning at all. Many, many people the world over hold two (or more) passports and travel this way. As for taxes? The banks are now involved in that, but I can't see what travel has to do with it.


It's probably alright to show the appropriate passports for entering and leaving the countries where they have their respective nationalities. But if they fly between certain other countries and switch passports then I think it's pretty obvious why security and anti-terrorist agencies might get suspicious.

As far as the tax man is concerned, if you are investigated they may ask you to prove where you have been living and for how long. Again it doesn't help your case if they discover you've been switching passports.


----------



## alpinist (Feb 8, 2009)

Even if you do sign the UK papers to give up your British citizenship, you can get it back later (signing foreign papers saying you renounce your Britishness probably means nothing to the UK government).
Here's a direct quote from the UK documents (*my bold*):



> A person who renounces British citizenship or British overseas territories citizenship has *a right (once only) to resume that citizenship if the renunciation was necessary to enable him or her to keep or obtain some other citizenship.* A person who renounces British citizenship or British overseas territories citizenship more than once, or for any other reason, may be allowed to resume that citizenship if the Home Secretary or Governor thinks fit. A person who renounces British Overseas citizenship, British subject or British National (Overseas) status cannot later resume that citizenship or status.


I've been using two EU passports in Europe for over a decade without any hassle, living and working in four different countries. I do tend to get off a plane with the same one I boarded it, but the one I choose in the first place depends how I'm feeling that day and not much else (admittedly this can be complicated by advanced passenger info requests as I have to remember which one I booked with!).

Having a spare passport is a very handy thing, I can only recommend it.


----------

