Hi ggladman. What occurred with your friend was it before, or after 9/11? Because, I think countries DO communicate now.

Thanks MadridMan and Marilisa. Heah, could I get residency in my situation---and from the U.S.?

Hi ceb...this was actually in 2002, but I think you're right that it's getting more and more likely that countries will start communicating this kind of information. In this case my friend was Canadian, but when you consider that all new Spanish passports are being changed to comply with the U.S. guidelines, it seems like they're all moving toward the same standards.

ggladman, I read this:

Spanish Citizenship

After you have been a resident of Spain for two to ten years (depending on the circumstances under which you got your residency), you have the right to apply for citizenship. Once your application is approved, you swear allegiance to the King and to the Spanish Constitution. The public body in charge of citizenship is the Ministerio de Justicia; the place to apply is the Registro Civil.

You must technically renounce citizenship with your country of origin (unless you're from Latin America, Portugal, Philippines, Ecuatorial Guinea, Andorra, or you're a Sephardic Jew).
In practice, countries do not generally exchange this information, so as long as you don't show both passports at the airport, you won't get in trouble.

Is it worth getting citizenship? The main difference is you can get a passport and the right to vote, though there are many minor advantages (EU citizen rates for museums, etc.)
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Is it possible to get a residency card for Spain, while still in the U.S.? Obviously, with the hopes of living in Spain a.s.a.p. Has anyone here done this route. Again, I'd be applying under the basis that my grandfather was a Spaniard.

After reading the advice here, I see little point of getting a second passport, when I may be able to get residency. If I am not mistaken, being a Spanish resident allows someone to work in other EU countries(?).

ceb, to get that residency card while in the U.S. you'd have to get someone in Spain to hire you, and the process is long, difficult, and has been discussed at great length on this bulletin board. Try a search - there's a lot on it. The bottom line, however, is that it is extremely difficult for an American to get a legal job in Spain without being highly specialized in something a company in Spain needs.

Spanish residency would not be enough to get a job in another EU country. For that you'd need EU citizenship, or prove that you should get working papers & residency in that country as an American.

My children have dual citizenship in the U.S. and Spain. They were born in Spain and I'm American, whereas their dad is Spanish. So it's possible that way. As far as what happens when they turn 18, the laws change regularly, and it's anyone's guess, but it looks pretty certain now that they can continue having both nationalities. This is an area where nothing is set in stone. But there are hundreds, if not thousands, of people in this same situation, and for the time being they can have dual nationalities and neither country is doing anything about it. (I have a document somewhere about it, published by the US embassy in Spain, but it was clear that anything in it could change at any time.) On the Spanish side, the only thing we were told about the dual nationality was that if one were to serve in the armed forces of one of the countries, the dual nationality could become a problem and one of the nationalities might have to be given up - but even that wasn't set in stone.

Hi and thanks Diana. I think my query has too many specifics for a search here to fully cover---and I've done an extensive job reading through past posts. I guess I'll just cross my fingers that one day the law will change for me (and others in my situation) not to have to lose US citizenship in pursuit of obtaining a Spanish/EU one.

Thanks a bunch everyone---this website is wonderful!

I can't answer your original question but I do know the laws are constantly changing. Recently, a friend of mine found out that she can now apply for a Spanish passport after having given up her Spanish citizenship years ago to be able to obtain a U.S. passport. So, after 20 years, she is now able to be a dual citizen! If that is the case, perhaps things have changed those trying it the other way around??? This information she got was from the consulate in Washington D.C. and she has received and filed the paperwork.

Hi CEB.

I am an American married to a Spaniard living in Spain. I have Spanish/EU residency (regimen comunitaria) and US citizenship. I would never give up my US citizenship for a number of reasons. I have casually enquired about becoming a dual national but as it has been previously stated, for an American (in my situation) to get Spanish citizenship, I would have to renounce my US citizenship.

I have been told by numerous sources that "it doesn't really matter, even if you do sign a document saying that you give up your citizenship it never goes anywhere and doesn't mean anything."

If it doesn't go anywhere and doesn't mean anything, why do I have to do it in the first place?? Not to be paranoid or anything, but I would never want to have that kind of documentation in existance "por si acaso". The governments might not talk to each other now, but who knows what may happen in the future.

Until the day that I can have both citizenships without a doubt, I will stick with my US citizenship. Thank you very much. :p

As Madrid Man suggested, there are only a few things that I cannot do as a resident of Spain that I could do if I were a citizen. The one thing that matters to me is not being able to vote in national elections. However, I CAN vote in local elections (which surprisingly if you are a legal resident in the USA you cannot do).

Good luck in your quest!

Hi Chica. Actually, I found this website and it gets into detail about not "really" losing your US passport...and this is coming from an American perspective. The idea of getting a notarized document beforehand stating that you don't intend to actually renounce US citizenship, was interesting.

http://www.richw.org/dualcit/faq.html#losing

I also called my nearest consulate today and now was told that you "technically" renounce, but, nothing else is done about it and that I can still keep both passports. In fact, I always found it odd that one country could determine your citizenship status with another country. It's like the Mexican government setting laws/guidelines for US citizens. When you read the above website info you'll see court cases where ppl have actually lost their US citizenship and then been able to regain it. I do wonder if during this "renouncing meeting" will one's US passport be requested? Like the case mentioned here about the Canadian---wonder if his passport was handed in?

Hi ceb,

In the case of my Canadian friend, he didn't have to hand over his Canadian passport; he still has both his Spanish and Canadian passports.

I'm pretty much in agreement with Chica (and my situation is about the same)...if the benefits of moving from being a Spanish/EU resident to a Spanish citizen are limited to voting in national elections, and there's no guarantee that it won't complicate my situation later, I don't see much reason to go through the process. Of course, for people who have ancestors from Spain, it may be more important to them for personal reasons.

Hi ggladman. Thanks for the reply about your friend. I agree w/everything you wrote regarding Chica's post. Each person is a world, and decisions are based on this fact. However, I cannot become a resident(I wish I could)based on my grandfather. The Spanish gov. views the initial visa as an entry that will end with citizenship after a one-year stance there---nothing less. Actually, after further consideration (and more information I've gained)I am in the process of seeking US legal assistance with notarized documents---in case needed to prove that my true intention was not to denounce my American citizenship, and also seek a Spanish representative to cover other legalities that need to be addressed on that end. It helps that I can see some potential employment options, primarily due to family/friends of my family contacts.