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Sephardic Jew to get the Spanish Nationality

SPANISH NATIONALITY FOR SEPHARDIC JEWS

There are many questions that surround the topic of Sephardic Jews. Here, you will find some useful information about the situation that currently concerns them in Spain.

Who are the Sephardic Jews?

The Sephardic Jews, originally from Sepharad, Spain, are a Jewish ethnic division. They established communities throughout areas of modern Spain and Portugal, where they traditionally resided. The diasporic identity is also one of their distinctive characteristics. They adopted it in their exile from Iberia in the late 15th century.

What are the requirements for Sephardic Jews to get the Spanish Nationality?

In order for a Sephardic Jew to get the Spanish Nationality, some documents such as their Proof of Sephardic Status are required.

Article 1.2 of the Law that regulates the procedure that has to be followed for the application for the Spanish Nationality for Sephardic Jews lists various evidentiary documents that will be evaluated as a whole by the notary authorizing the act, who will attest to this condition. There is no maximum or minimum number of documents to be submitted with the application, but the fact that they must be assessed together indicates the need to provide more than one of them.

There is also no requirement for the compulsory presentation of none of the documents it mentions, nor are these the only ones that may be presented, since any other circumstance that reliably demonstrates the condition as a Sephardic originating in Spain will have evidential character.

Some of the documents that the applicant can submit in order to accredit their Sephardic Jew condition are the following:

  • Certificate issued by the President of the Permanent Commission of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain.
  • Certificate issued by the president or similar official of the Jewish community in the area of residence or home town of the person concerned and certificate from the competent rabbinical authority legally recognized in the applicant’s country of habitual residence.

These certificates can be presented in two different ways. The first one is with the endorsement of a certificate issued by the President of the Permanent Commission of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain. The second one is by themselves if they comply with some requirements.

  • The applicant can also present the following ones in order to accredit the Sephardic Jews conditions:
    • A certificate from a Rabbi recognized legally in the country of residence or the use of a Ladino.
    • Birth certificate or “ketubah” or marriage contract celebrated according to Castilian Tradition.
    • A reasoned report issued by an entity of sufficient competence. There have to be accredited the family genealogy or that their surnames come from Sephardic people. Those are the ones who were expelled from the kingdoms of Castile, Aragon, and Navarre or forced to convert to Christianity, from 1492.
    • Other documents that accredit the Sephardic condition.

The applicant will also have to prove a special connection to Spain.

Similarly, if you’re interested in migrating to Spain, here are some news in the application for Spanish nationality.

How can Lexidy Help the Sephardic Jew to get the Spanish Nationality?

At Lexidy, we can review all your documents and assess if you are eligible to get the Spanish Nationality. Contact us and get a free consultation!



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