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Have you obtained a favourable resolution of your application for Spanish citizenship? That means that you only need to take the last steps to become a Spanish citizen, among them, the Citizenship Oath. It is possible that you have encountered problems in getting an appointment at the Civil Registry to carry out this procedure. We have prepared this article in order to go deeper into this problem that affects many foreigners in Spain.
What is the Spanish Citizenship Oath?
The Article 244 of the Civil Registry Regulation states that after obtaining a favourable resolution of the application for the Spanish citizenship, the foreigner must take an oath of Spanish nationality in order to be registered as a Spaniard in the registry.
This procedure is a formality that consists in the signing of an act in which one swears or promises fidelity to the King and obedience to the Constitution and the laws.
This is the last step in the process of obtaining Spanish citizenship and it must be done within the following 180 days after receiving the favourable resolution from the Administration. The foreigner needs to get an appointment at the Civil Registry of their residence and attend the act where the judge in charge of the Registry grants the nationality and registers them as Spaniards.
How is the delay in the Civil Registry affecting the applicants?
The Ministry of Justice in Spain is trying to speed up and resolve in the shortest time possible the applications for Spanish Nationality by Residence and the direct consequence of this is a great delay in the appointments for the Oath of nationality in the Civil Registries that have a high workload, such as those in Barcelona or Madrid. That is because the Ministry of Justice that resolves the application has nothing to do with the Civil Registry that only registers foreigners as Spaniards.
Many foreigners find that their application for Spanish nationality is resolved in a short time thanks to the measures taken by the Ministry of Justice but then take up to ten months to complete the Oath procedure.
The main problem is finding an appointment within the 180-day period established by the Law, since if the oath is not taken during those days, the nationality file may expire and be archived. In any case, even if the date of the appointment is for after that period, if it has been requested within 180 days, the administration considers it valid and your file would not be affected by the referred delay.
How can Lexidy help me?
At Lexidy we can assist you with all the steps of necessary requirements to get Spanish citizenship. Get in touch with us and see what we can do for you. We are eager to help you if your intention is to get Spanish Citizenship.