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REFUGEES IN SPAIN & SPANISH CITIZENSHIP: OVERVIEW

Spanish citizenship for refugees

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]A refugee is anyone who has been granted political asylum in a specific country. By granting said asylum, a state tacitly recognizes that the country of origin of the refugee is not safe, whether for reasons of religious, ethnic, or any other types of persecution.

Spain, as you probably know if you have been watching the news, has opened itself considerably to accepting refugees in the last years – alongside the rest of the EU. Thus, there are some laws that consider the plight of refugees and these laws can be applied to assist refugees to become Spanish citizens in one way or another.

Article 22 of the Civil Code

Article 22 of the Civil Code establishes that Spanish citizenship may be applied for by residence if you have resided in Spain legally, continuously and immediately, prior to the application for a period of 10 years – as a general rule.

However, the term might be shortened if exceptions are met. The important exception in this case is a reduced residency term of 5 years for anyone who has obtained the status of refugee.

What else is needed?

Once this requirement has been met and the exams (CCSE and DELE) have been completed to prove the sufficient degree of integration in Spain, then the next step will be to collect all the necessary documentation to present your nationality application.

There is some mandatory documentation, and also some more specific documentation depending on the specific cases. In the case of refugees, there is a certain peculiarity when it comes to managing and processing their documentation.

The legal granting of Spanish nationality by residence establishes that, in the case of refugees and stateless people, the documents issued by the Ministry of the Interior that prove refugee status can replace the refugee’s birth certificate and criminal records (of the country of origin). And they can also even replace the passport, in case the interested party does not have it.

Can Lexdy assist me with Spanish residency & citizenship for refugees?

We understand that this situation can be chaotic, and the condition of refugee comes with a lot of uncertainty.

However, our scope is to cover every area of Immigration Law. If you should find yourself in this position and if you need anything, then do not hesitate to contact us or get in touch for a free consultation below.

And if you are in a more typical case of needing help with your Spanish residency or citizenship application then of course we can help too.[/vc_column_text]


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