hello guys. i need some advise from you. im a filipino, born and raised in the philippines. My mom and grandmother are spanish by blood but were born here in the Philippines as well. My mother is already dead but my grandmother is still alive. How can I acquire spanish Citizenship?

the papers were submitted when i was in high school and had little knowledge on what transpired cause my cousin was the one who really worked for it, will try to contact her and update you. it was released 20 years after and i remember we were made to submit again our birth cert, marriage cert of our parents, death cert of my dad, my marriage cert and birth cert of my kids and several spanish documents to be filled up without english translations, (thank God to my fluent cousin who did all the translations for us) Also it pays to have someone influential in the spansh community helping you follow up the application. I think that speed it up a bit, otherwise we are still waiting.

I also heard that until 1972 (not sure of the year) they only grant spanish citizenship following the father’s citizenship hence we were able to qualify and my maternal cousin was not able to. Try to go to the spanish embassy in makati and try to clarify, (useless calling, they don’t answer the phone, you’ll be listening to the recording endlessly)  I wish you luck and I hope you don’t have to wait that long, but even if you do, its worth the wait, if not for you for the next generation. its worth the trouble too once you are given the libro de familia and be registered.

will see what i can find out from my cousin

hi again, was able to check with my cousin, she said it depends when your mother got married because there was a time when a spanish loses her citizenship by virtue of marriage and takes on the citizenship of the husband but check it out if the the new rule she mentioned will be able to apply to you, here’s the link and its in english. Good luck. below also is what the link said. hopefully this will help you and others wishing to get their spanish citizenship.
http://www.maec.es/subwebs/Consulados/Londres/en/MenuPpal/ServiciosConsulares/Nacionalidad/Paginas/nationality_emblondon.aspx

Nationality information

Act 36/2002 of 8 October, modifying the civil code in the matter of nationality, which came into effect on 9 January 2003, contains a number of new developments, of which the following are the most noteworthy:

  1. OPTION (Art. 20 Civil Code).- Those persons whose father or mother was originally Spanish and born in Spain may opt for Spanish nationality, with no age or time limit. However they must renounce their previous nationality, unless they hold the nationality of a Spanish-American country, Andorra, Philippines, Equatorial Guinea or Portugal (art. 24.1 C.C.).

  2. LOSS AND CONSERVATION (art. 24 C.C.).- Spanish nationals who living abroad voluntarily acquire a foreign nationality may avoid the loss of their Spanish nationality if they declare their wish to conserve it within three years of the time it was acquired in a consular registry office. The declaration of conservation will be unnecessary in the countries mentioned in article 24.1. of the Civil Code.

    Those persons born abroad to parents who were also born abroad lose their Spanish nationality if they do not declare their wish to conserve it before a consular registry office within three years of the date of their coming of age or emancipation. Otherwise they will lose their Spanish nationality, even when they are from one of the countries mentioned in art. 24.1 C.C. This rule will only be applied to those who come of age or are emancipated after 9 January 2003 (second additional provision).

  3. RECOVERY (art. 26 C.C.).- Those persons who have lost their Spanish nationality may now recover it without renouncing their previous nationality.

  4. GRANDCHILDREN OF SPANISH NATIONALS (art. 22.2. f) C.C.).- Those persons with a grandmother or grandfather who was originally Spanish may apply for Spanish nationality by means of one year?s legal residence in Spain. This procedure must be initiated by the Head of the Registry Office in the Spanish place of residence, and is resolved by the Ministry of Justice.

Actualizado: 22/04/2008 12:32

my late mother was never married to my father. hmmmm… ill try to check with the Spanish Embassy in Makati City to be sure. I really do want to regain our lost citizenship. My mom and grandma were born here in the Philippines. My Grandma’s mom and Dad were pure blooded spanish who own huge haciendas in Quezon province before. They were Do?a and Don in their times. My Grandma then was an “Eredera”. My mother and her siblings grew in a Spanish home and way of upbringing.

Anyway, Thanks a lot for the info that you gave me. I appreciate your help. =)