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OPINION: If only all Brits could be fast-tracked for Spanish citizenship

Brexit has led many Brits in Spain to think about changing their nationality, writes Graham Keeley, but for some the process is alot easier than for others.

Published: 30 December 2020 15:57 CET
OPINION: If only all Brits could be fast-tracked for Spanish citizenship
James Rhodes was awarded Spanish citizenship this week. Photo: @JRhodesPianist/Twitter

The British concert pianist James Rhodes was granted Spanish citizenship this week in a move which angered some critics of the government.

 

The fast-track award of citizenship for the musician who only moved to Spain three years ago prompted accusations of cronyism against the left-wing coalition.

Critics bridled at the way Rhodes was given citizenship so quickly while many others have toiled for years in the salt mines of Spanish bureaucracy without success.

 

The pianist was granted citizenship by Carta de Naturaleza, or letter of naturalisation following a cabinet meeting. Express citizenship, you might call it.

Normally, the rules say that foreign nationals must live in Spain for ten years before they can apply. Even then, they may face years of battling with paperwork.

Those granted refugee status can get citizenship in five years and it is only two years for people in certain Latin American countries.

The row set me thinking about the issue of citizenship as Brexit is finally about to happen on December 31st.

As a Briton, I have been struggling with months of what they call in Spanish 'papeleo', that is nightmare bureaucracy over Brexit.

The latest round revolved being rejected for a TIE card for my two youngest sons.

It turned out we must wait for the post office to bring us a piece of paper with exactly the same information as the piece of paper I was given at another office last month.

Only then can I ask for the TIE.

Kafkaesque doesn't even begin to sum it up.

At the same time, a police officer advised me: 'It is only going to get worse for people with British passports. Get them French passports.' (Reader they are half French)

Boy, I am tempted.

After hearing of the story of James Rhodes' speedy Spanish citizenship, I felt a twinge of jealousy. Perhaps it is time to give up on the British passport after all?

At this point I should say full disclosure: I am a big fan of Rhodes, for two reasons.

Firstly, and most importantly, because of the way he campaigned to change the law on child sexual offences in his adopted home.

This led to what the media have called the 'Ley Rhodes', making it easier for those who suffered abuse to bring successful prosecutions.

Secondly, he is a wonderful pianist. Go and see him when life returns to some semblance of normality. Genius.

But back to the issue of citizenship, I know plenty of people who are taking that step, regardless of the paperwork involved.

For most people it is a practical issue which will allow them to live and work more easily in Spain or other parts of Europe.

READ ALSO: 'I'm a proud Brit but here's why I'm officially becoming Spanish'

One friend is very practical about it. 'It is just a matter of papers to me. Of course, I am no more Spanish than you. But I just want to be able to go about my life without all the hassle that is going to come with having a British passport,' she said to me the other day.

Perhaps I am reluctant to take the plunge because of some nostalgic link to the old country? i.e. Britain.

However, I harbour no such reluctance for my children. I am going to start applying for French passports as soon as possible.

Vive la France! A bas les anglais!

After all, why should they be lumbered with all the same problems as me when there is an easy way out of this?

The blue British passport will not bear their names.

The row over citizenship makes me wonder why this has become such a consuming issue in the 21st century.

This should be a moment in history when barriers are coming down internationally.

Of course the past four years of history have demonstrated quite the opposite, in Europe with Brexit and in the US with the success of outgoing President Donald Trump.

However, that was then.

Looking to the future, as we try to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, perhaps nations might come together? 

Well, here's hoping.

 

 

Graham Keeley is a Spain-based freelance journalist who covered the country for The Times from 2008 to 2019. Follow him on Twitter @grahamkeeley .

 

 

 

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RESIDENCY PERMITS

Why is it so hard to get an appointment at some of Spain’s foreigner offices?

One of the reasons Brits in Spain say they haven't got a TIE residency card yet is the apparent impossibility of getting an appointment at their local extranjería office or police station. So is there any truth to this?

Published: 17 May 2024 10:34 CEST
Why is it so hard to get an appointment at some of Spain's foreigner offices?

Anyone who has tried to do anything official in Spain will be well aware of the dreaded cita previa system, whereby they must first make an appointment.

For foreign residents, this is not a simple task. It’s not just a question of simply making an appointment as more often than not, there aren’t any available.

And it’s not like you can just log-on a day later and find more. Many people spend weeks or even months trying to make these appointments, so they can carry out mandatory bureaucratic procedures.

These appointments are needed for everything from applying for or renewing your TIE if you’re non-EU to getting your EU green residency card. They’re needed again when going in for fingerprinting or even just trying to pick up your card once it’s ready.

Earlier this week, the British Embassy in Madrid stressed that it’s “really important” that the 200,000+ UK nationals in Spain with a green residency certificate exchange it for a TIE card “as soon as possible” to avoid issues with the EU’s new Entry-Exit System. 

READ ALSO – ‘Get the TIE now’: Brits in Spain urged to exchange residency document

The problem is that the exchange has never been made compulsory, only strongly encouraged and around half of British residents in Spain still haven’t gotten their TIE after Brexit.

In reaction to the announcement by the British Embassy, numerous British residents in Spain commented how hard it is get an appointment at their local police station or extranjería (foreign affairs) office.

Could the difficulty in getting an appointment be one of the reasons to blame for this?

So why are these cita previas so coveted and why are they so difficult to get?

Unfortunately, it’s not just a question of simple Spanish bureaucracy. There’s something slightly more sinister going on here. The fact of the matter is that if you go to certain relocation companies, firms and agencies they can get you an appointment straightaway – if you pay for it.

A year ago in May 2023, Spain arrested 69 people for blocking appointments at immigration offices. They were accused of booking up all the available appointments via a computer bot to later sell to foreigners to make a profit, despite the fact that this process should be free.

Arrests were carried out in Madrid, Albacete, Alicante, Almería, Badajoz, Barcelona, ​​Vizcaya, Burgos, Cádiz, Córdoba, the Balearic Islands, Marbella, Murcia, Tarragona, Tenerife, Toledo and Valencia, which gives us an idea of how widespread the illegal practice is.

Although Spanish police managed to dismantle this particular ring of criminals, it did not solve the problem.

Just seven months later in December 2023, ONG Movimiento Por la Paz (MPDL) confirmed to Levante news in Valencia that the ministry’s network had been hacked for two years and that it was unfair to foreigners who were being discriminated against because of it. 

They also claimed that the police and foreign ministry knew about the problem and still let it happen. 

Vincente Marín, CEO and lawyer for Parainmigrantes website aimed at foreign residents and those wanting Spanish nationality, confirmed this in a video he posted on the site.

He explained that bots hack into the system and that whenever appointments become available, they can book them up in seconds and then sell them on the black market for between €100 and €200, admitting it was a big problem for his firm too.

The initial screen of the appointment page (cita previa) on Spain’s extranjería website, and where many foreigners find it impossible to book residency official processes.

Fast forward to February 2024 and a group of lawyers and gestores from Castellón and Valencia denounced the system, saying that it was “controlled by criminal mafias”. They also cited the problem of bots hacking the system and complained that some of their clients still hadn’t been able to get appointments in five or six months.

In May of this year, the issue is still ongoing. Balearic news site Ultima Hora reported several readers who had been trying to get appointments for months in Mallorca and had been unsuccessful.

One has to get an appointment before her residency card runs out in June and was even considering paying an agency who were asking for €200 to help her get one.

Wherever there’s a sizable population of foreigners, from Barcelona to Valencia, the extranjería website has generally been ‘hacked by bots’.

In order to improve the situation more national police have been called in to work at the Immigration Office in Orihuela (Alicante) because of the number of foreigners living in the area. The police there have confirmed that they have allocated more resources for the issuance of documents too, to try and speed up processes. 

If you’re trying for an appointment the best option is to aim to not pay for one if you can help it, as you’re only fuelling the problem.

Reputable law firms may still be able to help you get one by dedicating more resources to applying for them manually, but you shouldn’t have to pay over the odds for what should be a free service. 

Here are our tips on how to get a cita previa when it seems impossible. 

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