If you have any of these surnames, you can apply for Spanish citizenship

Spain is a very popular country to immigrate to, especially when it comes to the Latin language. And A large proportion of expatriates from this region feel a great affinity with the culture of the European country.

Precisely for those who want to reach the Iberian country, there is more than one opportunity to do so, but since 2015 the Spanish government has allowed some to obtain their citizenship, which has been taken advantage of by many. The surname is of Jewish origin, as the sector was expelled from Europe in 1492.

Therefore, this law accepted the descendants of Sephardic Jews expelled from Spain. XV century to acquire the nationality of that country very easily.

In areas such as Latin America, some of the most common surnames are Rodriguez. According to the specialized site Forebears.io, many surnames can also be found in countries such as Costa Rica, Uruguay, Cuba and Panama.

According to the same site, Gonzalez is easiest to find in countries like Venezuela, Chile, Argentina and Paraguay; Hernandez stands out in Honduras, Mexico or El Salvador, while da Silva is common in Brazil.

On the other hand, regarding those related to Afarian roots, it should be clarified that there is no official list and that is not the only requirement to be fulfilled. Seek legal advice so you don’t get scammed.

Changes in regulations

Sources consulted by weekLaw 12 of 2015, which allowed people to prove they have Sephardic ancestry to obtain Spanish citizenship, became irrevocable in 2019. same year It introduced an option known as the ‘Nature Charter’, which was already known earlier and even appears in the Spanish Civil Code.

It is important to note that this new procedure mentioned in the circular, apart from mandating all those mentioned in Act 12 of 2015, all claims should not go to the Department of Legal Protection and Public Trust, where they were initially addressed. Applications for nationality and took about two years.

Instead, it forces applications to reach the Council of Ministers, where, optionally, They decide whether or not to grant citizenship despite meeting the requirements. All this will take at least five years.

It is important to clarify that even if the Latin American’s last name appears on the list, it does not mean that he acquires Spanish citizenship at the same time, since there are continuous requirements, the Sephardim must apply to prove it. They are from European countries.

For those who have doubts about this, you should go to the Spanish authorities in Colombia and avoid being deceived by unscrupulous people who use to give you false information about the process.

Colombian citizens with the following surnames can apply for nationality to obtain Spanish citizenship through this new circular, however, despite the long list of surnames, specific requirements must be met to obtain the document:

Recipient: Abraham, Acevedo, Acosta, Aguado, Aguirre, Aguilar, Alarcon, Alba, Aldana, Alcala, Alegre, Alfonso, Alfaro, Almeida, Alonso, Alvarez, Friend, Beloved, Amaya, Aranda.

P: Baldazar, Pace, Barrel, Barrios, Beato, Benavente, Benitez, Bernal, Bravo, Bueno, Bermejo.

C: Cabrera, Calvo, Camacho, Campo, Cantos, Carrasco, Carrillo, Carvajal, Castellanos.

D: Delgado, Diego, Díez, Díaz, Duque, Domínguez, Durán, Dorado, Duarte.

and: Enrique, Enriquez, Espejo, Esperanza, Espinosa, Escudero, Esteban.

F: Fajardo, Fernandez, Ferrer, Ferrero, Figueroa, Flores, Fuentes, Fuertes.

G: Galvez, Garcia, Gato, Garzon, Gil, Gimeno, Gimenez, Gomez, Granado, Gonzalez, Gutierrez.

H: Haro, Henriquez, Hernandez, Heredia, Holgado, Herrera, Huerta, Hurtado.

YO: Ibanez, Israel, left.

J: Jane, Jimenez, Jimeno, Jorge, Juarez, Julian.

L: Lazaro, Leal, Laura, Larios, Leiva, Leon, Lima, Linares, Lopato, Lobo, Lopez, Lorca, Lorenzo.

I: Madrid, Madrigal, Macias, Machado, Manuel, Marquez, Marchena, Marcos, Martinez, Marin.

N: Najera, Navarro, Navas, Nieto, Nunez.

either: Ocampo, Ochoa, Olivos, Olmos, Oliva, Ordóñez, Olivares, Orellana, Ortega, Ortiz.

K: Pacheco, Padilla, Palma, Palomino, Pardo, Paredes, Couple, Parra, Paz, Pascual, Pedraza, Peña, Pérez.

K: Quiros, Burnt.

A: Ramirez, Ramos, Real, Rey, Reina, Ribera, Ricardo, Rivero, Robles, Roca, Rivas, Rodriguez, Ruiz.

S: Salgado, Salinas, Chambers, Salazar, Salcedo, Salvador, Sanchez, Sancho, Serra, Serrano, Sierra, Silva.

You: Talavera, Toledo, Torre, Torres, Wheat.

or: Upeda, Uriya, Urutiya.

V: Valero, Vale, Vara, Varela, Vargas, Vasquez, Vega, Velasquez, Vera, Vergara, Villanueva, Vidal.

Z: Zalazar, Zaragoza, Zúnica.

Even if a Latin American’s last name appears on the list, it’s important to clarify. This does not mean that you acquire Spanish nationality at the same time, as Sephardim must apply to prove that they belong to a European country..

To access Sephardic status, you must have a certificate from the Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain (FCJE). You can consult any information and submit documents on FCJE portal.

It can be obtained if you have a certificate from the head of the Jewish community of the area where you live or the person concerned’s hometown, or a certificate from the rabbinical authority of the country of residence.

Another requirement is Latino or “Haketia” as a recognized family language with certification from a qualified institution recognized by Los Angeles authorities. In addition, according to the traditions of Castile, the birth certificate or “ketuba” or marriage certificate mentions its celebration.