The general director of Legal Security and Public Faith, Sofía Puente, has issued a resolution that extends the period for correcting errors in the processes of granting nationality to Sephardim originating in Spain until September 1, 2021. The decision, which affects candidates who have submitted their application on time, is adopted due to the impossibility for applicants to take the exam of constitutional and sociocultural knowledge of Spain, as the Cervantes Institute has canceled the calls, and given the restrictions for travel to Spain to appear before a notary for the declaration of the state of alarm for the containment of Covid-19.
On September 9, the General Directorate, reporting to the Ministry of Justice, already established a one-year correction period from the date of the request, which in no case could be submitted after October 1, 2019. That period remedy was scheduled to end on September 1, 2020 for the latest files submitted. With the new resolution, it is extended until September 1, 2021 with the expectation that said term may be subsequently revised based on the evolution of the Covid-19 pandemic and its incidence on administrative activity.
The process for applying for nationality for Sephardim regulated in the Law 12/2015 It closed on October 1 with 132,226 requests. In the month of September alone, around 72,000 were registered, most of them from Latin American countries. The Ministry undertook to process them even if they had not been accompanied by the certificates that accredited the Sephardic status of the candidate or had not passed the examination of constitutional and sociocultural knowledge, giving an additional period of one year to carry out these procedures, a term that now it is extended for another year.
The procedure also requires interested parties residing abroad to appear personally before a notary appointed in Spain, who will prove their Sephardic origin by means of a certificate. Subsequently, the General Directorate of Registries and Notaries will resolve within a maximum period of one year declaring, where appropriate, the estimate of the request. Finally, the applicant must perform the swear or promise act at the Spanish Consulate that corresponds to their place of residence.
The condition of Sephardic originating in Spain and the accreditation of his special connection with our country are extraordinary circumstances that justify the granting of Spanish nationality by letter of nature. In the case of this group, it exempts them from the need to reside in Spain and does not require renunciation of their nationality of origin.
