Moving from Spain to Ireland to naturalise??

My son obtained Spanish citizenship and it was quite straightforward because he fulfilled the requirement of being resident 10yrs uninterrupted. This is required of all except for certain South American and some other countries, where it is much less. Being born here, the birth certificate was easy for him but others will need a translated, notarised and apostilled copy. Cervantes language and culture exams are compulsory unless you have graduated in the Spanish school system. Plus there is the antecedentes penales to prove you have no criminal record which must be obtained from your home country. Regarding dual nationality, this does not exist with UK (you'll have to check about Ireland) but no formal renunciation is required - just never use the wrong ID/ passport in the other country.

This is just my personal experience - best to consult a lawyer, especially if your Spanish is not up to navigating the Ministerio website and application process and then final declarations before the Justice Dept.

I couldn't be asked to go through this process and am a permanent resident under the Brexit withdrawal agreement, but if you have EU nationality a residence permit should be easy even without previous residence requirement.

It depends on your personal expectations, but I find the only things I miss out on not being Spanish are 1) voting in general elections, 2) being able to join the armed forces or police, and 3) being a civil servant, though as EU this wouldn't apply to you.

Good luck

@jchilton thanks this was helpful, shame Spain doesn't recognise dual nationality with the UK. I just want freedom of movement back more than anything, hence opting for citizenship would be better.

@Spanospan

It's a lot of aggravation and expense, when an EU Permanent Residence permit is pretty much as good. And you should be able to get your Spanish PR next year.

It's a LOT more aggravation and expense if you start again in a country that would allow you to keep your UK passport (e.g. Ireland, Cyprus).

Besides, other than hankering over what we've lost, do you even NEED Freedom of Movement? You're thinking that you really want to go work in Germany in 2032?

@gwynj

That was actually the plan to find teaching work in Italy, Portugal or France but with Spanish residency restricted to Spain for now. Germany, Denmark or Finland would be a dream come true. I also want to retire in the EU even though i've still got a long way to go! I know it's really difficult for British pensioners now without an EU passport to meet visa requirements.

I think i'll stick to Spain for now and get PR as you've mentioned the stress of relocating would be too much when i'm comfortable in Spain..I guess it'll be easier to become Spanish one day anyway if I really really want!

Cheers for the advice.

@Spanospan

I'm a teacher too... and I decided that I much preferred doing remote teaching. Lot less aggravation, less travel cost/lost time, and not a huge pay differential. Plus, no Freedom of Movement needed. :-)

I believe you can do what you want anyway, and it's why I decided I don't need an EU passport. That's because most EU countries already have a simplified residence process for non-EU citizens (TCNs) who already hold a PR in another member state (Long Term Residents in EU-speak). Usually, it's similar to EU passport holders (health insurance, proof of funds, and/or a job offer).

With your PR (or UK passport) you can easily visit Italy for 3 months to do a job search/interviews.

While it is a little inconsistent between countries, it's certainly what the EU intended. They've recognized the haphazard implementation, and they've been working on the "Recast" of the relevant Directive for some years, with a view to formalizing the rights of PR-holders to relocate within the EU with the same ease as EU passport holders.

In any case, you should have your Spanish PR next year, so you could easily try relocating to Italy or Finland and see what happens. If they say no, and the Recast doesn't get approved, then you can think more about the passport application.

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document/EPRS_BRI(2024)757631

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2024/757631/EPRS_BRI(2024)757631_EN.pdf