Glad I found this forum!
 
    I’ll be reading around for the next few days to see what I can dig up. I know there’s a lot of good stuff here. However, I want to try to get the ball rolling as quickly as possible so I hope you guys could help me out here.

    I’m A 21 year old U.S. citizen studying Aviation Management. My goal is to pursue my passion of aviation as a career in Europe, preff. Spain with Italy and Germany as 2 other options.  Both my grandparents from my mother’s side are Spaniard citizens currently living in Spain. My mother was born in the Dominican Republic but she tells me she’s a Spaniard citizen. I don’t know if this makes A difference but she recently just got her American citizenship. She tells me she didn’t give up her Spaniard citizenship to complete this.

    What are my options for living and working in Spain? It doesn’t have to be full Spaniard citizenship (unless that’s my only option). Also, I don’t want to give up my American citizenship. At least not until I have a firm job offer. I still have about 6 months before I graduate and I have the opportunity to gain experience in the airline industry here if nothing opens up in Spain while I wait. My grandparents “have a room for me ready to go”.

  I’ll be writing more about myself in the Introduce Yourself section. Looking forward to being active in this community!

-Mike

pilotmike327 - 17 October 2010 07:21 AM

    I’m A 21 year old U.S. citizen studying Aviation Management. My goal is to pursue my passion of aviation as a career in Europe, preff. Spain with Italy and Germany as 2 other options.  Both my grandparents from my mother’s side are Spaniard citizens currently living in Spain. My mother was born in the Dominican Republic but she tells me she’s a Spaniard citizen. I don’t know if this makes A difference but she recently just got her American citizenship. She tells me she didn’t give up her Spaniard citizenship to complete this.

if she is a spanish citizen, tell her to go to the spanish consulate and ask if she can late-register your birth so you can get your spanish birth certificate.

    I’m A 21 year old U.S. citizen studying Aviation Management. My goal is to pursue my passion of aviation as a career in Europe, preff. Spain with Italy and Germany as 2 other options. 
...........
    What are my options for living and working in Spain?

you will have to get your bachelors degree accredited.
once done i think you will have to take an exam. it depends what job really. do you speak spanish?
as a spanish citizen, you can live and work in spain and the eu union, you have to adjust to bureaucracy here, ask your relatives about it.

It doesn’t have to be full Spaniard citizenship (unless that’s my only option). Also, I don’t want to give up my American citizenship.

there is no such thing as half spanish citizen unlike other countries like usa there are usa citizens and usa nationals. or the uk, there british nationals, british overseas citizens, british subjects, etc.
you will have two citizenships. when you enter/leave/live/work in spain/eu union, you enter using your spanish passport and/or dni.
i suppose just like your mother, as you say she has both spanish and american citizenship.
when you enter/leave/live in/work in the usa, you use your usa passport.

My grandparents “have a room for me ready to go”.

i hope they spoil you.

Thanks for the quick reply Aritz!  😊 I appreciate it.

    I told my mom about the late registration for my birth certificate and she will call on Monday to find out. If that option is declined, any recommendations and what my next step should be? You also mentioned that I would have two citizenships. I read online that if I apply for the Spanish citizenship, I have to swear allegiance and renounce my American citizenship. Is this true? I’ve asked my mom about it but she has no clue how she got both her American and Spaniard..Love my mom but sometimes she’s got her head in the clouds.

    P.S. I do speak Spanish but will need to take 1 or 2 classes just to clear up grammar issues.

pilotmike327 - 17 October 2010 08:31 PM

Thanks for the quick reply Aritz!  😊
    I told my mom about the late registration for my birth certificate and she will call on Monday to find out. If that option is declined, any recommendations and what my next step should be?

let’s wait for the answer

You also mentioned that I would have two citizenships. I read online that if I apply for the Spanish citizenship, I have to swear allegiance and renounce my American citizenship. Is this true?

you only renounce if you get citizenship thru residency or carta de naturaleza.
your case is just late registration of spaniard born abroad.
in any case, the usa does not recognize the giving up of usa citizenship in front of a spanish judge. as far as the usa is concerned you are american, no matter how dramatically you renounced it. there are rules on how to lose usa citizenship.
once you get spanish citizenship, to keep it, always be registered at the spanish consulate wherever you live.

Just a quick update:
    1)My grandma is sending El Libro de Familia over from Madrid. My mom is in the book so I’m guessing that’s a pretty good thing 😛
    2)My mom wants to wait for the book to get here before asking about late registration. No idea why but it should be here within the week so might as well just wait.
    3)Bought my tickets to Madrid for late February. Going to be visiting for a week. I can’t wait!!!

Hope everyone is good.

Another quick update:

  My mom finally received el libro de familia in the mail yesterday so she’s going to set up an appointment in a few minutes with the consulate to see if I can receive a late birth certificate. I’m crossing my fingers that they’ll say yes even at my age.

Sooo nervous!! 😊

So I finally went to my appointment with the consulate. The lady at the front desk told me that I had to file for nationality through Opcion Ley 52/2007 through my grandfather instead of my mother. I think she said it had to do with my mom being born the the Dominican Republic instead of Spain. But she is a Spaniard citizen. I also found out that my grandparents became citizens of the Dominican Republic. I don’t know how this would play a factor. The good thing is that I don’t have to give up my American citizenship.

pilotmike327 - 12 December 2010 01:24 AM

So I finally went to my appointment with the consulate. The lady at the front desk told me that I had to file for nationality through Opcion Ley 52/2007 through my grandfather instead of my mother. I think she said it had to do with my mom being born the the Dominican Republic instead of Spain. But she is a Spaniard citizen.
I also found out that my grandparents became citizens of the Dominican Republic. I don’t know how this would play a factor.

when did your grandparents leave and go back to spain? in your mom’s spanish birth certificate, is she espa?ola de origen?
anyway, apply and submit everything as fast as you can, this law has a deadline

The good thing is that I don’t have to give up my American citizenship.

once you have your spanish citizenship, use it if you are in europe and if you work or live out side spain always register yourself at the spanish embassy as a spaniard living in that country. so you won’t lose it nor your descendants.

My grandparent left spain in 62 and returned in 89. In my mom’s birth certificate, she is not espa?ola de origen.

As always, thank you aritz for your responses. I really appreciate it.

It’s been a while!

I’m actually in Madrid right now visiting my family and i’m loving it here =D Definitely want to move here for good.
A few months back I had another appointment with the consulate. My file has been created and I’m only missing a few documents :

1) aportacion de certificado literal de nacimiento del madre.
  *My mom was born in the Dominican Republic so I’m assuming it’s just an official dominican birth certificate?

2) APORTAR CERTIFICADO LITERAL DEL REGISTRO CIVIL CONSULAR DE ESPANA EN REP. DOMINICANA (for my mom).
  *This is something I’m not sure I understand. Is it a document from the Spanish Consulate in the Dominican Republic? Is that the only place I could get it.
 
3) certificado de matrimonio de padres. APORTAR CERTIFICADO “INEXTENSA”
  *What does inextense mean? Also, my parents got married in the dominican republic so i’m guessing it’s a document i have to get from over there?

Thanks in advance!

I’m actually in Madrid right now visiting my family and i’m loving it here =D Definitely want to move here for good.
A few months back I had another appointment with the consulate. My file has been created and I’m only missing a few documents :

1) aportacion de certificado literal de nacimiento del madre.
  *My mom was born in the Dominican Republic so I’m assuming it’s just an official dominican birth certificate?

this should be a dominican birth certificate. have it apostilled.

2) APORTAR CERTIFICADO LITERAL DEL REGISTRO CIVIL CONSULAR DE ESPANA EN REP. DOMINICANA (for my mom).
  *This is something I’m not sure I understand. Is it a document from the Spanish Consulate in the Dominican Republic? Is that the only place I could get it.

you can get this in spain in the registro civil central de madrid, if you know the volume number and page number you can get this online.

3) certificado de matrimonio de padres. APORTAR CERTIFICADO “INEXTENSA”
  *What does inextense mean? Also, my parents got married in the dominican republic so i’m guessing it’s a document i have to get from over there?

this may mean the short version, i suggest you get all versions available and have them apostilled.

1) Yes, there’s two forms here - the extract and the “in extensa” (long form, which really isn’t that much longer) - RD$100 + RD$200 for certification. Apostille costs RD$620.

3) “in extensa” is how they call the long form, not the short form, here. You get both of these docs from the JCE (http://www.jce.do). I think there’s a service where you can get them online if you have a credit card - http://solicitudactas.jce.do/

There’s also a facility to have a third party get them for you, but it wasn’t a problem before when i had to have my partner’s birth certificate amended and reissued. Let me know if i can help in any way. I live here, know these processes well, and understand how frustrating it can be to get family records while abroad.

Also, get your Dominican citizenship if you don’t already have it. There’s no reason why you can’t hold all three in your case.

I know i’m very very late but i’ve been in the process of moving to tampa right now. Thank you aritz and perejil for the advice. Very much appreciated. I’ll be taking a look at those links right now. Also, the dominican citizenship makes sense! Don’t know why I never thought of it.

No problem. I’m not usually very active on here either. Glad to help.

My family in Spain sent me one of the documents, I just need to make sure that it’s the right one.
It says:

Servicio Consular De Espa?a
Registro Civil

Acta de Nacimiento
(Duplicado para el Registro Central)

Registro Civil De Santo Domingo, Republica Dominicana

Datos Del Inscrito: It has my mom’s information
Padre: Grandfather Info
Madre: Grandmother Info
Matrimonio de los padres: Some info

It’s 3 pages long and there is a blue seal on each page with a signature on the last page
Also, Certificacion librada con fecha 24/06/2011

Does this fulfill and of the following three?
1) aportacion de certificado literal de nacimiento del madre.
  *My mom was born in the Dominican Republic so I?m assuming it?s just an official dominican birth certificate?

2) APORTAR CERTIFICADO LITERAL DEL REGISTRO CIVIL CONSULAR DE ESPANA EN REP. DOMINICANA (for my mom).
  *This is something I?m not sure I understand. Is it a document from the Spanish Consulate in the Dominican Republic? Is that the only place I could get it.
 
3) certificado de matrimonio de padres. APORTAR CERTIFICADO ?INEXTENSA?
  *What does inextense mean? Also, my parents got married in the dominican republic so i?m guessing it?s a document i have to get from over there?

pilotmike327 - 03 July 2011 03:00 AM

My family in Spain sent me one of the documents, I just need to make sure that it’s the right one.
It says:

Servicio Consular De Espa?a
Registro Civil

Acta de Nacimiento
(Duplicado para el Registro Central)

Registro Civil De Santo Domingo, Republica Dominicana

Datos Del Inscrito: It has my mom’s information
Padre: Grandfather Info
Madre: Grandmother Info
Matrimonio de los padres: Some info

It’s 3 pages long and there is a blue seal on each page with a signature on the last page
Also, Certificacion librada con fecha 24/06/2011

 

Does this fulfill and of the following three?
1) aportacion de certificado literal de nacimiento del madre.
  *My mom was born in the Dominican Republic so I?m assuming it?s just an official dominican birth certificate?

2) APORTAR CERTIFICADO LITERAL DEL REGISTRO CIVIL CONSULAR DE ESPANA EN REP. DOMINICANA (for my mom).
  *This is something I?m not sure I understand. Is it a document from the Spanish Consulate in the Dominican Republic? Is that the only place I could get it.
 
3) certificado de matrimonio de padres. APORTAR CERTIFICADO ?INEXTENSA?
  *What does inextense mean? Also, my parents got married in the dominican republic so i?m guessing it?s a document i have to get from over there?

i think it fullfills number 2, it may fulfill number 3 as well.  the way i understand it, number 1 requirement is a dominican republic document and has to be applied for in the dominican republic. however, it will be up to the spanish consulate to decide if it covers all three requirements.