The Germans I work with tell me that the embassy people are utter khunts to everyone tbf, even Germans

i just want to go around shaking everyone who is entitled to one you TOTAL BASTARDS

the THINGS I have done for the island of Ireland and WHERE IS MY THANKS

Congrats. Now off you fook

still, good that you voted leave and you still get to have an EU passport eh

rather annoying for those of us that don't have convenient Irish grandparents 

Maybe we could storm the embassy in Budapest for example and kick the shit out of the staff there for a laugh? Anyone?

First it’s an embassy in Budapest, next he’ll be suggesting a site seeing visit to Poland.

Slippery slope.

Heh

In the days when you actually had to go to the Irish Embassy to renew your passport I was given a full oyster and Guinness reception and given a go on any colleen of my choice.
 

I thought it was the same for everyone? 

I was treated perfectly normally by the Irish embassy staff here in London. 

Irish very civilised. All by post. There used to be a help desk you could call at the embassy in London whose staff were very helpful, but they shut this some time ago (due to volume of calls, one supposes).  They warned the process would take a long time and it did (their prediction was spookily accurate) but otherwise very smooth.

If you're relying on a grandparent (rather than a parent's or your own birth in Ireland) then you need to register on the Foreign Births Registry before you can apply for a passport, which adds even more time to the overall process, but still straightforward.

My inconsiderate ancestors all appear to have been British.  Selfish bastards.

I am third generation German. The SHAME.

the passportless shame

My biological mother was Australian but I was adopted so lost the right to another passport. Close but no cigar

Got the Irish passport last year.  All pretty painless, except for the fact that the process took about ten months longer than it should have because the Register of Foreign Births Abroad person in Dublin couldn't spell my e-mail address correctly.

I’m an Irish citizen thanks to my father. Got my passport a couple of months ago. Painless and only took a few weeks.

Work colleagues recommended that to me. Still mulling over. Most likely wont be arsed. 
 

and you need german language fluency to a degree. 

I have residency rights in another country 

That country is sadly run by an orange madman. 

Jack, if you're a male line descendent and there's no evidence which has come to the hands of the German government that an ancestor was naturalised in another country before being able to pass it on - or if it's male down to your mum, and you were born after about 1979, you're German.

Are you feeling a sudden urge to invade Poland?

Actually, if I remember rightly, the issue is that it wasn't passed on to girls until about 1979.  So your mum would need to be unfeasibly young if it's in her line.

sollten wir vielleicht Deutsch reden?

I'm afraid we have slightly pulled the rug from under the German economy. They are now saddled with supporting Greece, Spain, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.

A number of which are insolvent and have been for some time. Do the maths.

If they're lucky, the EU and the Euro will last 5 years before it goes down the pan but I doubt that and the German public are unlikely to wear it indefinitely.

I am a closet Sweatie.

Unfortunately the chances of the Sweaties [1] getting inependence, and [2] rejoining the EU in the next decade are looking slim.

I do have a Belgian grandparent though. Are the Sprouts lenient on this sort of thing?

A friend’s daughter has just got German citizenship (post brexit eu thing) under article 116.

qualify for an Irish passport but don't want one.

Vote Brexit. Live Brexit.

I've even stopped dating Eastern Europeans.

Can't say I've actually bothered looking at what I might or might not qualify for as my qualifications and experience are naff all use for working in Europe.  Working in Hong Kong or China is now also off the list due to the risk of a nasty sniffle.

Heh at German embassy staff

Evvvveryone knows european embassy staff are grumpy weirdos

Had to to get doc stamped by Spanish consulate. Asked at first interview (when all checked and in order) if poss to hang around for the doc to be stamped. No *stern face at even being asked* that just isn't possible

Came back for second appointment (1st available date several weeks later) to get doc stamped ....waited for over an hour.....check document, signed off and approved on the same day as 1st interview.

KKKKKKKKHHHHHHHUUUUUUNNNNN.............

stampo - how long you drudged your life in Germany? That may have something to do with german  language not being a criteria in your case

I've started travelling with more than one passport. Go out with one come back with another etc

Nothing illegal with this but it often mess wid their headz

Pulling out the Irish Spanish and Brit passports mixed between one family group is also a fun game

Coffers: Spain, Germany & Austria and others do a family line of Jewish pogrom/ exile victims version...no language required

"I was born after 1 January 1975 and my father was german when I was born.  I was born in (west) Berlin, but actually this was not relevant, only the date and the fact my father was a German citizen."

Yep, I tried too. But born before that fooking date so they wouldn't process it any further, 

someone will clock asti at the borders and unncessarily classify you as a retired mercenary....up to no good

Yeah I have had "customer service" follow up by a border force in baggage but anyone staring into my calm baby blues and listening to my "Boris light" "how may I help you this lovely day, officer?" routine has just given up after a couple of mins....

How are you able to maintain a Spanish passport and passports of other countries?  I thought acquisition of another citizenship by a Spaniard causes a loss of Spanish citizenship, unless the other country is one in Latin America or Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea or Portugal.  Or is this just a matter of flying under the radar so to speak?  Rather curious since I was born in Spain and wouldn't mind having a Spanish passport.  Thanks.

@stampo - ah ok..yes was to citizenship. Automatically linked that up to passport Q. 

don’t know about historical but If you have a Spanish passport now and pick up another nationality  then you have to apply to them to keep your Spanish one within 12 months (or you lose it)

Thanks.  Looks like I'm out of luck then.

FFS don’t be put off, gawd knows what rules apply for historic cases 

I was talking about what happens if you already have a Spanish passport , it may be different if you had the right but had not applied for citizenship or 1st passport yet

Right.  I was born in Spain with a Spanish dad but never got a Spanish passport.  Left Spain when I was ten and only came back for a month every summer.  Never made any noises about my Spanish citizenship in part because of a fear of being called up for the Mili and spending a year sweating in the Canaries.  Have since acquired three other nationalities (UK, US, and Irish) but don't want to imperil any of them.  I'll run this by my mate who practices in Madrid to see what he thinks.  Thanks again for your thoughts.  There may be hope yet.

given the pita tax obligations why would you want to get a us passport unless you were going to move there permanently? 

I live and work in the US, so it makes sense to be a citizen.  I go back to the UK a couple of times a year to see my mum and have actually never set foot in Ireland.  Spain looks like a nice place to see out my golden years, however.

To CardinalPuff05 Feb 20 18:34

If your father is a Spanish national and you were born in Spain (or even if not) you are entitled to Spanish nationality by descent. Spaniards do not have to give up foreign citizenship (but must make a declaration to which Asturias referred.).

However, foreigners (except those from the countries you listed) do. The Spanish authorities will want to see proof of surrender of other citizenships.This is probably why few of the British living in Spain will acquire Spanish citizenship unless they want to surrender their British (and any other) citizenship.

I think the journalist and writer Ian Gibson was granted Spanish citizenship by Royal decree for his works, so presumably was able to retain his Irish citizenship. (He wrote biographies of Machado, Dalí and Buñuel, amongst others.)

Another category is the descendants of those Jews who were expelled from Spain in 1492. I believe that scheme ended in 2019 although applications are still being processed. Although there will hundreds of thousands of Jews entitled to apply, the process proved very expensive and bureaucratic. An article I was reading by an American applicant said that cost to he was about US$5,000 and was very time consuming. So, it seems likely only a few thousand have applied.

I understand Portugal has a similar concession for descendants of Jews. 

Asturias, my understanding is that a Spaniard acquiring foreign nationality has three years to make a declaration that they wish to retain Spanish nationality. My wife is in this situation and a couple of friends as well (who also acquired British citizenship.) Although an official at the Magistrates Court in Gijon told her that if the declaration is not made they will lose Spanish nationality but that one could subsequently make a declaration later. I am not sure I would rely on a Court official giving citizenship advice. Thinking about it, perhaps, a Spaniard who had lost Spanish citizenship would be entitled to reapply on grounds of citizenship by descent. 

On the issue of military service, I do recall an account of a British citizen who, when young, went with a few mates for a break in France. It so happened he had been born in France when his (British) parents. As they were boarding the ferry an immigration official noted he was born in France and asked him if he had completed his military service. Entitlement to French nationality has changed over the decades, but when he was born he was French from birth. When he replied 'no' (he did not really understand the question) the official promptly summoned the police who arrested him.

The military police arrived and took him to a prison in a nearby barracks. His mates had to contact his parents who contacted the British embassy who contacted the French Ministry of Defence. He was in prison for three days while it was sorted. In the end he was released and given formal discharge from the military service obligation. Which was probably a good thing as he didn't speak French. 

For other countries, notably Greece and Turkey, if your parents are there, then as far as those countries are concerned you are a citizen. I have known Greek-Australians who avoided going to Greece for fear of being inducted into the army. On the other hand, others have gone and never had any problems. As far as Tukey is concerned, if you are of Turkish descent you are Turkish. It is almost impossible to surrender Turkish citizenship. However, non-resident Turks can now pay a fee in lieu of military service. But it is something like £6,000. Men in either country are liable for military service at up to age something like 45 years. And there is no concept of conscientious objection. 

Thanks for this very helpful and thorough information.  Yes, it's clear that I have a claim to Spanish citizenship, since my dad was born in Oviedo (looks like we're all from the same region).  I understand that my own birth in Spain is not relevant.  I did not make the requisite declaration within the three-year window, however.  It appears that I can regain Spanish citizenship, but this would mean taking up residence in Spain, which is not an option at the moment.

Re the military service option, I was told by my dad to go to the Spanish consulate in London and offer to "jurar bandera" (swear allegiance to the flag) and thus be exempt from doing the Mili.  The people there acted with complete incomprehension before telling me to bugger off, so I did not pursue the issue.

Thanks again.  

At some point we absolutely have to have orange drinks in Gijon 

I nominate Tierra Astur 

Acceptable alternatives include Restaurante Marisquería La Chalana in Madrid

Count me in!

You guys know that after brexit hanners will not tolerate anything european on these threads. Take your spanish sangria and tinto de verano jugs to somewhere jolly. 

Coffers 

to make it worse Tierra Astur do an absolutely deadly Asturian cider sangria

HTH