The birth certificate will have the validity that the same document indicates, and in the case that the document does not specify the validity, for the effects of Spain it will have a validity of one year counted from the date of the expedition of the document, which is not necessarily the date in which it was apostilled.
Said document must be in force for the moment of the signature in the notary's office.

The criminal record will have the validity that the same document indicates, must be addressed to the Ministry of Justice of the Kingdom of Spain, and in the case that the document does not specify the validity, for the effects of Spain will have a validity of six months, counted from the date of the expedition of the document, which is not necessarily the date in which it was apostilled.
Said certificate must be valid for the moment of the signature in the notary's office.

In accordance with the provisions of Law 12/ 2015, no Sephardic originating in Spain shall lose their previous nationality on the occasion of the acquisition of Spanish nationality, either through the procedure provided for in the aforementioned law or through any other procedure.
However, the loss of this nationality will depend on the legislation of the country of origin, since in some cases it is provided that the acceptance of a second nationality implies the renunciation of the previous one.

This change of nomenclature is due to internal issues of the Ministry of Justice. It does not affect the interested party as to the sense of its resolution, since the Ministry informed us that it is due to the overcoming of internal stages but that it is still pending resolution.

No, notary fees must be paid separately.

No, the payment of fees is not included in the cost.

No, the trip to Spain is not included in the costs.

Each phase must be paid for in advance, otherwise the next phase will not be passed on to the next one.

There is a legal vacuum in this regard, as the law does not provide for what happens while the application is being decided. However, we can advise the interested person on the best ways to achieve legal residency.

Birth certificates and criminal records will have the validity determined in the document itself, counting from the date of issuance. Now, criminal records that do not have a certain period of validity or expiration, the Spanish authorities will admit them as long as they are not older than six months from their date of issue, which is not the same as the date of the apostille.

If U.S. citizenship is lost, because according to Section 359 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), a U.S. citizen may be deprived of his or her citizenship when he or she obtains the citizenship of another country voluntarily and upon his or her own request after reaching the age of 18. 

Yes, it is different, because apostilled and translated documents would be required. Apart from that, the DELE, which is a Spanish exam at the Instituto Cervantes, would have to be presented. Additionally, the apostilled and translated FBI criminal record would be required.

Yes, as long as the person has legally resided in those countries in the last five years.

No, since what the Spanish state is doing is recognizing a legal situation that has always existed, i.e., the person would be originally Spanish, he/she would not be nationalizing, but has always been Spanish.

No, since the applicant is not provided with the genealogical reports and their proofs, which are indispensable for the process.

The money a person pays in each PHASE is what marks the beginning of the work in each case. For this reason, the fact that a person withdraws from the process does not mean that the work has not been done. Therefore, the money corresponding to the phase will not be refunded.

In this case, a copy of all the pages of the passport must be made and certified by a Spanish consul.

No. Neither minors nor persons without legal capacity are obliged to travel. In these cases their parents or representatives may sign for them.

No, criminal records are only for adults.

They must bring the original passport and the original of the apostilled birth certificate. They must also bring certified grades or a certification from the educational institution where they are enrolled. This also applies to persons without legal capacity. These certified transcripts must be issued in Spanish and must be duly apostilled, in case they are issued in another language they must be translated and certified by a Spanish consul.

Of course, this is possible, but it is a process that takes between two and three years. It should be taken into consideration that the process of nationality by Sephardic origin can take in some cases up to two years. The important thing is that the minor will not reach the age of majority in the process, otherwise he/she would lose the right to the option. Then he/she would have other more complicated requirements and the nationality that he/she would acquire would not be of origin, with which there are certain restrictions depending on each case.

Yes, an application must be made for each person. In the case of children under 14 years of age, only PHASE 3 will be paid.

No, the signature is very personal and only the applicant can sign, or his legal representative in the case of persons without capacity. In cases of force majeure, such as illness that prevents the person from traveling, a relative within the first degree of kinship may be authorized to sign.

The documents required vary from case to case. In principle, there are some documents that are mandatory for all applicants, which are a legalized and apostilled birth certificate, a legalized and apostilled criminal record certificate and a valid passport, which must be the same one with which the process was initiated. In case the birth certificate or criminal record is issued in a language other than Spanish, it must be translated and notarized before a Spanish consul, in which case the apostille is not required.

The signature at the notary's office can be done in any city in Spain. However, our team manages it in Seville, which is where we have all the necessary organization to bring the procedures to a successful conclusion.

Yes, it is necessary to sign before the notary.

The notary establishes a range of dates within a month, and Sefar appoints a lawyer to accompany the applicant to the signing, thereby determining a date certain. The applicant will be notified at least 15 days in advance.

The date is determined by the notary, once the third phase has begun and the file has been closed with the Ministry of Justice. The notary assigns a date range not exceeding one month, and then our team of lawyers determines, in agreement with the notary, the day when the person must come to sign, which is notified to the applicant.

It usually takes three to four months after the process has begun.

The process can take up to two years. The Spanish government has a period of one year to resolve an application after the approval of the notary. After the nationality is recognized, there are the notifications, oaths, delivery of the birth certificate, issuance of the passport and DNI.

Yes, it is possible. For more information, please visit the Instituto Cervantes website.

All applicants over the age of majority and under the age of 70.

Those interested in acquiring Spanish nationality must in some cases present various tests of ties with Spain, both of knowledge of the language and of constitutional knowledge and general culture. These tests are carried out at the Instituto Cervantes.

No, in this case the nationality is only transmitted by consanguinity. For spouses, another genealogical analysis is required.

Each genealogist has his or her database and research expertise in specific areas. In our case, our team of researchers specializes mainly in Venezuelan genealogies. It could very well have been rejected by another genealogist and our team has the evidence to demonstrate how the potential applicant is a direct and consanguineous descendant of a Sephardic Jew of those expelled or forced to convert to Christianity after the edicts of 1492, as required by law for a person to have the status of Sephardic originating in Spain.

Here the important thing is to prove that the person in question is descended from a Sephardic Jew. This requires an analysis of the person's genealogy. The fact that a person qualifies or not, only means that the genealogist has a way to prove or not such ancestry. But once rejected by a genealogist, that does not mean that another genealogist with different tools cannot do it.

No, the genealogical report and the corresponding chains of evidence are issued and consigned for a specific purpose, which is the nationality application process. The report is not given to the applicant.

Of course, this is possible. But in order to guide the person with the greatest propriety, the more information you can present, the more likely you are to be eligible to begin the process.

The duration of this process will depend on the complexity of the studies to determine the Sephardic ancestry. Many surnames have very specific and precise casuistics and the filiations are ascertained relatively quickly. In other cases, the study and the ascertainment of the ancestry requires a deeper investigation in order to have full certainty of the information obtained and to guarantee the success of the client's pretensions. Sefar Universal's team of historians and genealogists work with the necessary diligence in issuing the relevant reports.

No. It is necessary to prove consanguinity with a Sephardic Jew. This is required by law. The mere fact of having a surname does not imply that the person in question is a descendant of a Sephardic Jew. The reasons for which a person may have a surname are very diverse and it is not always consanguinity. Apart from this, it is also necessary to consider that there are many surnames that were common to the three creeds that coexisted in Spain: Muslim, Jewish and Christian. Even more so in the case of patronymic surnames such as Núñez, Méndez, García and many others, which do not imply in any case that the person is of Jewish origin.

The certificate itself has no validity if it is not accompanied by a genealogical report and the corresponding evidence to prove it. In many cases, these certificates that some people possess have no value beyond being a simple souvenir.

Yes, the recognition of nationality is discretionary on the part of the Spanish state, but we believe that if everything is proven in accordance with the law and the genealogy is well proven, no one should be rejected.

SEFAR UNIVERSAL is integrated by a team of professional experts in genealogy and history, who in coordination with our lawyers will explore your ancestors, making it easier for you to discover your ancestral origins. Interested persons should complete the form available on our website. www.sefaruniversal.com, providing our professionals with the minimum necessary information, such as the identification of your parents and grandparents. These data will initiate the application of historical research techniques of your ancestors, as many generations as necessary and relevant to demonstrate your link with Sephardic descendants and thus initiate the corresponding administrative procedure for the application of European nationality (Spain, Portugal and Italy).

Yes, since the law requires proof that the person is descended from one of those Jews who lived in Spain. Therefore, it is obligatory to go back to that date of 1492.

The word Sephardic or Sephardic refers to people of Jewish faith who lived in the Iberian Peninsula until 1492 and in particular to the descendants of those who, after the edicts of that year, were expelled from Spain or forced to convert.