Email
April 20
Dear Sir,
I was recently awarded Spanish nationality, and carried out the promising of fealty to King and Constitution at a notary due to lack of appointments within six months (the timeframe given for me to swear or promise fealty) at the civil registry.
The notary staff informed me that the civil registry would get in touch with me via email to go and collect my Spanish birth certificate, without which I could not apply for a DNI and Spanish passport.
A month went past and nothing, another month went past and I went off to the civil registry, the gent in charge of such matters was out for his ‘almuerzo’ and a very rude female told me to come back in an hour, which I did. The gent, who was very nice said it was on top of his ‘to do’ pile of work and within three days he would call me.
Another two weeks went by and still no word. I have been a Spanish national for nearly three months and still no ID! All hopes of voting in upcoming elections were rapidly going out the window. I could also not travel abroad due to no Spanish passport.
So off I went again. The nice gent was on hols, and the rude female just said. ‘No, I have nothing’. I mentioned her companion had said 3 or 4 days, and I politely asked what the problem was… to which she answered “People like you are the problem, always coming and asking for things! You don’t let us do our work!”.
I had to hold my tongue, as I felt like saying ‘If I were dead you would only take three days to do my death certificate, so I think three months is about right for a birth certificate!”. This would have got my paperwork buried at the bottom of the pile of papers to do, and any chance of voting in the November elections would have vanished. So I just wished her a good day and beat a hasty retreat.
Now apparently they are on strike on certain hours on certain days but on sending my husband down today to enquire, he was told by the nice gent for me to go back on Monday at 09.00 to pick up the birth certificate!
I will not get my hopes up too high!
Alexandra Blair
