Benefits of Having a Double Life

Less than a year ago I set out to regain a bit of my heritage. As I wrote before, my father and his family immigrated to the United States from the United Kingdom in the early 80’s. A few years later I was born and for the most part, lived a seemingly normal American life. I always thought is was ‘cool’ that my dad was English but never really gave much thought on how it would affect me. That changed in 2005 when I had the opportunity to travel to London. At first, I just wanted to explore some of Europe and get out of the U.S. But after talking with my father, I realized that I could meet apart of my family that I never really knew existed. This trip came at a great time because my father was in the middle of reconnecting to his family as well. He was able to contact a distant cousin, Eleanor that was living in Birmingham, England near my father’s Aunt Margaret. I never heard much about my father’s life before America and was excited to be apart of something that was obviously important to him. So during my trip, I hopped on a train and met up with Eleanor and later my great-Aunt Margaret. I knew my father wished he could have been there. It was really amazing to hear stories about his childhood and see places that he used to visit as a young boy.

Well a few years passed, I studied in Spain and later finished college. However, I always had kept this thought in the back of my mind how much I would love to become more connected to my family’s past. I became enamored with England’s history, its culture and of course my distant relatives. So when I was looking into moving back to Spain to teach, I had a thought about my heritage and seeing if I could use it to help me. Remember that it is very difficult for Americans to work legally in Europe (more specifically the European Union). Especially during these hard economic times, the EU prefers to employee people from countries within the EU. A sort of ‘protect your own kind’ of mentality. So my thought was to see if I could become a British citizen because I was a child of a British citizen. Sure enough after a few Google searches, I found my answer: a way to become a citizen of the United Kingdom through family lineage.

http://ukinusa.fco.gov.uk/en
Necessary Paperwork:
Born after 1 January 1983 outside the UK
If you were born after 1 January 1983 outside the UK you must provide:
· your full foreign birth certificate and
· a photocopy of your current photo ID (foreign passport or residence card and driving licence) and
· your mother’s full UK birth certificate or registration/naturalisation document or
· your father’s birth certificate or registration/naturalisation document and marriage certificate and
· a marriage declaration completed by your parents and
· divorce documents (if applicable)
· and the passport used to enter your country of residence (if applicable)

All the required forms for whichever category one would fall under can be found here-
http://ukinusa.fco.gov.uk/en/passports/passport-forms
The biggest strain through all this was of course financial as I stated in my previous blogs. All in all, I spent around $500 in getting everything I needed and receiving my passport. But after a few months of living in Spain, I can tell you that it was worth EVERY penny.

Concerns:
My mother while helping me get my paperwork together, asked a seemingly simple yet vital question: ‘Will becoming a British citizen affect your American citizenship?’ At first I just laughed and shrugged but then realized that I didn’t know. Back to Google I went and luckily found my answer:

“Under present legislation the United Kingdom and the United States both recognise dual nationality, and, if you acquire UK citizenship, this does not affect your right to hold a US Passport.”

I also had to research different embassies for when I travel abroad. Having dual citizenship, I can go to either an American embassy or a British embassy for assistance which is very helpful. So matter what nationality you are, know where your country’s embassy is located in every country you travel to.

UK embassies and consulates in the US:
http://ukinusa.fco.gov.uk/en/our-offices-in-the-us/other-locationsin-us/
American Citizen Support in Spain:
http://madrid.usembassy.gov/cons/services.html
British Citizen Support in Spain:
http://ukinspain.fco.gov.uk/en/our-offices-in-spain/madrid-embassy/

Some of the benefits I have encountered with an EU passport:

The most important came when getting my work papers in order. In Spain you need a special card (DNI) that says you can work legally in the country.
If you are American, these are extremely difficult to get. First, you need to have a job that agrees to sponsor you for a work visa. You then have to return to your home country and wait for your visa from the local consulate. After you have your visa you can return to Spain and make an appointment for your DNI. From what I’ve heard from other teachers, this can take 4-7 months to get an appointment depending on what time of year you make it. If when you go to the appointment, you don’t have everything necessary, you leave and have to make another appointment for a later date. This is why so many employers do not hire Americans, let alone Americans that are currently living in America. During all this time, you can work but it’s technically illegal. Your employer pays you cash under the table and you have to be careful never to tell any government agency where you are working until you have your DNI.

For me, I simply called in to make the appointment, told them I was British and gave them my passport number and contact info. I received my appointment for early the next month. Went in, gave them my passport and other necessary paperwork, received my DNI and walked out within a half hour. I can’t tell you how many dirty looks I got from the other American teachers at the academy. Ha-ha.

My British passport also helped me easily get a Spanish social security number. This can be a bit simpler for Americans but usually more eyebrows are raised. Sometimes for Americans, your DNI is required depending on the SS agent you get appointed, and they’ll usually ask questions about your employment which you cannot say if you don’t have your DNI yet. For European Union citizens, all you need is your passport usually. I walked in, filled out the form, gave the agent my passport and walked out in 10 minutes with my new social security number. But again, I feel I was lucky with getting a very nice SS agent who called me ‘guapa’ as I left his desk.
There are a few extra perks from being an EU citizen like special rates through banks and discounts when traveling in Europe. But the biggest help without a doubt was with my work papers here in Spain.

I do feel a little guilt from receiving so much benefit from something I know little about. I’m hoping that through my time living in Europe, I can learn more about my own ancestry and really make England apart of my soul rather than just information on paper. So to end, I want to dedicate this blog to my father Timothy for which none of this would have been possible. Thanks Dad for helping me through the process and encouraging my decision to go forward with this. Also a shout out to my mother Cheryl who helped me track down a lot of the legal paperwork for my British passport! Thanks Mom for putting up with my shenanigans and supporting me through this journey. Both of you have been incredible and a vital part to my success in living abroad.