A growing number of Britons living in Spain have applied for Spanish citizenship since the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union. According to data released by the General Directorate of Records and Notaries in Spain, 166 British citizens requested Spanish citizenship in the first 10 months of 2018. Although the number is low compared to 10,067 applications from Moroccans and 2.001 from Venezuelans, it is three times higher than the number of applications Submitted by British citizens in 2015, the year before the referendum on exit from the European Union. This new increase in applications puts Britons in fourth place on the list of EU member states who want to acquire Spanish citizenship, after the Romanians, Italians and Bulgarians.
The General Directorate of Records and Notaries confirms that the data are not final, as they do not include requests made in person. While the figures may be partial, experts believe they show a clear trend. In 2015, citizens of the United Kingdom ranked seventh in the number of applications for Spanish citizenship on an equal footing with German citizens, but this year they were ranked fourth and are the only country in the European Union showing an increase in applications for Spanish citizenship in the three years Past.
The number of Britons in Spain is more than any other country in the European Union, and the number of members of this community has dropped to 250 thousand significantly after a rise of about 400 thousand because of the fall of the pound sterling against the euro, impact on the purchasing power of British retirees who live in Spain.
The future of Britons living in Spain is still uncertain as British Prime Minister Teresa Mae has drafted a draft EU withdrawal agreement and a flexible exit option on March 30 seems unlikely.
When the United Kingdom leaves the European Union, British citizens will not be able to vote or stand for municipal or European elections after 26 May 2019. This will affect 37 members of the British Parliament (19 in Valencia, 8 in Andalusia, the rest in the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands) , Catalonia, Castile, Lyon, Castilla la Mancha and Murcia).