Spanish Citizenship and Philippine Passport: Can I Apply Based on My Father’s Birthplace?

Last Updated on April 18, 2026 by Bruno Bianchi

Question

“My dad was born in the Philippines. Can I get a Philippines passport and apply for Spanish citizenship?”

Answers

These are the answers of Spainguru’s Facebook group members:

“Yes, if he had Filipino citizenship when you were born. Not in my case. When my dad became an American citizen in the 70’s, he lost his Filipino citizenship.

So technically I was born to an American father. There are ways that I could’ve claimed it, but it had to be when I was a minor. Most people nowadays won’t have that problem since they allowed dual citizenship around the 2000’s.”

“Presumably, you need to register your birth and be recognized as Filipino first. Then you can request a passport.”

“Was he a Filipino born in the Philippines or was he just born in the Philippines? Those are two different things.

1987 Constitution of the Philippines: Section 1. The following are citizens of the Philippines:

-Those who are citizens of the Philippines at the time of the adoption of this Constitution;

-Those whose fathers or mothers are citizens of the Philippines;

-Those born before January 17, 1973, of Filipino mothers, who elect Philippine Citizenship upon reaching the age of majority; and

-Those who are naturalized in accordance with law.”

“He was a Filipino born in the Philippines.”

“You should probably be fine then. You’ll have to do a late registration of birth if you haven’t registered yet. Reach out to the PH embassy nearest you – they should be able to help.”

Conclusion

If your father was a Filipino citizen at the time of your birth, you are eligible to claim Filipino citizenship by registering your birth with the Philippine embassy and applying for a passport.

This is the first step before you can apply for Spanish citizenship, given that having Philippine citizenship could be part of the broader requirements for applying for citizenship in Spain, depending on your circumstances.

Related articles

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I am a Filipino applying for the Spanish citizenship. Do I have to be empadronado for 2 years?

After gaining Spanish citizenship can I keep a valid Philippine passport?

Bruno Bianchi CEO & Spain Immigration Expert

Bruno Bianchi is the founder and CEO of Spainguru, Spain's largest expat immigration community with 150,000+ members. Since 2014 he has helped thousands of people relocate to Spain through expert guides, webinars and vetted professional services covering visas, residency, taxes and life in Spain.

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