Voting query and swimming pool registration

Dear sir,

I have a query.

I was recently granted Spanish nationality, due to the fact that I had to promise /swear fealty to the king and constitution within a six month period, and the civil register not having available appointments to do so until the end of the year, I signed a promise and the renunciation of my nationality in front of a notary public who then sent the paperwork to the registry, I am meant to eventually get back a Spanish birth certificate and with this get my Spanish identification card and passport.

The notary said that the registry has a backlog and I can expect to have to wait a minimum of 6 to 8 weeks.

My question is, if this goes on for longer…. Can I vote in the May elections, and if so how do I vote if I have no Spanish id? As a Spaniard I would also vote in the regional elections and not just the municipal ones.

Technically I am Spanish but with no id.

Answer

The process hasn’t finished yet, as there are still some formalities to take care of.

Even when you receive your Spanish identification document, you will not be able to vote until you have registered in the censo electoral (census) at your town hall.

As the voting will take place at the end of May, I wouldn’t place your hopes too high, as you will in, all probability, not be in a position to be registered in the censo electoral by then.

Question – pool registration

We bought our house off plan from a well-recognized developer. In fact, we bought the land first and then the house was built, and the plans included a swimming pool, with the terraces round it etc.

We now find ourselves selling the property and our estate agent informs us that the swimming pool is not registered in the land registry, and it should be in order to sell the property.

The estate agent doesnt´ seem to know what we have to do, but he did say that we had to go to the notary and sign something.

We would appreciate your advice… as perhaps others in our situation will also.

Answer

Your case is not as uncommon as you may think.

Some years ago swimming pools were, for some reason, not included in the deeds that were signed on completion of the purchase and handing over of the keys.

In order to register the pool in the land registry, you will need to instruct an architect to draw up a certification describing the pool and the date it was built.

This certification has to be attached to other information that is sent to the notary's office and new deeds will be prepared, which you will have to sign in the presence of the notary. This document is called ‘ampliación de obra nueva’, and will describe the property as it is now, including the pool.

Once signed, the stamp duty will have to be paid and filed (15´% of the value of the cost of the pool), and then the documents can be presented to the land registry for registration.

This process can take up to two months, and your advice would be to instruct a professional to guide you through the whole process to avoid any pitfalls.