Spanish Citizenship Denied After Moroccan Applicant Misidentifies Current King

The Moroccan had brought the case to court after the civil registry services refused to grant him Spanish citizenship. He had indicated, in response to the proposed questionnaire, that the King of Spain was Fernando VI (Ferdinand VI). He was almost right, except that he was just about 330 years behind (1746 to 1759).

The Administrative Litigation Court of the city of Seville therefore rejected his appeal against the Civil Registry Service, which had just refused him nationality, considering that his lack of knowledge of part of Spanish history showed his lack of integration. In addition, he was accused of not knowing the "Spanish political system, nor the basic territorial organization of the State and even less the most important national holidays."

The Moroccan national also ignored what the Spanish constitution is, that Andalusia was an autonomous region and stated that "laws must be approved by the King of Spain before their promulgation." In addition, even though he spoke and read Spanish, he did not know how to write it.

For the courts, integration is not just "an acceptable knowledge of the language." But the applicant "must on the contrary have a precise and in-depth knowledge of Spanish customs and way of life." Consequently, his application for citizenship was rejected.