Consular backlog blocks Spanish voters in New York

The Consulate General of Spain in New York has communicated a minimum processing time of six months for consular registration, despite Royal Decree 991/2024 establishing a maximum ordinary deadline of ten days. A Spanish citizen who applied on July 16 remains without resolution and will be unable to vote on November 29.

There is an email that carries more weight than any regulation. It was received by a Spaniard who requested consular registration at the New York Consulate on **July 16** and, four months later, still had no decision. In the response, obtained by **OKDIARIO**, the consulate informs him that "the processing time for consular registrations is a minimum of 6 months." The law states otherwise.

## Ten days on paper, six months in practice

**Royal Decree 991/2024**, dated October 1, regulates the Consular Registration Record and sets **ten days** as the maximum ordinary deadline for resolving resident registration applications, according to Article 5. This registration is not a minor procedure: it grants full citizenship rights to Spaniards living abroad, including voting. The gap between the ten days mandated by law and the six months cited by the consulate explains the anger.

"They fast-track fake grandchildren while we remain unregistered"

The affected individual, who chose anonymity due to antiestéticar of potential retaliation in future dealings with the Spanish Administration, summarizes his complaint thus: "While they accelerate the process to grant nationality to the 'fake grandchildren' of exile, Spaniards in New York are denied registration." The phrase mixes two distinct procedures but points to a widespread perception: some processes move forward while others get stuck in line.

## No registration means no vote on November 29

Time is running out. Without consular registration, this resident cannot vote in the upcoming elections on **November 29**. Voter roll inclusion depends on this step, so the delay is not just an administrative inconvenience; it results in the loss of a right. The law specifies ten days; the consulate speaks of six months. Between these figures lies one fewer voter.