This provision will remain in force until October this year. Credit: Justit /Shutterstock.com
As Europe grapples with a broad and often divisive debate over immigration, Spain stands out as a rare example of a country reaping the benefits of a more open and inclusive approach.
While some nations tighten their borders, Spain – currently enjoying the most promising economic outlook in the EU – has chosen to allow migrants to settle legally and contribute to society through their work and skills.
A key reflection of this policy is Spain’s continued recognition of historical responsibilities and the rights of descendants of political exiles. By the end of 2024, the Spanish government had granted nationality to more than 288,000 descendants of Spaniards who were forced into exile during the Franco dictatorship. These measures were taken under the Democratic Memory Law, which provides a legal path to citizenship for the children and grandchildren of those who lost their nationality due to persecution or exile. This provision will remain in force until October this year.
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Foreign minister José Manuel Albares shared these figures during a press conference following the Council of Ministers on Tuesday 10 June, presenting the annual consular report. According to Albares, Spanish consulates worldwide had received over 609,000 applications by the end of 2024. Of those, 288,000 had already been approved and 180,000 had been officially recorded in the Civil Registry.
Although Albares did not specify which countries received the highest number of applications, previous government statements have pointed to Argentina, Mexico and Cuba – home to large communities of Spaniards and their descendants.
Who is eligible?
As the minister reminded the press, the government agreed in July last year to extend the deadline for applications by one additional year, as permitted under the law. Initially enacted on 21 October 2022, the law was designed to remain in effect for two years.
The Democratic Memory Law allows individuals born outside Spain to apply for Spanish nationality if their father, mother, grandfather or grandmother was originally Spanish and lost their nationality as a result of exile due to political, ideological, religious or sexual orientation-related persecution.
It also covers the children of Spanish women who lost their nationality by marrying foreign nationals prior to the Spanish Constitution of 1978, as well as adult children of those who acquired nationality through the adoption clauses of either the 2007 Historical Memory Law or the more recent Democratic Memory Law.
Applications must be submitted to the relevant General or Consular Civil Registry Office, using the official forms published in Spain’s official state gazette (BOE).