More than 2,3 million descendants are applying for Spanish citizenship through the Memory Law.

Spain has received more than 2,3 million citizenship applications from children and grandchildren of exiles, protected by the Democratic Memory Law, approved in 2022. This volume represents more than four times the amount registered under the previous legislation, from 2007.

According to the General Council of Spanish Citizenship Abroad (Cgcee)Approximately half of the applications have already been approved. Only 2% were denied. A significant portion remains under review or without final registration due to the backlog of applications.

The official deadline to apply for Spanish citizenship The law ended on October 21st, after being extended from two to three years. The legislation covers descendants of Spaniards who lost their nationality due to exile for political, ideological, gender, or sexual orientation reasons.

Children of Spanish women who lost their citizenship upon marrying foreigners before 1978 are also entitled.

Argentina leads in requests.

Almost 40% of applications come from Argentina. The consulate in Buenos Aires alone handles 645 applications. Next are Córdoba, with 125, and centers such as Havana (350), Mexico City (165), São Paulo (150), Miami (120), and Caracas (40).

To avoid harming those who scheduled appointments before the deadline, Spanish authorities relaxed the interpretation of the rule. Requests that had not yet been formalized, but with confirmed appointments, were considered valid.

Two ways to access citizenship.

The law provides two main paths to obtaining citizenship. The first requires documentary proof of exile during the Francoist dictatorship. The second, more direct, allows children and grandchildren of Spaniards born abroad to apply for citizenship by presenting birth certificates that prove their family origin.