Applications for nationality through the Memory Law almost triple

Applications for Spanish nationality abroad thanks to the Democratic Memory Law—in force since October 2022—have almost tripled in a single year: from 226,354 requests in 2023 to the 609,344 received by the consular network last year.

Through them, and despite the bureaucratic bottleneck, which has forced the reinforcement of the most affected consular offices with 150 staff positions and three deputy consuls in Havana, Buenos Aires, and Mexico City, 180,576 new Spaniards have registered, according to the consular activity report prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which will be approved today at the Council of Ministers meeting.

Consular offices are being reinforced with 150 staff positions to address the bureaucratic backlog.

The Law on Democratic Memory provides in its eighth provision that those "born outside of Spain to a father or mother, grandfather or grandmother, who were originally Spanish, and those born outside of Spain to a father or mother, grandfather or grandmother, who were originally Spanish and who, as a result of having suffered exile for political, ideological, religious, or sexual orientation reasons, have lost or renounced Spanish nationality" may opt for Spanish nationality.

It may also be requested by children born abroad to Spanish women who lost their nationality for marrying foreigners before the entry into force of the 1978 Constitution, as well as by adult children of those Spaniards whose nationality of origin was recognized by virtue of the right of adoption in accordance with the provisions of this law or the Historical Memory Law of 2007.

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Of all the applications received by the end of 2024, 288,393 applications have been approved, with 180,576 registrations completed. If the upward trend continues, the population of Spaniards abroad will continue to set records. In 2024, the three million mark was surpassed, some 137,000 more than at the same time last year. Regarding the age distribution of the Spanish population residing abroad, according to the document from the ministry headed by José Manuel Albares, 19.68% are under 20 years old; 24.74% are between 20 and 39 years old; 27.63% are between 40 and 59; and the remaining 27.94% are over 60 years old.

In absolute terms, the largest population growth during 2024 was recorded in Argentina, Mexico, the United States, France, and Cuba. On July 9, 2024, the Council of Ministers agreed to extend the period for exercising this right for a third year until October 2025.

Furthermore, the report also includes information on the care provided by consular offices to persons detained within their consular jurisdictions, particularly "in the case of those serving their sentences in prisons that do not meet, among other things, acceptable health, security, food, or healthcare conditions." As of December 31, 2024, there were 1,053 Spaniards detained abroad: 920 men and 133 women. The countries with the highest number of detainees of Spanish nationality were France, Germany, and Morocco. Since 2022, the report details, an increase in the number of detainees has been observed after a gradual decline in previous years, marked by border closures due to the health crisis.