Spanish passport. Photo: cronista.com / Archive.
By the end of August, around 15,000 Cubans had received Spanish citizenship under the Democratic Memory Law (LMD), popularly known as the “Grandchildren Law”.
According to Europa Press, which cites Spanish diplomatic sources, Havana’s consulate general is the one with the most recognized nationalities in the world.
The law has led to the approval of around 69,000 applications for Spanish citizenship on the planet in the first year of its adoption and, according to these data, up to August 31st.
Behind the consulate in Havana, fairly far away, were the consulate in Mexico City, with more than 8,500 permits, and the consulate in Cordoba, Argentina, with nearly 5,700.
Europa Press emphasizes that the pace of granting citizenship through this new “grandchildren law” appears to be sustainable, “based on the data known during this period.” There were around 12,800 approved at the end of January and around 26,500 after March.
Even with this cut, Cuba was the country with the highest number of newly registered Spaniards. By then, the number of Cubans admitted was just over 4,000 applications to nearly 2,000.
Cuba is the country with the most Spanish nationalities granted by the Democratic Memory Law
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The new report does not indicate how many total applications for Spanish citizenship have been made in Cuba or the rest of the world, but it is believed that this number is significantly higher than previous approvals.
According to the Register of Spaniards Resident Abroad (PERE) published earlier this year, Cuba was the sixth country with the highest number of Spanish citizens, surpassed only by Argentina, France, the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom.
According to this compendium, at the beginning of 2023 there were more than 160,000 Spaniards living on the island, almost 120,000 more than in 2009. This growth was significantly influenced by the adoption of the Historical Memory Law in 2007, also known as the “grandchildren’s law “ and now the current legislation.
Spain promises support to Cubans seeking nationalization through the Democratic Remembrance Law
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This law allows access to Spanish citizenship in several ways, always by proving family relationships with other Spaniards.
The new regulation is valid for two years and there is the possibility of extending it for another year if the Council of Ministers of the Spanish Executive decides to do so.