Nearly 300,000 Cubans are in the process of applying for Spanish nationality under the Democratic Memory Law, as the deadline approaches.
These figures have been revealed by the spokesperson for the Center of United Descendants of Spaniards (CeDEU), Juan Manuel de Hoz for the newspaper La Voz de Galicia, Schengen.News reports.
According to the association’s current data, a total of 200,000 passports have already been issued under the Democratic Memory Law.
In addition to these, over one million people are in the process at present. The 300,000 Cubans applying are significantly fewer than the 790,000 applying through the consulates in Buenos Aires, Rosario and Mendoza.
The numbers being implemented are impressive, and by the end of the process we will have between one and a half and two million new Spaniards. It’s a very generous law, comparable to that of Portugal and even broader than that of Italy.
He told the newspaper that the numbers are impressive adding that by the end of the process, there will be between one and a half million and two million Spaniards.
Cubans Subject to Difficulties
The spokesperson for the Center of United Descendants of Spaniards (CeDEU), said that nationals of Cuba, the second nationality in terms of the number of applications through the Democratic Memory Law, have been facing new difficulties as the country is not a signatory to The Hague Convention.
The Hague Apostille Convention as the Apostille Convention simplifies the process of certifying documents for use in other countries.
However, since Cuba is not a signatory to the agreement, it has its own stamping system for the needed documents, which takes more time.
Over 226,000 Applications Since Its Introduction
The Democratic Memory Law, also known as the Grandchildren Law, aims to pay tribute to those obliged to leave Spain for ideological, political or belief reasons who were the victims of the Spanish Civil War and the Franco dictatorship.
The Spanish authorities revealed that since its introduction in October 2022 until May last year, over 226,000 descendants of Spaniards applied to obtain Spanish passports through the Democratic Memory Law.
Revealing the figures, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain, José Manuel Albares, back then said that of the total number of applicants who applied for citizenship since 2022, through the Grandchildren Law, about 110,540 received a positive decision on their application for Spanish citizenship.