300,000 Cubans have requested Spanish nationality

More than 300,000 Cubans have requested Spanish nationality, positioning Cuba as the second country with more applications, only behind Argentina.

Since October 2022, the Democratic Memory Law has allowed thousands of Cubans, descendants of Spaniards, recovering the citizenship of their ancestors.

Time runs, and many still seek to start the process before the closing of the term, set for October 21, 2025. What are the requirements to access this benefit? What obstacles do Cubans face in the process? Here we tell you everything you should know.

What is the law of grandchildren and who can request Spanish nationality?

The grandchildren’s law is a regulation that grants Spanish nationality to the descendants of exiled Spaniards for political, ideological or belief reasons during the civil war and the Franco dictatorship.

The main beneficiaries are:

• Grandchildren of Spaniards who have lost or renounced Spanish nationality due to exile.
• Children of those who obtained citizenship through the 2007 Historical Memory Law, but who at the time could not request it for having been of legal age.
• Children of Spanish women who lost their nationality by marrying foreigners before 1978.

If you meet any of these conditions, you could access Spanish nationality and enjoy the benefits that this entails.

The deadline to request nationality expires in 2025

The deadline to submit the application for Spanish nationality under the Law of grandchildren expires on October 21, 2025.

While there is still more than a year, the procedures can be slow, especially in consulates with high demand, such as Havana. In addition, the lack of documents or errors in the application can delay the process.

Common mistakes you should avoid:

Do not verify family documentation before starting the process.
Errors in names or dates in certificates.
Lack of exile evidence when necessary.
Leave everything for the last minute and not gather documents on time.
If you are thinking of starting the process, act as soon as possible to avoid problems.

Requirements to obtain Spanish nationality

To request Spanish nationality by the grandchildren, you need:

• Birth and marriage certificate of the Spanish grandfather or grandmother.
• Document to prove exile, as migration records or old passports.
• Birth certificate of the applicant.
• Criminal record certificate (in some cases).

Important: Cuba is not attached to the Hague agreement, so the documents must carry a special stamping required by the Spain Consulate in Havana.

Will the grandchildren’s law be expanded to include more descendants?

Currently, there are cases that have been out of the grandchildren, such as:

• Great -grandchildren of Spaniards whose parents did not obtain nationality.
• Grandchildren of Spaniards who were nationalized in another country before the birth of their children.
• Descendants of Spanish women who lost nationality due to marriage before 1978.
• People who failed to gather documents on time.

In recent years, some political parties have proposed reforms to expand access to Spanish nationality. The possibility of including great -grandchildren and eliminating gender inequalities in the transmission of nationality has been a topic of debate.

Conclusion

The grandchildren’s law has allowed hundreds of thousands of Cubans to recover Spanish nationality and access new rights and opportunities in Europe. However, time is limited and the deadline to request it in October 2025.

If you have the right to Spanish nationality, it is essential to gather documentation as soon as possible and avoid errors in the process.

In addition, although some cases have been out of this law, it is not ruled out that in the future there are new reforms that expand access to more descendants of Spaniards.