They denounce in Spain falsification of documents for grandchildren

The Diocesan Historical Archive of Ourense has denounced falsification of documents related to the Democratic Memory Law, or grandchildren’s law, and which implies Cuban descendants.

Through an interview offered to Spanish media, Pablo Cid, responsible for the Brotherhood, has confirmed that there is a lucrative business with the documentation provided by the Antillanos.

An extremely lucrative business

The archive, an entity responsible for managing the files of Spanish descendants in Galicia, confirmed that the documents are sold in Cuba for a value of three thousand euros, when only 10 euros are charged for paper.

Likewise, Cid explained that the Spanish consulate on the island has begun to ask that the files issued by the file are signed by the vicar. This measure is due to the fact that a large number of falsified documents were identified in the largest of the Antilles.

And, from the promulgation of the Democratic Memory Law, better known as the Law of grandchildren, thousands of Cubans began to look among their ancestors with that Spanish grandfather who gave them the nationality of the European country.

Immediately, little scrupulous individuals saw a gold mine on this occasion and processed the necessary documents before the archive, which only charged 10 euros for the process. However, in Cuba that same role could be quoted for up to three thousand euros.

Contrary to what you can believe, this lucrative business also had «headquarters» in Spain, where law firms and «advisors» charge this exorbitant amount to the desperate Cubans.

«We charge 10 EUR, but we know that then they are reversed for 200 or 300 euros,» explained the person in charge of the file.

What is the Diocesan Historical Archive of Ourense

The Diocesan Historical Archive of Ourense is an entity nestled in the Autonomous Community of Galicia and for centuries it has registered births, weddings, baptisms and deaths of Galicians.

According to Cid, more than 12 thousand parochial books with the information of the 700 community churches are counted in its records. Because this brotherhood has been working for more than five centuries, sometimes it is difficult to find the information of the applicants.

«Many files have been lost over time or in fires, as in Trails and Barbadás,» said Cid.

A race against the clock

Until March 2025, more than 300,000 Cubans have requested Spanish nationality through the grandchildren’s law. This law allows the descendants of exiled Spaniards after the civil war and the Franco dictatorship opt for Spanish nationality.

However, the Spanish government announced that You will only receive documentation for the processing of nationality until October 2025. In this sense, Cubans begin to fear that the bureaucracy prevailing in both countries makes it impossible for them to present the documentation on time to those who still expect response to their requests.