The Consulate of Spain in the country will grant new appointments so that more Argentines can be naturalized and obtain citizenship through the Grandchildren Law
For iProfessional
01/11/2023 – 8:35 p.m.
The Consulate of Spain in Argentina will make available to those interested in acquiring the citizenship of said country new shifts starting this Thursday, January 12. These appointments that you will be granting will be for those who want to start the process within the framework of the so-called Grandchildren Law.
Shifts will be enabled periodically, until all people who have the right to acquire citizenship, and want to, can do so.
The Democratic Memory Law, known as the Grandchildren Law, which came into force in October, aims to facilitate access to Spanish citizenship for children and grandchildren of people who were born in Spain and had to emigrate for political reasons during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco.
Grandchildren Law: who can apply for citizenship
The Democratic Memory Law is an initiative of the most progressive forces in Spanish politics, which tries to repair the long-term consequences and damage to Human Rights of the Franco dictatorship (between 1978 and 1983).
This means that will regain citizenship those people who, due to their political ideas, sexual preferences, religion, etc. they had to go into exile from Spain in that instance. It is their descendants who will be able to apply for citizenship, this time with no age limit.
The new Law: considers a victim of Francoism to be “a person who has suffered physical, moral or psychological damage, patrimonial damage or impairment of fundamental rights from the coup d’état of July 18, 1936 until the entry into force of the Constitution of 1978.”
Who will be the descendants who will be able to apply for Spanish citizenship?
They will have the right to “comprehensive recognition and reparation” by the State, as well as “compensation” for seized assets and economic sanctions produced for political, ideological, conscience or religious reasons during the Civil War and the Dictatorship.
likewise, Spanish women who lost it due to marriage will recover their citizenship with foreigners, something that happened before the Constitution was changed in 1987. Their families will also be able to access citizenship with this change that impacts the Immigration Law in force in Spain.
But it is worth saying that these changes will only be for a period of two years. The Spanish Congress will have the chance to extend it for one more year, in accordance with the aforementioned regulations..
What are the benefits of the Grandchildren Law
Those who meet the requirements can obtain Spanish citizenship and passport, with all the rights and benefits that this implies.
- Argentines who obtain it will be able to access the formal labor market and move freely through the Schengen area, the zone without border controls made up of 26 European countries: Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Slovenia, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece , Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic, Sweden and Switzerland.
- Those children of Spanish women who have married foreigners before the Constitution of 1978, and for that reason have lost the nationality of the European country, may also obtain Spanish nationality.
- The new law does not require an age limit to apply. Those interested do not need to live in Spain for a certain amount of time, but the process can be carried out from Argentina.
But it is worth saying that these changes will be for a period of two years nothing more
Grandchildren Law: what documents are needed to initiate citizenship
To start the citizenship application, they must present documentation taking into account the following items.
The children of Spanish emigrants
- Birth certificate
- Birth certificate of the father or mother issued by a Spanish civil registry (if they were born before 1870, a Spanish baptismal certificate)
The grandchildren of Spanish emigrants
- The same documents as in the previous case, together with the birth certificate of the grandfather or grandmother
Adult children of Spaniards whose nationality was recognized by option
- Birth certificate
- Birth certificate of the parent stating that they opted for the Spanish nationality of origin, or birth certificate of the applicant stating that they are the son of a Spanish national.
The management can be done through the Consulate of Spain. In Argentina there are offices in Bahía Blanca, Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Mendoza and Rosario. Those interested must attend by appointment that is requested through this link.
