Law 20/2022, on Democratic Memory
Ley 20/2022, de 19 de octubre, de Memoria Democrática
Gave children and grandchildren of Spaniards who lost or gave up Spanish nationality through exile as a result of the Spanish Civil War and Francoist dictatorship (broadly 1936–1955) a route to Spanish nationality by option. The window to file closed on 22 October 2025, confirmed with no further extension; only applications filed before that date, with a CSV confirmation code, continue to be processed.
What this law actually does
Eighth additional provision: grants an option right to Spanish nationality for children and grandchildren of Spaniards who lost their nationality due to exile linked to the Civil War and dictatorship.
The application window ran three years from the law's entry into force and closed on 22 October 2025 — confirmed with no further extension.
Only cases filed before the deadline, with a CSV confirmation code, continue processing under the old rules; no new applications can be filed under this route.
This law is one piece of the Spain eligibility picture. See the full overview for how it interacts with disqualifiers, documents, and timelines.
Spain eligibility overviewGet alerts when this law changes
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