Grandchildren's Law and Spanish nationality: traffic jams and staff shortages reported at the Consulate in Havana

The second most backward Consulate is the one located in the Cuban capital. The Spanish press reported thisuneThe traffic jams and lack of personnel at the Havana Consulate to rigorously and quickly process applications for Spanish nationality under the so-called Law of Grandchildren (Law of Democratic Memory or LMD).

The approval of the Democratic Memory Law In October 2022, it opened the door to thousands of descendants of exiled or emigrated Spaniards to obtain the Spanish nationality.

This provision, popularly known as grandchildren law, was promoted as an act of historic justice three years ago, so it was created with a two-year validity period and could then be extended for another year, which was done and will remain in effect until October of this year.

The president of the Government, Pedro SánchezHe emphasized that this legislation sought to "pay off a debt of gratitude" to those who supported democracy, although he acknowledged that it was a measure that came "too late."

Since then, nearly 680 thousand people they started the process to obtain Spanish nationality through the Law of Grandchildren, thousands of them in Cuba, at the Consulate in Havana.

However, almost two and a half years after its entry into force, Only 30% of applications (around 200.000) have been officially registered at Spanish consulates. Only 3.800 applications have been denied, leaving more than 474.000 applicants on a long waiting list.

One of the main factors that explain this delay is the lack of personnel and technical resources in several consulates, especially in cities with high demand.

Havana, one of the slowest consulates for applying for Spanish nationality

The Consulate of Spain in Havana Cuba, is among the most congested, along with that of São Paulo, Brazil.

Currently, the consulate in Havana takes up to 10 months in sending the necessary credentials so that applicants can request an in-person appointment, an essential first step in processing Spanish nationality, according to regulations.

The situation continues to generate frustration among Cuban applicants, who denounce long waiting times, administrative delays and lack of staff to handle the volume of applications. Havana is the consulate with the second highest number of applications in the world, surpassed only by Argentina.

Meanwhile, in São Paulo, 55.000 requests presented, only registered 2.500, which represents an alarming 4,5% progress.

The high number of backlogs highlights the urgent need to strengthen human and technical resources at the most in-demand consulates.

Both descendant organizations and emigrant groups have called on the Spanish government to take immediate measures to expedite the process and ensure that the rights recognized in the Democratic Memory Law are not hindered by administrative deficiencies.

And although They have even promised to open more consulates in Cuba, Resources should be focused on Havana and streamlining the processes that remain on the waiting list to obtain Spanish nationality under the Grandchildren Law.