Over 600,000 Cuban citizens have applied for Spanish citizenship under the Ley de Memoria Democrática, the law approved in October 2022 by the first government of Pedro Sánchez, which expands citizenship options for descendants of Spaniards.

The updated data, published by the Cuban website 14ymedio, edited by blogger Yoani Sánchez, shows a much higher increase than the initial estimates of the General Council for Spanish Citizenship Abroad (CGCEE), which had forecast around 350,000 applications in Havana. The final total includes both formally submitted applications and appointment requests, the latter representing the largest portion of the applications.

Currently, 350,000 citizens in Cuba are already registered as Spanish, while over 400,000 applications are still awaiting a call date. This unprecedented volume risks putting severe pressure on the consular network.

According to Violeta Alonso, president of the CGCEE, completing all the procedures could take "many years" due to inadequate infrastructure and chronic staff shortages at consular offices.

The surge in applications confirms Cubans' growing interest in Spanish citizenship, despite long waiting times and complex procedures.

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