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In depth
The Ministerio de Justicia (Ministry of Justice) is the Spanish government ministry that processes citizenship applications under the Ley de Memoria Democrática and other citizenship laws. It is based in Madrid.
For Memory Law applications, the Ministerio de Justicia reviews the application, may request additional evidence, and ultimately issues a resolution granting or denying Spanish citizenship. Processing time is currently 12-24 months.
Applications can be filed electronically through the Ministerio's portal or in person at the Spanish consulate of the applicant's jurisdiction. Ancestra typically files through Spanish counsel by power of attorney.
Related terms
The Ley de Memoria Democrática (Democratic Memory Law, 2022) is the Spanish law that opened citizenship to descendants of Civil War and Franco-era exiles.
The Registro Civil is the civil registry in Spain and Latin American countries that maintains records of births, marriages, and deaths.
The Ley de Memoria Histórica (Historical Memory Law, 2007) was the predecessor Spanish law granting citizenship to descendants of Civil War exiles, replaced by the 2022 Democratic Memory Law.
Sephardic citizenship is the Portuguese (and formerly Spanish) path to citizenship for descendants of Sephardic Jews expelled during the Inquisition.
The Inquisição (Portuguese Inquisition, 1536-1821) was the persecution that expelled Sephardic Jews from Portugal, whose descendants are eligible for Portuguese citizenship.
The Comunidade Israelita (Jewish Community) of Lisbon or Porto issues the certificates of Sephardic ancestry required for Portuguese citizenship applications.