Ten years ago, the Spanish government introduced citizenship options for individuals with Sephardic Jewish ancestry, and tens of thousands, particularly from Latin America, have taken advantage of the opportunity, each paying the filing fee of $5,700.
According to figures from Spain’s Justice Ministry, over 72,000 individuals of Sephardic Jewish descent have obtained Spanish citizenship over the past decade. That’s $410,400,000 going into Spain’s coffers.
Under Spanish law, Sephardic ancestry includes not only biological or adoptive parents but also extends to grandparents, great-grandparents, and even great-great-grandparents.
In 2015, Spain passed a law granting descendants of Sephardic Jews who were expelled from the country in 1492 the right to claim Spanish nationality. Historians estimate that at least 200,000 Jews lived in Spain before the Catholic Monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand forced them to either convert to Christianity or leave the country under threat of death.
The new law permitted dual citizenship, offering an opportunity to anyone who could prove they had a Jewish ancestor expelled from Spain. Applicants were not required to be practicing Jews or even Jewish themselves, nor did they need to reside in Spain. However, they were required to pass a basic Spanish language and citizenship exam.
As of December 31, 2024, nearly a decade after the law had been passed, a total of 72,199 applicants were granted Spanish citizenship through their Sephardic ancestry.
However, 7,189 applications were rejected, and an additional 9,361 remain pending. These rejections and the backlog have caused frustration among many applicants, especially Americans.
The data from the Ministry of Justice also reveals interesting trends about the origins of Sephardic Jewish applicants. The highest number of approved citizenships came from Mexico, with 23,634. Colombia followed with 18,436 successful applications, then Venezuela (9,168) and Argentina (5,142).
3,938 Israeli applicants secured Spanish citizenship through the law, along with 2,344 Americans, 2,055 Panamanians, and 1,099 Brazilians.
