If you have these surnames, you can receive Spanish citizenship and a passport in 2025.

To obtain Spanish nationality and subsequently a passport , you can generally choose nationality by residence, nationality by choice, or nationality by descent . After obtaining nationality, you can apply for a Spanish passport. But recently, it was revealed that some surnames can "facilitate the process." Is this true? What did the official authorities say?

According to Law 20/2022, on Democratic Memory (October 21, 2022), matters related to nationality by ancestry are included in the Eighth Additional Provision.

This section allows: " Those born outside of Spain to a father or mother, grandfather or grandmother who were originally Spanish, and who as a result of exile have lost or renounced Spanish nationality, may opt for Spanish nationality by origin."

In this regard, there is no mention in this law or in complementary regulations that considers surnames as a valid indicator or criterion for claiming citizenship. It is common to see lists of "favorable" surnames on the internet (such as Acevedo, Fernández, Jiménez, etc.), but the Spanish government has officially denied these lists: they are hoaxes, without any legal basis.

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For its part, the Spanish newspaper La Razón suggested that several consulates and descendants' associations have identified common surnames among applicants who have successfully obtained citizenship.

"Last names such as García, Pérez, Fernández, Rodríguez, and López are among the most common. Other less common names with strong regional roots have also been identified, such as Echeverría and Aramburu (of Basque origin), Romero and Domínguez (from Andalusia), and Suárez and Alonso (from the northern Iberian Peninsula)," they concluded.

In conclusion, the law does not use or mention surnames as a criterion . To claim citizenship through this means, family ties must be proven (birth certificates, marriage certificates, proof of exile, etc.), but having a "commonly Spanish" surname is not sufficient as a legal basis.

(READ: Four foods with more potassium than bananas that help prevent cramps) 5 key points about Spain's Democratic Memory Law 20/2022

1. Recognition and reparation The law recognizes the victims of the Civil War and the Franco dictatorship, declares the regime's political trials and convictions illegitimate, and promotes their moral and legal reparation.

2. Right to nationality. This allows descendants of Spaniards exiled for political, ideological, or persecution reasons to obtain Spanish nationality by origin, without having to reside in Spain. This applies primarily to children and grandchildren.

3. Abolition of Francoism: Declare the Franco regime illegal and force the removal of symbols, monuments, noble titles, and street names linked to the dictatorship.

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4. Exhumations and Memory The State assumes responsibility for locating and identifying missing persons and those buried in mass graves. A DNA bank and an official census of victims are established.

5. Education and historical archives Democratic memory is incorporated into educational plans and public access to historical archives related to this period is guaranteed.