Spain revives bill offering nationality to Sahrawis born under its rule

Spain’s parliament has revived a bill that would open a special route to citizenship for Sahrawis born in the Sahara under Spanish administration, after Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares publicly backed the measure and lawmakers moved to end more than a year of delays.

The Justice Committee’s working group is due to meet on Tuesday to prepare a report on the proposal, one of the final steps before it can return to the full Congress of Deputies for debate and approval.

Spanish media have identified July 23 as a possible date for the plenary vote, during an extraordinary summer sitting. The date, however, has not been formally confirmed, and Congress still lists the proposal at the committee report stage.

The bill was introduced by Sumar in March 2024 and cleared its first parliamentary hurdle in February 2025, when 195 lawmakers voted to consider it. The Socialist Party, the senior partner in Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s coalition government, opposed it at the time.

That position shifted this week when Albares told Congress he was “completely in favour” of granting Spanish nationality to Sahrawis born while the territory was administered by Spain. He denied that the government had blocked the bill and said Spain should also maintain the best possible relationship with Morocco.

The proposal would recognise exceptional circumstances allowing eligible applicants to receive nationality by discretionary grant, known in Spanish law as carta de naturaleza, even without legal residence in Spain.

Its precise scope remains subject to negotiation. The original proposal covers Sahrawis born before Spain formally ended its presence in Western Sahara on February 26, 1976. Amendments submitted by Sumar and other groups would extend the eligibility period to August 11, 1977, when a one-year option created by a 1976 decree expired.

Several amendments would also allow first-generation descendants to apply after a parent obtains Spanish nationality.

Lawmakers have proposed accepting several forms of proof, including old Spanish identity documents, the 1974 Spanish census, the United Nations referendum census, Spanish civil records and documents showing employment, schooling or medical treatment under the former administration.