International brigade members Spanish nationality Democratic Memory

Spanish nationality for international brigade members and their descendants

Democratic Memory Law art. 33

Law 20/2022, on Democratic Memory, in its article 33 establishes the granting of Spanish nationality to volunteer members of the International Brigades.

The Law allows access to Spanish nationality to volunteer members of the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War and their descendants. This supposes a recognition to the defense of the freedom and the democratic principles by which they fought.

“For the purposes of article 21.1 of the Civil Code, it is understood that exceptional circumstances exist in the volunteers who are members of the International Brigades who participated in the War from 1936 to 1939 for the acquisition of Spanish nationality by naturalization letter, and the law does not apply to them. requirement to renounce their previous nationality required in article 23.b) of the Civil Code. Likewise, it will be understood that the same circumstances concur in the descendants of the brigade members who prove a continuous work of dissemination of the memory of their ancestors and the defense of democracy in Spain.

It is important to note that, in this particular case, Spanish nationality is obtained without having to renounce your current nationality Y without having to take a Spanish language test, necessary requirements in other cases of recognition of Spanish nationality.

We are talking about more than 32,000 brigade members who fought for democracy, many of them, between 9,000 and 10,000, gave their lives on the battlefields.

Volunteers from 50 countries came to Spain to join the International Brigades, countries such as France, Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Poland or Germany, among others.
The procedure to apply for Spanish nationality is simple and you can start applying.

HOW CAN YOU APPLY FOR SPANISH NATIONALITY BY DEMOCRATIC MEMORY: alleged international brigade member?

They will be able to apply for dual Spanish nationality brigadistas and descendants of brigadistas that accredit a continuous effort to disseminate the memory of their ancestors and the defense of democracy in Spain.
If you want to know more about this Law, stay updated or find out how we can help you apply for Spanish nationality, please contact us through this form:

international brigade members

Military units made up of volunteers from more than 50 countries who participated in the war in Spain (1936-1939) within the army of the Second Republic

The International Brigades were military units made up of volunteers from more than 50 countries who participated in the Spanish War (1936-1939) within the army of the Second Republic. There is no agreement on the total number of brigade members who came to Spain; the figures oscillate between 35,000, which most authors accept, and the 59,380 that Andreu Castells gave in his 1973 work. There is also no information on the number of deaths, although here the figures differ less: between 9,000 and 10,000 left their Life in the fields of Spain. In any case, there were no more than 20,000 volunteers present at any one time.


During the Spanish war (1936-1939), more than 35,000 men and women from 53 different countries, grouped into the International Brigades, went to Spain to help the government of the Second Republic. Never in history has there been such an extraordinary case of international solidarity. Those young people came willing to give their lives to help the Spanish people whose rights and freedoms were threatened by Spanish and European fascism. More than 9,000 of them left their lives in the fields of Spain.


The city of Albacete was designated as the headquarters and training center of the Brigades under the command of the French communist leader André Marty, secretary general of the Third International. It was soon seen that, given the number of volunteers that were arriving, it was necessary to create training camps in the towns surrounding the capital: La Roda, Tarazona de la Mancha, Madrigueras and Villanueva de la Jara among others. The first Brigades, the XI and XII, were composed of French and Belgian, Italian, German and Polish. Then volunteers began to arrive from more than 50 countries around the world. According to official data from the BI headquarters at the end of August 1938, the troops that had arrived until then were the following:

A significant number of volunteers were Jews, a group that understood very well that the fight against fascism in Spain contributed to containing the rise of European anti-Semitism. Between 8,000 and 10,000 volunteers from many different countries (almost a third) were of Jewish origin, with very high percentages in the United States and Poland.

The following table reflects the composition of the BI at the beginning of 1938:


*Source: Association of Friends of International Brigades

Advantages of Spanish nationality by Law of Democratic Memory

Right to reside and work

Right to reside and work in Spain or in any country of the European Union, extendable to spouses and dependent children.

Courses and studies in the EU

Take undergraduate or postgraduate courses at European universities, with the rate for EU citizens.

powerful passport

Visa-free entry to countries that do not require a visa for Spaniards. 2# most powerful passport in the world according to Passport Index.

Right to Public Health

Right to Public Health in cases of urgency, in case of not having medical coverage in the country of habitual residence and universal health if you reside in Spain.

Protection in consulates

Protection in Consulates of Spain in other countries.

Without giving up your current nationality

It is not necessary to renounce your current nationality, it is a dual nationality.

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