Spain: Those born in the Sahara before 1975 are not automatically entitled to get Spanish nationality

The Spanish Supreme Court ruled that the fact to have been born in Western Sahara before 1975 does not mean eligibility to acquire Spanish nationality, since the Sahara could not be considered Spanish at the time of colonization, reported Spanish news agency EFE.

The First Chamber of the Supreme Court dismissed the cassation appeal against a judgment concerning the application for Spanish nationality made by a complainant born in Western Sahara in 1973, explains the Spanish News Agency.

Spanish justice considers that Western Sahara was not part of Spain in accordance with Spanish regulations approved in 1975 and 1976. It affirms that the Sahara “had never been part of the national territory.”