The Council of Ministers grants Spanish nationality to Julissa Reynoso

The Council of Ministers granted Spanish nationality by letter of naturalization to Julissa Reynoso Pantaleón, former United States Ambassador to Spain, in view of the “exceptional circumstances” pertaining to her person. The decision was formalized in Royal Decree 969/2026, of November 4, and is published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) number 277, of November 6, 2026, with the official reference BOE-A-2026-23318.

The regulation, signed by King Felipe VI and countersigned by the Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Courts, Félix Bolaños García, appears in section III of the gazette (“Other provisions”), under the heading “Spanish Nationality” of the Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Courts, on page 149520.

A discretionary route requiring Government agreement

The text of the decree specifies that the grant was adopted “at the proposal of the Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Courts” and “following deliberation by the Council of Ministers at its meeting on November 3, 2026.” The resolution is dated November 4, 2026, one day after that deliberation.

The letter of naturalization is the route by which the State grants nationality on a discretionary basis, regardless of the ordinary residency requirements, and requires an agreement from the Council of Ministers. The decree does not detail the specific merits motivating it: it limits itself to invoking those exceptional circumstances.

Royal Decree 969/2026 sets two conditions: the beneficiary obtains nationality “with civil residency of Common Law” and the grant “shall take effect according to the requirements, conditions, and deadlines provided for in the Civil Code.”

Seven grants in the same issue of the gazette

The grant to Reynoso Pantaleón does not appear in isolation. The same issue number 277 contains a block of seven nationality decrees, all dated November 4, 2026:

• Royal Decree 965/2026 (BOE-A-2026-23314), to Félix Alejandro Maradiaga Blandón.
• Royal Decree 966/2026 (BOE-A-2026-23315), to Umanzor López Baltodano.
• Royal Decree 967/2026 (BOE-A-2026-23316), to Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio Mapy.
• Royal Decree 968/2026 (BOE-A-2026-23317), to Stefano Mandozzi.
• Royal Decree 969/2026 (BOE-A-2026-23318), to Julissa Reynoso Pantaleón.
• Royal Decree 970/2026 (BOE-A-2026-23319), to Hernando de Jesús Herrera Mercado.
• Royal Decree 971/2026 (BOE-A-2026-23320), to Marco Aurelio Quiñones Gómez.

This volume is common for this route: in the issue of October 23, 2026, the BOE published dozens of decrees of this type, including those from Royal Decree 870/2026 to Royal Decree 915/2026.

From the Embassy to the Grand Cross of Isabel la Católica

The BOE had already identified the beneficiary as “Ambassador of the United States of America to Spain” in March 2025, upon the publication of the bilateral agreement on cooperation in the deployment of security agents on flights between both countries (BOE-A-2025-4910), which she signed alongside the then Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska Gómez.

Previously, Royal Decree 828/2024, of July 30 (BOE-A-2024-15826), had granted her the Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic, at the proposal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation and following deliberation by the Council of Ministers.

The publication of these types of decrees is the only procedure that makes public the identity of the beneficiaries of the carta de naturaleza (naturalization letter), as the prior file is not disseminated. In this case, the public interest in the name lies in her diplomatic career and the bilateral link she represented.

Source: Official State Gazette, no. 277, November 6, 2026, sec. III, page 149520 (official reference: BOE-A-2026-23318).