Dimitrov claims that around 300 families in Spain retain memories of their Bulgarian origin from that period.
[2] After World War II, a small number of Bulgarian political emigrants fleeing the communist regime settled in Spain.
[2] Among those emigrants was a large part of the Bulgarian royal family, including the deposed child monarch Tsar Simeon II of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, who was granted asylum by Francisco Franco in 1951.
By 2002, around 10,000 people had been officially registered as legal Bulgarian emigrants, though the number of illegal immigrants was thought to be much larger.
In the early 21st century, substantial Bulgarian communities were formed in Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga, San Sebastián, Valladolid, Palma de Mallorca and other cities.