Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on October 9, 2019

What is the law regarding Portuguese citizenship for Sephardic Jews?

In 2015, a new law was introduced (Decree-Law 30-A/2015) in regard to the right to Portuguese citizenship for Sephardic Jews.

When referring to Sephardic Jews, this specifically refers to the descendants of the traditional Jewish communities of the Iberian peninsula. This new law means that the Portuguese government may grant citizenship to the descendants of the Sephardic Jews who were expelled from Portugal during the fifteenth century.

This new opportunity for Portuguese citizenship for Sephardic Jews is now being widely used and can be a great legacy to leave your family. Acquiring a European passport can open up access to a whole world of new possibilities, particularly from a country like Portugal. The country has been ranked as having the third most powerful passport in the world and is also in the midst of an economic boom, with a stable political environment which makes it incredibly attractive to investors.

In this article you will find all the information you need to about obtaining Portuguese citizenship for Sephardic Jews:

This opportunity is not just restricted Jewish people, Portuguese speakers, or residents of Portugal. Any descendant of Portuguese Sephardic ancestry may apply, regardless of nationality.

Under the law you can apply for Portuguese citizenship as a person of Sephardic descent if you comply with the following conditions:

The history of Sephardic Jewish communities in the Iberian Peninsula goes back hundreds of years, before the foundation of the Christian Iberian kingdoms.

After the Alhambra Edict of 1492 up until the late fifteenth century, many of these Jewish communities became the subject of persecution under the Spanish Inquisition, at which point many took refuge in Portugal.

King Manuel, who initially issued a law guaranteeing their protection, later rescinded and ordered the expulsion of all Jews who did not undergo Catholic baptism. Many Jews were therefore expelled from Portugal during the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries.

These communities then established themselves in other countries such as the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Turkey, parts of North Africa and later in the Americas, in Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and the US.

Click here to find out the most common surnames for Sephardic Jews from Portugal.

Despite their expulsion from the Iberian Peninsula, many Sephardic Jewish communities have to this day retained not only their use of the Portuguese language but also many rites of traditional Portuguese-Jewish worship, as well as surnames, objects, and documents proving Portuguese origin.

Those of Sephardic Jewish descent may be granted citizenship by the Portuguese government if they fulfill specific requirements. In these cases, the acquisition of nationality always depends on a decision made by the Minister of Justice.

Any application for citizenship must be accompanied by the following documents:

This is a certificate issued by officials of a Sephardic Jewish community which is recognized under Portuguese law. In order to obtain a certificate, the following documents may be requested:

The certificate must include the following information:

In the absence of a certificate, other evidence may be submitted:

If there is any doubt as to the authenticity of the contents of the documents sourced abroad, the relevant Jewish authorities in Portugal may provide judgment on the evidence.

There are just 5 steps to the process of applying for Portuguese citizenship for Sephardic Jews:

After Portuguese citizenship has been granted, you can then obtain a Portuguese ID card or request a Portuguese passport. A Portuguese passport will give you freedom of movement throughout the Schengen zone and the UK, with no need for a visa. You can also travel visa-free to 183 countries around the world.

Sefarad, from Hebrew, means Spain. Therefore Sephardic means from Spain. The term Sephardic is used to describe the Jewish people who lived in the Iberian Peninsula up until 1492, and their descendants.

Yes. Anyone who is of Sephardic ancestry can apply, so long as they can provide supporting documentation to prove this is the case.

Evidence can mean family names, language, or direct descendence.

The Sephardic diaspora around the world is composed of a number of different surnames, in the UK and the Netherlands specifically these are the most common:

Abrantes, Aguilar, Andrade, Brando, Brito, Bueno, Cardoso, Carvalho, Castro, Costa, Coutinho, Dourado, Fonseca, Furtado, Gomes, Gouveia, Granjo, Henriques, Lara, Marques, Melo, Prado, Mesquita, Mendes, Neto, Nunes, Pereira, Pinheiro, Rodrigues, Rosa, Sarmento, Silva, Soares, Teixeira and Teles.

In Latin America the following names are also common:

Almeida, Avelar, Bravo, Carvajal, Crespo, Duarte, Ferreira, Franco, Gato, Gonalves, Guerreiro, Leo, Lopes, Leiria, Lobo, Lousada, Machorro, Martins, Montesino, Moreno, Mota, Macias, Miranda, Oliveira, Osrio, Pardo, Pina, Pinto, Pimentel, Pizarro, Querido, Rei, Ribeiro, Salvador, Torres and Viana.

In addition, other parts of the world these Sephardic Jewish names are also common among descendants of the Portuguese community:

Amorim, Azevedo, lvares, Barros, Basto, Belmonte, Cceres, Caetano, Campos, Carneiro, Cruz, Dias, Duarte, Elias, Estrela, Gaiola, Josu, Lemos, Lombroso, Lopes, Machado, Mascarenhas, Mattos, Meira, Mello e Canto, Mendes da Costa, Miranda, Moro, Mores, Mota, Moucada, Negro, Oliveira, Osrio (or Ozrio), Paiva, Pilo, Pinto, Pessoa, Preto, Souza, Vaz and Vargas.

The principal means of proving Sephardic Jewish descendence is through the obtention of a certificate from the relevant Jewish community. The certificate should attest to the Sephardic ancestry of the applicant.

Jewish Lisbon Community http://www.cilisboa.org/

Jewish Porto Community http://comunidade-israelita-porto.org/x#

Applicants may find that it takes some time to prepare their application, as acquiring the necessary evidence and documents can take a while. After the application for citizenship has been submitted it is reviewed by the Central Registry Office. This process usually takes about six months.

As Portuguese nationality for Sephardic Jews is granted at the discretion of the Minister of Justice, there is a possibility that the Ministry can choose not to grant citizenship to the applicant. Your chances of obtaining citizenship are greatly increased when aided and properly instructed with the correct legal support.

If you are denied Portuguese citizenship as a Sephardic Jew, there are other ways to obtain Portuguese citizenship. One of these is through the Golden Visa program. This scheme is one of the most popular residency-by-investment programs in Europe and could give you residence in Portugal with an investment of just250,000.

Click here to find out more.

It is always advisable that the application process for Portuguese nationality is started as soon as the Jewish community certificate is issued.

If you need expert advice on residency and citizenship in Portugal, Global Citizen Solutions can help.

Get in touch to speak to one of our team.

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Portuguese citizenship for Sephardic Jews - Global Citizen ...

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