Portuguese citizenship for Sephardic Jews

The procedure for obtaining Portuguese nationality for the descendants of those Sephardim expelled from the Iberian Peninsula has the following differences respect to the Spanish one:

• It does not require knowledge of the Portuguese language.
• It does not require having a special personal connection with Portugal.
• It does not require taking exams or knowledge tests.
• There is no need to move at any point in the process.
• The Portuguese law is currently in force indefinitely.

The obtaining of the Portuguese nationality for Sephardic Jews and/or their direct descendants must be carried out through two different procedures:

1. Procedure before one of the Hebrew Communities of Portugal (Lisbon or Porto) competent to assess the documentation and family origin of the applicants and to issue an official certification of Sephardic origin.

2. Procedure to formally apply for Portuguese Nationality before the Portuguese Ministry of Justice.

Portuguese nationality gives its holder the same rights as any citizen of the European Union.

Who can apply?

This request can come from all the descendants of Portuguese Sephardic Jews who justify their belonging by tradition to a Sephardic community of Portuguese origin on the basis of objective criteria attesting their link to Portugal, including their surname, the language spoken in their family, a direct or collateral relationship.

The applicant must be of legal age and have not been the subject of a judgment of the final sentence for a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term of not less than three years, under Portuguese law.

How long does this process take?

The duration of the procedure is estimated at 14 months and will depend on the responsiveness of the candidate to provide the required documents as soon as possible.