Portuguese Citizenship

Is it still possible for new applicants to obtain a Portuguese passport? In 2022, new regulations came into force, which set a high bar of requirements, preventing most descendants of Spanish expellees from obtaining Portuguese citizenship. In light of petitions filed in the Portuguese court against the new regulations, it is possible to try and…

Are children and family members of Portuguese citizens eligible for a Portuguese passport? The Portuguese citizenship law has been modified recently, making it harder for new applicants to obtain Portuguese citizenship (who were previously eligible under the more lenient conditions). However, minor children, as well as spouses (whether married officially or by common-law), of Portuguese…

Is a recommendation letter from the Jewish community in Porto or Lisbon enough to acquire Portuguese citizenship? A recommendation is currently a mandatory first step on the path to acquiring citizenship for descendants of Sephardic Jews, but the bureaucratic process still take several years after this point. Furthermore, following the recent scandal, the government of…

Looking to get a residence visa to Portugal? Well, you can receive one by making a significant investment in the country. The Portugal Golden Visa Program gives residence permits to non-EU citizens if they have made a significant investment in Portugal. It is also known as the residence permit for investment activity. The rules that…

Why are Moroccan Jews Eligible for a European Passport? Moroccan Jewry, as a group, is eligible to apply for a Portuguese passport. This article clarifies said eligibility based on a historical view as well as a legal perspective. Our law office specializes in obtaining Portuguese passports for Moroccan Jews as well as other descendants of…

This FAQ – Sephardic Jews and Portuguese citizenship, addresses many issues regarding applying for Portuguese citizenship as a descendant of Sephardic Jews. It also includes links to longer articles on the topic. This issue has been increasingly addressed in the news, and we will provide details on various topics below.  Why should I apply for…

The discovery of the American continent coincided with the expulsion of Jews from Spain and Portugal. On the basis of historical records, it has been claimed that the expedition lead by Christopher Columbus was funded with the help of money stolen from Spanish Jews. From the year of the expulsion, 1492, and for several hundred…

Not many of us in Israel know that Moroccan Jews incorporate descendants of exiles from Spain and Portugal. For hundreds of years, they preserved the Sephardic traditions that were customary in medieval Spain. This being the case, Moroccan Jewry is considered to be the largest Sephardi diaspora in the years before the establishment of the…