Sephardic Jewish Ancestry and Portuguese Citizenship — Update

Since the 2015, thousands of applications for Portuguese citizenship were submitted with the Portuguese Authorities based on Sephardic Jewish ancestry.

In 2017, a total of 1713 applicants were naturalized and are now Portuguese citizens.

This group constitutes the largest group of non-residents who received a Portuguese passport that year and nearly 10 percent of the total number of people who became Portuguese citizens that year. The figures for the year 2018 are still being assessed and will be known shortly.

The success of the regime, however, created some issues in the processing the applications.

In fact, increasing number of applicants led to a backlog. Thus, due to high demand, and due to being short on staff, the Portuguese Authorities recently launched a platform where an applicant can check the status of its application. In order to have access to the platform, a password is required and can be obtained in person or by a lawyer who oversees the application process.

We highly recommend contacting your representatives to request such password. Furthermore, being represented by a specialized lawyer is key to obtain accurate advice on how to apply for Portuguese citizenship.

Please contact us should you require any assistance.

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