Changes to Portugal Citizenship System

The Portuguese parliament has approved amendments to the process of granting nationality to descendants of Sephardic Jews, now requiring validation of their connection to Portugal through an evaluation or naturalization commission after three years of residency.

The Committee on Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Freedoms, and Guarantees introduced the revised text, incorporating proposals from various political parties, including the ruling Socialist Party (PS), the opposition Social Democratic Party (PSD), Liberal Initiative (IL), Left Bloc (BE), Livre, and People-Animals-Nature (PAN) Parties.

The final vote saw approval from PS, IL, BE, PAN, and Livre, with PSD and three Socialist MPs abstaining, while Chega and the Communist Party (PCP) opposed the changes. Earlier, all proposals from PSD were rejected in the committee stage vote.

Under the approved text, certification of Sephardic heritage is subject to evaluation by a commission appointed by the justice minister, comprising representatives from relevant services, researchers or lecturers specializing in Sephardic studies, and representatives of Portuguese Jewish communities.

Changes also include suspending nationality acquisition for applicants subject to UN or EU restrictive measures, a response to cases like Russian tycoons seeking Portuguese nationality amidst sanctions related to the Ukraine conflict.

The government may grant nationality to Sephardic descendants meeting specific criteria and residing in Portugal for at least three years, down from the previous five. Additionally, age restrictions on nationality through descent have been eliminated, allowing affiliation to be recognized beyond the age of 18 under certain conditions.

The surge in applications followed Portugal’s 2015 “law of return,” enabling descendants of Portuguese Sephardic Jews expelled in the 16th century to seek nationality. Around 262,000 individuals applied by 2022’s end, with approximately 75,000 granted citizenship.

The government had announced plans to end this policy in December 2023, citing fulfillment of its reparative purpose. For details on Portuguese nationality requirements for Sephardic descendants, visit the Embassy of Portugal to the United States website.

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