The Portuguese Nationality by Sephardic Origin is acquired following the Decree-Law N30-A/2015 of 27th of February, which grants the possibility of acquiring the Portuguese Nationality by Sephardic Origin. The descendants of the ancient Jews and the traditional Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula, or better said of Portugal and Spain, are designated as “Sephardic Jews”. It is a Decree Law of Historical Reparation that seeks to repair the damage caused to the Sephardic who were expelled from the Iberian Peninsula in the 15th century.
We must remember that on October 1st, 2019, the Spanish law, which provided the same benefit to its applicants came to an end, with a total of 132,000 applications submitted during the period. Currently, those who did not apply for the Spanish Nationality by Sephardic Origin can petition for the Portuguese, since both nationalities provide the same benefits as they are EU members.
When talking about the process of the Portuguese Nationality by Sephardic Origin, there are many benefits as:
The right to live, work, and study in any EU country,
Traveling to more than 185 countries without the need for a visa,
Free mobility in the Schengen area, with 26 countries,
Family members will have the same benefits,
It is important to note that this procedure presents multiple differences as for the process of the Spanish Nationality by Sephardic Origin, for example:
NO need to travel to Portugal at any stage of the process,
NO need for a language proficiency or cultural examination,
NO need to speak Portuguese,
NO links with Portugal.
The procedure is easier than in Spain and the benefits are countless. There is not yet a final deadline to submit the application for nationality, but we recommend that everyone who wants to carry out the process do it as soon as possible to avoid a change in the law that may affect one’s application.
If you are interested in obtaining your Portuguese Nationality by Sephardic Origin you only need to enter www.troislaw.com/pasaporte-portugues-pre-estudio and download the pre-study corresponding to your country of origin.
For more information, please contact us at asesores@troislaw.com
Rashel Segal