Last April 6, 2023, the Portuguese Council of Ministers approved a bill involving amendments to the Portuguese Nationality Law in force since 2013, with the aim of including new provisions for the processing and obtaining of this privilege. Specifically, the new legal norm would provide for the inclusion of issues inherent to migratory law such as the demonstration of connection with Portugal and the presumed establishment of a deadline for the procedures.
The aforementioned Portuguese nationality law of 2013, which in itself is also an amendment to the Nationality Law No. 37/81 of October 3, 1981, included among its novelties the possibility of granting Portuguese nationality to those persons who were proven descendants of Sephardic Jews, with the intention of making historical reparations to the harsh policy of harassment and forced conversions promoted by King Manuel I (1495-1521) against the Jewish community.
Now, the new additions approved ten years later provide greater precision in this regard. Historical reparations in themselves imply a finiteness or a limit as to the number or quantity of persons who would benefit from the rule.
What does this mean?
This means that, as a result of this reform, new procedures are required so that the application for Portuguese nationality has a greater chance of success.
These requirements, which had already been announced since Decree Law 23/2022 in force since September 2022, have to do with the ownership or inheritance transmitted by mortis causa of real estate, as well as some other type of real right, and the realization of frequent trips to the country, in order to demonstrate that the applicant has an effective connection with Portugal.
Click here to to learn more about the links with Portugal that Sefar Universal can offer you.
So this new Nationality Law, now with more requirements and with an established time limit, will necessarily mean an acceleration in the applications for Portuguese nationality by Sephardic descent. If we take into account that by the end of 2021 there were an estimated 140,000 applications and 57,000 approvals, it is foreseeable that such numbers will see an exponential increase in the coming months.
Recommendations for obtaining Portuguese nationality
Now more than ever, a legal and genealogical advisory service is needed so that applicants who are interested in this benefit can opt for it and thus materialize the expansion of their horizons and reconnection with their historical past.
If you and your family are of Sephardic descent, this is the opportunity to opt for your Portuguese nationality and transcend borders with Sefar Universal, lawyers and genealogists.
To start your application process for Portuguese nationality click here.
