Documentary collections retrieved using information technology can help Brazilians of Portuguese descent to acquire dual nationality. After a year of studies, the team at Martins Castro, an international mobility consultancy in Lisbon, set up a database with more than one million metadata, which will facilitate the tracking of family origins for those who decide to carry out a genealogical research. In the country, it is estimated that there are five million grandchildren of immigrants from Portugal, according to information from Portuguese communities.
The study coordinator and partner at Martins Castro, Thiago Huver, says that these data, based on information science, have allowed the location of documents, essential to prove the nationality of these family members. There are documents from the National Secretariat of Agriculture and Colonization, from estancias and inns, from parishes and personal data of the families investigated so far. According to him, the union of several informational fragments is guaranteeing the proof of the entry of these immigrants in Brazil and their origins in Portugal.
In the 19th century, between the years 1890 and 1920, there was a strong migratory movement from Portugal to the states of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Pará and Rio Grande do Sul. Specialist in Private International Law, Huver explains that the great mobility of the Portuguese generated a set of notes in the Brazilian and Portuguese public administrations, in notary offices, conservatories and also private records. Currently, these documents are spread across different locations in both countries and many descendants are unable to locate them.
The genealogist and specialist in information resourcing from Martins Castro, Gabriel Dias, says that, at the end of the 19th century, the Portuguese arrived in Brazil without birth certificates and few had passports. Another factor that hinders the documentary search of these family members is the fact that until 1911 there was no civil registry in Portugal. Births and baptisms were carried out by the Catholic Church and, at the time, it was common to have 20 to 30 parishes per municipality or city.
Therefore, it is common to find groups of Portuguese descendants in the cities, who cannot prove their descent due to the lack of documentation. As these documents are no longer in the possession of the families, they were lost. “Many know that the grandparents are Portuguese and cannot find documentary evidence of the birthplace of the Portuguese immigrant. This harms those who seek dual citizenship”.
Dias comments that arrival records are fundamental pieces for the search for baptism records in Portuguese cities. Therefore, he believes that the innovation of the studies, which are being promoted by the Martins Castro team, is precisely in the historical research and in the use of specific software for the crossing of information, which allow tracking and data generation. “Our technological resources allow us to develop intelligence based on data. Thus, we were able to assess and understand the immigration flows, so that we mapped, within Brazil, where the Portuguese communities are, where they came from and when they were formed”, he explains.
For him, this work methodology, which mixes technology, genealogical research and legal services, has a social character, as it impacts the lives of people who now have the right to safe international mobility. “This work will help those who have multiple descendants to become a citizen of the European community due to their Portuguese origin”.
More than 15,000 grandchildren of Portuguese citizens in cities in Rio Grande Sul
With this data crossing, Martins Castro detected inns and ranches located in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande, Pelotas, Bagé, Passo Fundo, Ijuí, Charqueadas and Ilha dos Marinheiros, in Rio Grande do Sul, which also promoted this first reception. For this reason, according to Gabriel Dias, these places currently have several groups of Portuguese descendant gauchos.
According to him, initial estimates indicate that this research could benefit around 15,000 Portuguese grandchildren in the region, taking into account the area mapped so far. To get an idea, in 1940, the state of Rio Grande do Sul had about 6,127 Portuguese.
Dias recalls that the migratory process of the Portuguese to the southern region of Brazil is well known and is divided into two stages. The most robust and famous happened between the 16th and 18th centuries, with the move of thousands of residents from the Azores regions to the state. Between the end of the 19th century and 1920, there was another migration, this time by people from the northern region of Portugal, from the cities of Aveiro, Povoa de Varzim and Bairrada, who entered Brazilian territory through these cities in Rio Grande do Sul.
Portuguese citizenship
Portuguese citizenship is guaranteed by law for Brazilians with direct descent. The nationality law benefits children and grandchildren of Portuguese citizens. Among Brazilians, the search for Portuguese citizenship grew during the year 2020, when more than 20,000 applications were accepted by the government of Portugal, according to the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF). According to Thiago Huver, the main benefit of Portuguese citizenship is the possibility of moving around the world more smoothly and easily.
He explains that Portugal is a country with good international relations and, as a member of the European Union, Portuguese nationals have the right to move freely, work, study and retire in any country in the bloc. “In fact, having a Portuguese passport opens up many possibilities in other countries, such as the United States, Australia and Japan,” he says.
According to Huver, upon acquiring Portuguese nationality, Brazilian citizens can transmit it as an inheritance to their children. “As a Portuguese citizen, you now have the freedom to travel through the European Union, through the countries that are part of the Schengen Area, without bureaucracy with visas, problems with immigration, queues at airports and meeting deadlines. It is also possible to travel to the United States, Canada and Japan without the need for a visa”.
How to apply
The first step in applying for Portuguese citizenship is to know your family's ancestry and have supporting documents. For this, it is necessary to carry out a genealogical research in cases where the citizen does not have these documents. Thiago Huver comments that, sometimes, the Brazilian relative only has the names of the grandparents or great-grandparents and sparse information about the family's history in Portugal. According to him, Brazilians interested in discovering their origins can fill out a free form on the Martins Castro website (martinscastro.pt). “What we've been doing is prospecting what these records are, where they are and then we turn them into data. There is a lot of information and of various natures, so it is necessary to research and use technology to understand it. And, from that, constitute the genealogical proof so that the person can claim the rights inherent to their descent”.
Huver explains that, once genealogical research is feasible, the data grouping process begins. Then, the legal body analyzes the documents and then proceeds with the procedural steps for applying for Portuguese citizenship.
By Hamilton Nogueira