Project threatens Portuguese citizenship for the community of Sephardic origin
According to a report in the Colombian newspaper The Time, the Portuguese government is expected to permanently eliminate citizenship for descendants of Sephardic Jews. The proposed reform of the Nationality Law has already passed its first reading in Parliament, and the final vote has been postponed until September.
The text is expected to be approved from the third week of the month, as indicated by the specialized office Martins Castro. If confirmed, the measure will end more than 12 years of validity of the Sephardic route — a path that made access to European nationality possible for thousands of Latin Americans, especially from Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, Mexico and Argentina.
“In Colombia, historical studies indicate that up to 80% of the population of Antioquia may be entitled to nationality, given the strong presence of Sephardic descendants,” he states. Melina Gil, lawyer and Head of Operations at Martins Castro.
Currently, the process is administrative, without interviews, and requires documentary proof of Sephardic ancestry—based on genealogy, birth certificates, and historical connections with those expelled from the Iberian Peninsula during the Inquisition. Read the full article. on here.
If the reform is approved, citizenship based on Sephardic origin will no longer be a stand-alone criterion. Instead, requirements such as a minimum residency of 5 to 10 years and stricter criteria, including the possibility of revocation in the event of crimes, will apply.
Those who have already initiated the process will remain subject to current legislation. For others, the guidance is clear: act immediately.
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