As a form of historical reparation, Portuguese legislation, through the Organic Law No. 1/2013, of 29 July and the Decree-Law 30-A / 2015, of 27 February, began to grant Portuguese nationality, by naturalization, to the descendants of Sephardic Jews, a hypothesis foreseen in the art. 6th, nº 7 of the Nationality Law, Law nº 37/81, of 03 October.
The Sephardic Jews they are the descendants of the old and traditional Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain). From the end of the 15th century, the Sephardim began to be persecuted by the Portuguese and Spanish State and Inquisition, being forced to convert to Catholicism, under pain of being expelled from their territory, a fact that caused the flight of thousands of Jews to several countries: Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Middle East, etc.
YOU CAN START YOUR GENEALOGIC TREE.
Martins Castro has a team of lawyers with experience in cases of Portuguese nationality through the Sephardic way. The office is also made up of historians, researchers and genealogists, who work in investigating and proving the genealogical link with Sephardic Jews, through the development of genealogical research.
How to apply for Portuguese nationality?
Step 1: Genealogical study
To find out if you have the legitimacy to apply for nationality, you should first investigate whether you have Sephardic ancestry. Having confirmed the family bond, which has no limit on generations, a genealogical study will be prepared, a document with all direct and indirect proofs of the genealogical connection. The investigation is carried out by the historians and genealogists of Martins Castro.
Step 2: CIL or CIP certification
After the identification of the Sephardic Jewish descendants and the elaboration of the genealogical study, the research is submitted to the Israelite Community of Lisbon (CIL) or the Israeli Community of Porto (CIP), competent institutions to certify the genealogical research of the candidate for citizenship, as determines the art.24-A, paragraph 3, point c) of the Nationality Regulation Portuguese.
With the validation of the genealogical study, an official certificate is issued, proving the tradition of belonging to a Sephardic community of Portuguese origin, a necessary document to initiate the procedure of Portuguese nationality in the competent bodies.
YOU CAN START YOUR GENEALOGIC TREE.
Step 3: Conservatory
With the certification that proves the Sephardic origin, the last stage of the nationality process begins, with the nationality application to the Minister of Justice, which must be submitted in one of the conservatories of the Institute of Registries and Notaries - IRN.
The order must also be filed as arts. 18th and 24th-A of DL nº 237-A / 2006 and, in a complementary way, in sparse legislation.
As determined by the art. 42º, nº 1, item a) of DL nº 237-A / 2006, other documents may be requested by the conservator, in which case the applicant will have a period to respond.
Related legislation:
– Organic Law No. 1/2013;
– Nationality Law, Law No. 37/81, of 03 October;
– Decree-Law 30-A / 2015.
