Descent for Sephardi Jews

 

Citizenship by descent

 

Portuguese Citizenship by descent is available to Sephardi Jews, who may be entitled to citizenship through naturalization, if able to satisfy the requirements.

 

Requirements

 

Certificate issued by the Portuguese Jewish Community:

The applicant must first obtain a Certificate from the Portuguese Jewish Community which attests to his/her ties to a

Sephardic Jewish Community of Portuguese origin.

Evidence of the applicant’s family history of connection to a Sephardic Community of Portuguese origin, by means of family names, language, direct or collateral descendance, or other elements which are indicative of this connection, may be direct and circumstantial.

Direct evidence may be provided by means of the following: family records, family tree, community archives of births, marriages and deaths, cemeteries and lists of tombs, or other Jewish traditions evidenced and recorded, general Government archives that show arrivals from Portugal, lists of ships and passengers arriving from Portugal.

Circumstantial evidence may be provided by means of any type of proof, provided that all of such elements of proof, when considered collectively or individually, in combination with direct evidence, will serve to convince the Committee.

Means of proof: documented evidence, testimonial evidence and expert evidence.

 

Other requirements

 

A clean criminal record.