Increased interest in Portuguese citizenship by Sephardic Jews

At the end of March 2015, Decree-Law No. 30-A / 2015 of February 27, which allows the granting of Portuguese citizenship to descendants of Sephardic Jews, entered into force.

According to Ana Mendes Godinho, Secretary of State for Tourism, since the beginning of the program, approximately 33,000 applications have been filed and Portuguese citizenship has been awarded to over 7,000 Sephardic Jews. In the first 4 months of the year, 7,000 orders have already been placed, which is in addition to the almost 14,000 registered in 2018, thus increasing interest in this program.

There are several reasons why Sephardic Jews ask for our nationality, such as:

• The opportunity to circulate in the Schengen area with the Portuguese passport;
• Want to invest and live in Portugal;
• Sentimental reasons (family in Portugal, preserve traditions, among others).

If you are a Sephardic Jew and interested in acquiring Portuguese nationality, you can read more here to learn how.