Changes to Citizenship applications under the Sephardic Jewish Ancestry regime
The Portuguese Government tightened the requirements to apply for Portuguese citizenship under the Sephardic Jewish Ancestry regime. However, the changes are not retroactive and do not impact past applications.
Even though the changes will not be retroactive, the new provisions will restrict the number of candidates to Portuguese citizenship. Applicants must now provide proof of effective connection with Portugal, such as the inheritance of a property in Portuguese territory, holding shares in a Portuguese company, or evidence of visits to the country.
The increased control on candidates is expected to drastically reduce the number of Portuguese citizenship candidates.
The Portuguese President has already rubber-stamped the legal change, and the diploma was published on March 18th, 2022. The new regime will come into force on April 15th.
The new Decree-Law also introduces changes to other citizenship regimes. The changes apply to all applications pending on the date of its entry into force, except for applications based on Sephardic Jewish Ancestry.
Suspicion of foul play in the citizenship process of Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich triggered the change in legislation. The billionaire was granted Portuguese citizenship in 2021. A criminal inquiry into granting citizenship to Roman Abramovich started in January by the prosecutor’s office. The investigation led to Porto’s Jewish Community’s rabbi, Daniel Litvak, being detained for questioning in connection to crimes of money laundering, corruption, and forgery of documents.
The Porto Jewish Community decided to no longer offer services in relation to the certification of Sephardic Jewish Ancestry.
Close to 57,000 descendants of Sephardic Jews have been granted citizenship since the regime was implemented in 2015.
We advise all potential applicants to prepare and file their applications as soon as possible to secure their rights under the previous regime.
Our team has extensive experience assisting clients with applying for Portuguese citizenship under the Sephardic Jewish Ancestry regime. For assistance, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.
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