Portuguese Parliament approves repeal of Sephardic Citizenship Law

The Portuguese Parliament (controlled by the Government’s Socialist Party majority) voted in favor of the Socialist Party Government’s proposal to amend the existing law pertaining to the acquisition of citizenship by descendants of Portuguese Sephardic Jews. This decision, however, comes with the understanding that various political parties intend to suggest modifications during further deliberations not only for the Sephardic ancestry route but other citizenship articles.

The approved legislation, scheduled to take effect on January 1st, 2024, entails the repeal of the provision that granted citizenship through naturalization “to the descendants of Portuguese Sephardic Jews, based on the demonstration of a tradition of belonging to a Sephardic community of Portuguese origin, supported by verifiable criteria connecting them to Portugal.

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