Portuguese Parliament changes nationality policy for Sephardic Jewish descendants

LISBON - The Portuguese parliament on Friday approved changes to the system for granting nationality to descendants of Sephardic Jews, which include validation of the connection to Portugal by an evaluation or naturalization commission after three years of residence in the country.

At issue was the replacement text presented by the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Freedoms and Guarantees, which brought together legislative initiatives from the ruling Socialist Party (PS), opposition Social Democratic Party (PSD), Liberal Initiative (IL), Left Bloc (BE), Livre and People-Animals-Nature (PAN) Parties on various aspects of the Nationality Law.

The diploma was approved in the final overall vote with PS, IL, BE, PAN and Livre voting in favor, PSD and three Socialist MPs abstaining and right-wing populist Chega and the Communist Party (PCP), voting against. In the committee stage vote that preceded this vote, all the PSD's proposals were rejected.

According to the text approved today, the “certification of the demonstration of a tradition of belonging to a Sephardic community of Portuguese origin based on proven objective requirements of connection to Portugal (...) is subject to final approval by an evaluation commission appointed by the member of the government responsible for justice.”

This commission is made up of “representatives of the relevant services, researchers or lecturers at higher education institutions in Sephardic studies and representatives of Portuguese Jewish communities.”

Among the changes is also the suspension of the procedure for acquiring nationality when the applicant is subject to “restrictive measures approved by the United Nations or the European Union,” after cases of Russian tycoons subject to sanctions for the war in Ukraine who sought to obtain Portuguese nationality under this regime were made public.

The government can grant nationality to descendants of Sephardic Jews who demonstrate “a tradition of belonging to a Sephardic community of Portuguese origin, based on proven objective requirements of connection to Portugal, namely surnames, family language, direct or collateral descent” and who have resided in Portugal for at least three years, instead of the usual five.

In addition to issues relating to the regime for descendants of Sephardic Jews, the changes to the nationality law include the elimination of the age limit on access to nationality through membership, with PSD and IL seeing their proposals to this effect approved with the votes of the Social Democrats and Liberals, but also PAN and Livre, benefiting from PS's abstention.

While previously nationality could only be obtained if the affiliation was recognized up to the age of 18, now the affiliation established at the age of majority also allows Portuguese nationality to be obtained under certain conditions, namely when the affiliation occurs after legal proceedings, and the attribution of nationality must be requested within three years of the decision becoming final.

The surge of Israeli applicants began after Portugal passed its “law of return” in 2015, allowing the descendants of Portuguese Sephardic Jews who were expelled from Portugal in the 16th century to apply for nationality.

According to the latest figures, approximately 262,000 individuals had applied for naturalization under the law by the end of 2022, and around 75,000 were granted citizenship.

The Portuguese government had recently announced plans to end this policy in December 2023, declaring its purpose of reparation to be “fulfilled.”

For more information on requirements regarding granting Portuguese nationality through naturalization to the descendants of Portuguese Sephardic Jews, visit the Embassy of Portugal to the United States website.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Portugal changes nationality policy for Sephardic Jewish descendants