EnglishLet’s talk about the window of opportunity you currently have, and it allows you to give your children and you a future where all possibilities are open and the sky is the limit.
Currently, the law of deportees from Spain and Portugal grants anyone who can prove that is a descendant of Jews deported from Spain, the right to receive Portuguese citizenship. Recently, a bill was tabled in the Portuguese government aimed at restricting the conditions for applying for Portuguese citizenship to the descendants of deportees from Spain and Portugal. Currently this is only an offer – but if it passes, starting in January 2022 will require proof of residence in Portugal from anyone applying for citizenship under the Spanish and Portuguese Deportees Act. Today there are more than 3 and a half million Israelis who are entitled to Portuguese citizenship, an entitlement based on an affiliation with the deportation from Spain and Portugal. Portuguese citizenship offers many options such as the opportunity to live, work, invest in real estate, and study with partial or full subsidy in the leading academic institutions in Portugal and other European countries belonging to the Union, alongside the opportunity to move freely across Europe and enjoy all social conditions like any European citizen. Does not allow minors under the age of 18 to apply for Portuguese citizenship, hence one of the most common questions among those interested – will they be able to obtain citizenship after their citizenship and their minor children? The answer is yes – spouses and minor children can also apply for citizenship. So, how does it work? The Portuguese Citizenship Law stipulates that any applicant who has completed the citizenship process and received the Portuguese birth certificate will be entitled to apply for citizenship for his or her minor children and / or spouse. Sounds promising? Seemingly yes, but in life things are not really that simple. The law does grant the right to apply for citizenship, but defines a number of criteria for its implementation. The main criteria before applying for citizenship for a minor or spouse, a marriage registration must first be made with the Portuguese authorities. Only after this registration can the citizenship application be submitted. The requirement underlying the application for citizenship for a spouse and / or minor is to prove which of them is related to Portugal. The main affiliation on which the application is based is actually the parent or spouse who is already registered as a Portuguese citizen, so at this stage, all that is left to do is strengthen the affiliation. The options available to us to strengthen the connection are, among other things, by knowing the language / studies / contributing to state regulations / residence and more. One of the exceptions in the law for applying for citizenship for spouses is the requirement to prove marriage over three years. With respect to applications for minors it appears that there is a lower requirement to prove additional affiliation in children under the age of 14. In addition, for minors an application for Spanish citizenship (exempted from a language test) can also be submitted. How long does the process take? So in the first stage a marriage registration has to be done in the Portuguese authorities – the average time to complete the registration is three months. Next, if we want to apply for a minor birth registration, we need to distinguish between two cases, the first is a minor born after the parent is registered as a Portuguese citizen in which case the registration is only formal and the child will be born as a Portuguese citizen. In the second case these are children born before the parent registered as a Portuguese citizen, in this case, the average duration of the process is one year, less often and more often. As for the registration of the spouse’s birth, the length of the process is about a year and a half to two years and it is advisable to start the process only after the registration of the minor children, as their very registration strengthens the connection to Portugal. I will conclude that minor children and married couples over the age of three, can also obtain Portuguese citizenship. If you, who are reading this, have already become citizens of Portugal – congratulations!! It’s time to take care of the nuclear family too! And if you are not yet in the process, or not sure why you should start the process, then I will add that you are not only opening yourself the opportunity to work, study or live in any of the EU countries, but you are opening the door to the rest of the family. As a family you can enjoy the possibility of relocation (even temporary) in any of the EU countries! Any one! You can work freely in Europe and enjoy full social conditions without fear of immigration authorities. And if that’s not enough, with the European passport you no longer need to get or extend a visa to the United States, you can just fly with your passport and your business people, you can easily invest in business and real estate in the country as a citizen and enjoy banking and mortgage financing options. This good and full of possibilities – together as a family! So ask yourself today, do I want to feel in a year and a half that I missed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? Do I want to buy and give my children a life full of options? Do I want my children to grow up with an entire generation that already has European citizenship and they do not? And finally, before you ask us “why yes” – ask yourself “why not?!”
