The designation of the Sephardic Jews refers to the descendants of the traditional Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula. The presence of these communities in the península has its beginning even before the formation of the Iberian Christian kingdoms.

After the Edict of the Alhambra in 1492, these communities were persecuted by the Spanish Inquisition and many of its members took refuge in Portugal, who in 1496 were also expelled from that country.

The Law nº 37/81 of October 3rd “Nationality Law” and the Decree Law nº 237ª/2006 of December 14th “Regulamento da Nacionalidade Portugesa”, updated by DL 43/2013, DL 30-A/2015 and DL 71/2017, which have as main objective to recognize the Portuguese nationality to those persons who prove their Portuguese Sephardic origin and the procedure to follow, describe the process and steps to complete the procedure successfully.

• Adult or legally emancipated.

• Not having been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment of three years or more under Portuguese law.

• To have sufficiently accredited for its links with a Sephardic Jewish community of Portuguese origin.

Specific

Certificate issued by the Israeli community in Lisbon or Porto. The burden of proof is on the applicant. Different means of proof can be provided:

• Personal documents: Records, documents of family ceremonies, weddings, funerals, registers of Jewish communities etc.

• Genealogical: Your family tree should contain indications of dates and places of birth, death and marriage of ancestors.

• Testimony: Letter from the Rabbi of your Jewish Community.

• Ladino speech: Evidence of mastery of that language.

• Expert historical report: Mainly intended for Jewish converts. We can put you in touch with experts of guaranteed experience.

General

• Complete copy of your passport, certified and apostilled or legalized.

• Birth certificate, apostilled or legalized.

• Apostilled criminal records from those countries where you have been a legal resident (residence of more than 90 days) since the age of 16.

• Marriage or divorce certificate. If your name has been modified from how it appears in your birth certificate, you must provide apostilled documentation.