Non-Jews and Sephardic Citizenship

Many clients have come to us inquiring about non-Jews and Sephardic citizenship, namely the eligibility of non-Jews to apply for this in Spain and Portugal, as many others have done. At the present our law office focuses on helping applicants obtain Portuguese citizenship, and it’s important to note that one does not need to be Jewish in order to apply for this process.

Non-Jews and Sephardic Citizenship – Who Can Apply

The term “Sephardic” refers to descendants of Jewish people who lived in the Iberian Peninsula before the end of the 15th century. Those with Sephardic ancestry are eligible to apply for citizenship according to the Sephardic Law, which does not discriminate based on one’s current religious status. What is important is whether or not one can prove their Sephardic ancestry, which we discuss in the linked article.

The main way one proves Sephardic ancestry is through obtaining a letter from the Jewish community in Portugal (either the Jewish community in Porto or Lisbon), indicating that they accept your proof of ancestry. We help numerous clients obtain this particular letter. Once one has this letter, they can proceed with the application process for Portuguese citizenship according to the Sephardic law.

This Series of Articles

We provide numerous articles about Portuguese citizenship on our website for the convenience of our clients. These include, among others, documents needed to apply for Portuguese citizenship based on Sephardic Law, what to do if you’ve had multiple residences prior to applying, obtaining citizenship for one’s spouse and children, how long the process takes, some of the costs involved, what to do if you’ve had a name change, and applying for citizenship with a criminal record.

Contact Us

Our law firm has over 30 years of experience in immigration law. We would be happy to help you obtain Portuguese citizenship as smoothly and quickly as possible. Feel free to contact us with any questions or to begin the application process.