OPORTO, Portugal, January 11, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --
An American former model and descendant of renowned Rabbi Joseph Karo, who lived in Portugal and Spain in the XVth Century became the first person to obtain a certificate from the Portuguese Jewish Community.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150111/724251 )
According to the Regulation of the Portuguese Nationality Law, the applicant for Portuguese Nationality must first obtain a Certificate from the Portuguese Jewish Community which attests to his/her ties to a Sephardic Jewish Community of Portuguese origin. A request for this Certificate must be addressed to the Jewish Community of Oporto or to the Jewish Community of Lisbon.
In the case of the American former model, currently business analyst and poet, she requested the certificate from the Jewish Community of Oporto, providing documented and testimonial evidence and has now received the certificate. Many others have addressed their requests for certificates to the Jewish Community of Oporto. Their cases and documents are currently being evaluated.
The request for a Certificate issued by the Committee of the Jewish Community of Oporto should be addressed by the applicant, or an attorney acting for the applicant, by digital means to the following email address: portuguesenationality@comunidade-israelita-porto.org. Evidence of the applicant's family history of connection to a Sephardic Community of Portuguese origin may be provided by means of any type of proof, such as documented evidence, testimonial evidence and expert evidence.
Once the applicant has received a Certificate from the Portuguese Jewish Community attesting to his/her ties to a Jewish Sephardic Community of Portuguese origin, it is prudent that he/she seek legal advice in the preparation and submission of the documents required for application to the Portuguese Government for Portuguese nationality. It is not necessary for the candidate to come to Portugal in person to obtain Portuguese citizenship. The average time it takes from the moment a request for Portuguese Nationality is submitted to the Portuguese Government and Portuguese Nationality is granted is approximately 4 months.
On July 3, 2013, the Portuguese Parliament approved the bill, amending the Nationality Law that allows descendants of Portuguese Sephardic Jews to apply for Portuguese nationality. The bill was introduced by Maria de Belem Roseira (President of the Socialist Party) and was approved unanimously in the Portuguese Parliament. The Regulation of the Nationality Law will be approved next Thursday, January 15, 2015.
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