My name is David Mendoza. I am a Sephardic genealogist in London. Currently most of my work is helping applicants for Portuguese citizenship due to Sephardic ancestry.
I have myself obtained Portuguese citizenship. So far, I have a 100% success rate with my clients as I only work for those who I believe have a realistic chance of success. Of course, I cannot guarantee that any application will be successful as this is out of my hands.
Who qualifies for “Sephardic Portuguese Citizenship”?
There has been a major change to the Portuguese nationality law for Sephardim in 2022. Read the report by the Sephardic Genealogical Society.
The nationality concession is for people who can prove they have an ancestor from the Iberian peninsula. This is different from the Israeli meaning of Sephardic as “not Ashkenazi”
You need to show an ancestor belonging to an Iberian Sephardic diaspora community. You do not need to trace back to medieval Spain or Portugal, which is probably impossible. You do not need to prove your ancestors came from Portugal, simply that they were Iberian Sephardic.
There are three Iberian Sephardic sub-groups:
- Megorashim: These are the Jews of northern Morocco and parts of Algeria. Members of this community migrated all over the world.
- Eastern Sephardim: These are the Jews of the Ottoman Empire which includes modern Turkey, Greece, the southern Balkans, Syria and Lebanon. Members of this community migrated all over the world.
- Western Sephardim: These are the Spanish & Portuguese Jews of London, Amsterdam, etc. Members of this community migrated all over the world. Ashkenazim whose ancestors lived for generations in England may, without knowing it, have some Sephardic ancestry.
There were significant migrations, including to Egypt in the second half of the 19th Century, and to western Europe and the Americas. Remember that not everyone in mixed communities such as in Egypt and Syria had ancestors from Portugal and Spain.
You have 32 great-great-grandparents. You only need to definitively prove the Sephardic origin of one of them.
Do I need a lawyer?
I am not a lawyer, am not legally qualified, or qualified to offer immigration advice. I have shared my views and advice on hiring a lawyer here.
Do I need to be Jewish or belong to a synagogue?
No. The requirement of the law is to prove Sephardic ancestry, not that you are yourself Jewish. However, your religious status may impact where you choose to apply in Portugal.
What is the process for Sephardic Portuguese citizenship?
Expressed simply:
1. You need to obtain a letter from an overseas synagogue confirming your Sephardic ancestry. Ideally this will be a Sephardic congregation who know what they are talking about. Generally, you need to show them your genealogical evidence.
2. Initially by email, you need to submit the letter and evidence of Sephardic ancestry to an authorised synagogue in Portugal. If successful, they will issue you with a certificate confirming your Sephardic ancestry.
3. You send the certificate with other documents to the Portuguese Ministry of Justice. You can watch the progress of your application online. If successful, they will inscribe you as a Portuguese citizen.
There will be a cost at each step of the way.
My Service
If you hire me, I shall research your direct line Sephardic family tree for you, including obtaining and organising the necessary evidential documents as required for the application. However, I need you to supply documents for yourself and your parents.
For Western Sephardic I can generally trace back to the early 18th Century, sometimes earlier. Eastern Sephardic and Megorashi genealogy can be more challenging as archives have been destroyed, confiscated or scattered. I have developed methodologies to work around gaps in records.
Costs
I charge a fixed fee for research. Assuming you do not use a lawyer then I would expect your total costs (including me) – from start to finish of the application – to be up to US$4,000 for a single applicant, but perhaps less than US$1,500/person when an entire family applies at the same time.
The process can be slow. From start to finish I have heard of applications as fast as six months and as slow as two years. We are in strange times, but I would estimate that around eight or nine months in average. You do not need to visit Portugal during the application process, but you may need to go to your local Portuguese consul-general to get one document signed.
What about children and spouses?
Again, I am not legally qualified. The Portuguese consul-general should be able to advise.
I believe that adult children, those over 18, can apply in their own right.
I believe that once you obtain Portuguese citizenship (which is delivered in the form of a Portuguese Birth Certificate), you can then obtain a Portuguese identity card and passport. With your Portuguese identity card you can register your children and spouse with the Portuguese authorities. I have been told that spouses get Portuguese permanent residency in their own right after three years, but don’t know if this is correct and if it requires then to be in Portugal. Human rights law bans families from being split up, so I think there is unlikely to be a problem unless someone has a criminal record.
Of course, Portuguese citizenship gives you the right to live and work in all European Union countries.
Ashkenazim of Sephardic ancestry?
Many Ashkenazim have traditions of Sephardic ancestry. If you have ancestors in London or Amsterdam, it may be worth doing some digging. You only need to find one Sephardic ancestor.
If you are Ashkenazi with a family tradition of distant Sephardic ancestry, please see the Poland page.
About me
I am Sephardic genealogist in London, and well-known within the little world of Jewish genealogy. I have been a consultant on genealogy TV programmes in the UK, New Zealand and the United States, have appeared several times on the BBC. Also, The Economist, The Times of London, and the genealogy media.
Get in touch about Sephardic Portuguese citizenship!
If you are interested in discussing Sephardic Portuguese citizenship, you can contact me at [email protected]
Please remember to tell me:
- Your full name
- Where you live
- Where your Sephardic ancestors came from
- Any remembered names, dates and places of Sephardic ancestors
- Any other indications or memories indicating Sephardic ancestry. These might include languages, food, documents, family memories.
Unfortunately I am not qualified to help Ashkenazim and Latin Americans who have traditions of distant Sephardic ancestry, but no obvious links to the community. It would not be ethical to take your money for highly speculative research. Likewise, people who believe they may have ‘Sephardic DNA’, please read the genetic genealogy page.
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