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The celebration is over: the Portuguese passport is no longer available Israel today

2022-05-08T13:37:13.996Z


In recent years, Portuguese citizenship has become a hit among Israelis, tens of thousands of whom have taken advantage of the conditions that make it easier to accept. Much more difficult • "Some companies active in the field warn in advance that the money may go down the drain," say Israelis who have considered applying for a passport


In recent years, Portuguese citizenship has become a sought-after commodity among many Israelis, and it is estimated that tens of thousands have applied for and even obtained a Portuguese passport.

Now the celebration has come to an end, as the Portuguese government has decided to change the law and tighten the regulations that Israelis who need the country's passport will have to comply with.

Israel Today has learned that although the change in the law is expected to be officially made only in September, and apparently there should have been no harm to Israelis who submitted the application before, Israelis are already facing significant difficulties in obtaining Portuguese citizenship.

The end of the Portuguese passport ?, Photo: Shimon Yaish

Passport applications are stuck

"I submitted the application through the Jewish community in Porto in January 2021, after my brother received Portuguese citizenship, and although it has been almost a year and a half, my application is still stuck in the first phase out of seven," Adv. Yiftach Dabush of Yavneh told Israel Today. The Portuguese who handled his case made it clear to him that the process of obtaining citizenship had become more complex, and finally, after failing to advance the application, severed ties with him. 

Another Israeli citizen, who asked to remain anonymous, said that the office she contacted for the purpose of handling the citizenship issue made it clear to her that she had to take into account that the procedure might fail, in which case she would have to give up 50 percent of her money.

"I was told that in the past they would have pledged a full refund in case the client had not been granted citizenship, but now the situation has changed - the Portuguese have tightened the conditions very hard so the firm can not pledge a full refund."

In order to obtain citizenship, documents confirming the applicant's Portuguese or Spanish origin must be obtained from the Jewish community in the country.

Advocate Yoni Yedid, from the law firm of David Yedid Lawyers and Notary, told Israel Today that "the difficulties stem from the fact that the Jewish community in Porto, which was considered very facilitative in everything related to the issuance of required documents for citizenship, stopped its activities following an investigation." To corruption.

"At the same time, the community in Lisbon, which was initially considered much more strict and therefore only a small minority of Israelis turned to, decided to further tighten the conditions for processing applications even before the new law came into force, apparently to insure itself against allegations of irregularities. Long-term experience in applications submitted through the Lisbon community and were more complex, but since the conditions in the Porto community were much easier, we were the only ones in the field who also worked with Lisbon. To issue citizenship. "  

The new requirements for the prestigious passport - knowledge of the Portuguese language, holding a bank account in Portugal and owning a property in the country

In a telephone conversation we had with one of the companies handling Portuguese citizenship, in which they were interested in the possibility of obtaining a passport, a similar picture emerged: we were told that the chances of success in the process decreased, although each case was examined individually and some Israelis may still win the desired passport.

It was further explained that if to date the applicant is not required to prove actual affiliation to Portugal beyond his last name, then the new legislation will include significant requirements for proving affiliation, such as knowledge of Portuguese language, holding a bank account in Portugal, ownership of property in the country and possibly physical presence.

It will probably be enough to meet only one of the requirements or some of them and not all of them, but it is still not clear what exactly the legislation that will come into force on 1 September will look like. 

The Portuguese passport has become a hit among Israelis as it provides the opportunity to live and work in all EU countries, and until recently was considered relatively easy to obtain.

In 2015, as part of a correction of a historical injustice, the Lisbon Parliament enacted a law granting significant relief in obtaining citizenship to descendants of Portuguese and Spanish Jews deported from the countries from the end of the 15th century.

As mentioned, the requirements for proving an affinity for the place were quite lenient, and in fact almost any Jew whose last name was included in an extensive database of names published by the Portuguese and Spanish governments could gain Portuguese citizenship.

However, following the lenient demands, a corrupt industry developed around the issuance of passports, which also allowed Jews who did not meet the threshold conditions to gain citizenship in exchange for a monetary payment, until the Lisbon government decided to put an end to it. 

Assistance in issuing a passport in exchange for a contribution to the community - the entanglement of the Jews of Porto

The Portuguese authorities are specifically angry at certain elements in the Jewish community in Porto, who claim to have made the issuance of the necessary documents for obtaining citizenship a business for all intents and purposes.

At least some of those involved in the issuance of the documents are Israelis who have moved to Portugal in recent years, and a political source who spoke with "Israel Today" said that this fact intensified the diplomatic embarrassment caused to Israel. 

As mentioned, for Israelis who coveted a Portuguese passport, the community in Porto has become the almost exclusive default when it comes to obtaining citizenship, but the stick ratio had a monetary price.

"Israel Today" has received a document with an official logo of the Porto community, demanding that Portuguese citizens apply for a "donation" to the community.

From conversations with Israelis who have applied for citizenship and visits to websites that deal with the process, it appears that the amount of the requested "donation" reaches hundreds of euros per person, and it is required to obtain the documents confirming the applicant's origin. 

The City of Porto, Photo: Getty Images

It should be noted that charging a fee for locating and issuing documents is an accepted and legitimate practice, but here it is clearly stated that this is a "donation" that amounts to hundreds of euros for each citizen applying.

In light of the fact that tens of thousands of Israelis have applied for citizenship, the community - and presumably also specific individuals in it - has amassed millions of dollars, and this has been icing on the cake in the eyes of the Portuguese authorities who have decided to change the law.

This problematic conduct made headlines in Portugal after Russian-Israeli billionaire Roman Abramovich managed to obtain citizenship with the help of Porto community rabbi Daniel Litvak - even though Abramovich Ashkenazi's origins were therefore in doubt about his affiliation with the Spanish and Portuguese communities.

Abramovich eventually managed to escape the suspicion that he had acted illegally, but the Portuguese police continued their investigation against Rabbi Litvak on suspicion of issuing many other permits in exchange for bribes.

From here, as mentioned, a snowball began to roll which eventually led to a considerable hardening in the conditions for obtaining a Portuguese passport

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Source: israelhayom

All news articles on 2022-05-08

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