Portugal Citizenship By Descent For Americans

Documents Required For A Descendant Of Portuguese Parents

If you are the child of Portuguese parents, the following shows the documentation you will need to show during your application:

• A long-form birth certificate. This must contain all information regarding your birth as well as your Portuguese parent’s names
• A valid Portuguese passport belonging to your Portuguese parents
• A valid ID card belonging to your Portuguese parents
• A parent’s birth registration certificate. A birth certificate of a non-Portuguese parent must also be authorized by the Government of the country of their birth via Apostille
• A marriage certificate (if required).

The reasoning behind providing birth certificates is to show the line of descent. This means that the parent’s material relationship must be shown on your birth certificate.

Therefore, if your parents got married outside of Portugal, the marriage must have been registered in Portugal before you will be able to apply for Portuguese citizenship.

If your parent’s marriage has yet to be registered in Portugal, they will need to visit the consulate. Also, if your parents were not married by the time you were born, they are required to have an ‘Acknowledgement of Paternity’, shown as a signed document.

This must contain both of your parent’s signatures, and it also needs to establish your legal father’s identity. They must also have conducted paternity confirmation while you were a minor.

Documents Required For A Descent Of A Portuguese Grandparent

If you are the child of Portuguese grandparents, the following shows the documentation you will need to show during your application:

• A birth certificate that had authentication of an Apostille. This has to prove your parents’ claim to you parentally while you were a minor.
• A birth registration certificate for your parents and your Portuguese grandparents. This document needs to establish your grandparents’ parental claim to your parents when they were minors.
• Valid documentation that demonstrates you have a thorough understanding of the Portuguese language.
• A valid foreign criminal record certificate. This has to be issued by your country of birth, the country of your nationality, and all of the countries that you have been a resident of since you were age 16. Should your certificates not be in Portuguese language, you need to attach a copy that is translated for each certificate. However, you need not submit a criminal record certificate in Portuguese.

Proving Proficiency In The Portuguese Language

You can prove your connection to the Portuguese community through evidence that you have a thorough knowledge of the Portuguese language. The following documents are all accepted forms of evidence:

• A certificate of approval for an exam that has been issued by a Portuguese public or private school.
• A certificate of proficiency in Standard European Portuguese as a second language issued by any authorized Portuguese evaluation center.
• A diploma issued by any accredited Portuguese private or public school.
• A certificate of approval in an exam that has been issued by the Portuguese Consulate from a time when you were living abroad. You need to have taken the Portuguese proficiency exam from the CAPLE (Center of Evaluation of Portuguese Language) in Portuguese or another country in which an exam center can be found.

Alternatively, if you attended a public or private school in a country that speaks Portuguese, you can provide your school Diploma.

However, if you are not literate, you could provide other evidence demonstrating a knowledge of the language.

Step 1: Determine If You Are Eligible

The first step towards citizenship by descent is to ensure that you are eligible. You need to be certain that your family ties to a Portuguese citizen can be easily traced by blood and have plenty of verified evidence.

You should make sure that your parent/grandparent has birth information registered with the Portuguese civil registry as well. Doing so can authenticate your claim to be a Portuguese descendant. You should also ensure at this time that you can establish a consistent, active connection to the Portuguese community.

Step 2: Prepare Your Documents

The documents you need to obtain your Portuguese citizenship will depend on the line of descent that connects you to Portugal. A birth certificate will also be needed to prove your claim of descent. Any documents you have that are not written in Portuguese will need to be translated.

Should you be applying on behalf of a minor under 14 years old, you need not provide the child’s ID documents; this is only required for a minor between 14 and 18 years of age.

Step 3: Fill Out Your Application

Download the relevant application form and fill it out as appropriate. The form will be a medium for making your declaration of interest in becoming a Portuguese citizen official.

For this reason, make sure that all of your information is accurate and can be verified. Any false information provided is punishable by Portuguese Law. The application must also be filled out in Portuguese.

Step 4: Apply For Your Citizenship

Your application for Portuguese citizenship is either in person or through the mail. If you apply for a child under 14 years of age, it is possible that you will have to visit the Consulate in person.

If it is ideal to request Portuguese nationality via mail, you will need to download and complete an application form specific to your situation. Once done, you can send it to the Central Register Conservatory. Every application will be specific to the line of descent.

When applying on behalf of a minor, you will be required to appear in person at the Consulate, but the minor does not attend with you.

Step 5: Pay The Fee For Application

The fee for the application to become a citizen of Portugal through descent will be €175. Yet, be aware that this fee can vary due to exchange rates as well as other charges that may come into place due to additional charges for consular services.

You may be required to pay via debit card, postal order, at the consulate, or via a Portuguese bank check in Euros.

Processing Time For Portuguese Citizenship Applications

The time it takes to process an application for Portuguese citizenship can be quite extensive. The amount of time this can take can be as long as a year or even two, and the decision can be either an approval or a rejection. This is because the process required to adequately process an application is complex, including checks conducted by various authorities and departments before a final decision can be made.

The specific circumstances of your situation will also be an influential factor in the time that it takes to get approval. Should an additional check be required, then there will be an extension on the processing time for your application.

However, once the authority relevant to your application makes a final decision, you will receive notification from the Portugal consulate.