Sephardic Jewish Ancestry Rules

The path to citizenship via Sephardic ancestry has become significantly stricter. As of 2024/2025, applicants must now prove a genuine connection to Portugal, which usually requires 3 years of legal residency in the country.

Simply proving ancestry via a certificate from the Jewish Community of Lisbon (CIL) is no longer sufficient on its own. This change effectively merges this route with the standard residency-to-citizenship timeline.