Portugal Toughens Citizenship Rules for Sephardic Jews Following Abramovich Scandal

Recently, the President of Portugal, Marcelo de Sousa, ratified changes to the existing legislation. These changes effectively heightened the requirements for Portuguese citizenship to be granted to the descendants of Jews who were forcefully expelled from the nation towards the end of the 15th century.

As per the revised amendments, prospective applicants will now have to showcase proof of their connection with Portuguese Jews. But that’s not all, they are now also mandated to reside within the country for a minimum duration of three years before they can be considered eligible for obtaining citizenship.

The move to tighten the legislative requirements comes in the wake of a scandal involving billionaire Roman Abramovich. Abramovich was granted a Portuguese passport under the provisions of the pre-amended law. However, it’s crucial to highlight that the ensuing investigation did not uncover any infractions committed by the Jewish community of Porto, who offered their assistance to Abramovich in his bid to secure Portuguese citizenship.