For about a decade, Israelis of Sephardic descent had an unusually accessible second passport within reach: Portuguese citizenship by Sephardic ancestry. Some applicants — including spouses, in certain routes — obtained it within a year, with no requirement to speak Portuguese or ever visit Portugal. As of 2026, that route is closed. This guide explains what changed and what’s left.
Important: This is general information, not legal advice. Immigration law is changing fast in Portugal right now — confirm your specific situation with a qualified Portuguese immigration lawyer before relying on anything here.
What happened#
Portugal created the Sephardic-ancestry citizenship route in 2015, to offer redress to descendants of Jews expelled during the Inquisition. It became popular well beyond Portugal, including among Israelis.
The route was then wound down in stages:
- December 2022 — new applications effectively closed following controversy over high-profile applicants; tighter rules and a cutoff were introduced.
- May 2026 — Portugal’s President signed a new Nationality Law (in force 19 May 2026) that formally abolished the Sephardic route. The Jewish Community of Lisbon stopped accepting submissions from 4 May 2026.
So: no new Sephardic-ancestry applications are being accepted.
If you already applied#
Applications filed before the December 2022 cutoff continue to be processed, on a chronological basis, under the previous law. If you have a pending pre-2022 filing (with documentation from a recognised Jewish community such as Porto or Lisbon), it should still proceed — but timelines are long, so check the status with your lawyer or the community that certified you.
What alternatives remain#
If you don’t have a pending Sephardic application, the realistic Portuguese options are now the ordinary ones:
- Citizenship by descent (parent or grandparent): If you have a Portuguese parent or grandparent, these routes are largely unchanged. The grandparent route requires A2-level Portuguese plus evidence of an effective connection to Portugal.
- Great-grandparent descent (new, harder): The 2026 law re-introduced a third-generation route, but with a higher bar — B1-level Portuguese, stronger effective-connection evidence, and a declaration of intent.
- Naturalisation by residence: The general residency requirement rose from 5 to 10 years (7 years for EU and CPLP-country nationals), with the clock now starting when the residence permit is issued.
In short, the “fast, ancestry-only, no-language” path is gone; what remains needs either close Portuguese lineage or real, sustained residence.
A note for the community#
This piece exists because the Sephardic route was a genuine, much-discussed option in the Israeli (and Israeli-Asian) community — and because outdated “how to apply” guides are still circulating online. If a website or agent is still offering to file a Sephardic-ancestry application for you in 2026, treat it with caution. The route is closed; the responsible move is to verify any second-passport plan with a licensed lawyer first.
Quick glossary#
- Sephardic / 塞法迪 — Jews descended from the Iberian (Spanish/Portuguese) communities
- Citizenship by descent / 血统入籍 — through a parent, grandparent (or now great-grandparent)
- Naturalisation / 归化 — citizenship through years of legal residence
Sources#
- Portugal.com — Nationality Law signed into law
- Lincoln Global Partners — Portugal new nationality law 2026
- Portuguese nationality law — Wikipedia
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Photo: Lisbon by Berthold Werner / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
