Thousands of Israelis suddenly formed a long queue outside the Portuguese Embassy. They want to register themselves as Portuguese citizens. Why?
This demand has indeed increased since the Hamas attack on October 7 2023. Not only that, many Israelis are also looking for a second passport for security reasons.
Reported The Times of IsraelMonday (1/12/2025), the snaking queue occurred outside the Cinema City Gliot Building, which is the location of the Portuguese Embassy, in the city center of Ramat Hasharon. This long queue has been going on since Friday (28/11) local time.
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People who arrive without prior scheduling are allowed to make an appointment with the Portuguese Embassy to register for citizenship or renew their Portuguese passport.
The queue snaked from the complex entrance to the underground parking building, after the Portuguese Embassy announced it would allow people to wait in person or in person. They also mostly renew their passports in December and January.
Last month, the Portuguese Embassy announced that it was opening a special event called ‘The past is back’, which bypasses the online appointment system that always exceeds capacity.
The announcement spread quickly, and attracted more people than the location could accommodate, with people lining up all day. Many even arrive before dawn in hopes of getting in line at the front.
According to a post on the Portuguese Embassy’s Facebook account, “thousands” of residents were helped and “no one was neglected”. The surge in Israeli applicants for Portuguese citizenship began after Portuguese authorities passed the “law of return” in 2015, which allowed descendants of Portuguese Sephardi Jews affected by the 16th century inquisition to apply for citizenship.
In December 2023, the Portuguese government announced plans to end the policy, stating that the goal of repatriation had been “met”. However, it turns out the law was revised, not completely abolished, to make applications for citizenship by descendants of Sephardi Jews more restrictive and conditional, including showing stronger ties to Portugal, such as living in the country for at least three years.
Portuguese citizenship has wide appeal for Israelis, including the freedom of movement that accompanies an EU passport. Portugal also has lower taxes and living costs than Israel, although its income levels are also proportionally lower.
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(azh/rfs)
