Thousands of Israelis waited in line outside outside a cinema in the central city of Ramat Hasharon last Friday morning to book an appointment with the Portuguese Embassy to receive citizenship or renew Portuguese passports.
Carrying the above photograph of the snaking queue, Times of Israel described how the line stretched from the entrance of the complex down to its underground parking structure after the Portuguese Embassy announced that it would allow people to wait in person – without advance scheduling – to secure appointments for citizenship and/ or renewing Portuguese passports in December and January.
The embassy announced last month that it would be holding a special ‘Old times are back’ event, temporarily bypassing its chronically-overloaded online appointment system, says the paper.
News of the opportunity spread quickly, drawing far more people than the venue could comfortably accommodate, with people waiting in line all day long. Many arrived before dawn in hopes of getting a slot, while others turned back after seeing the immense wait.
There are reports that the embassy’s system ‘crashed’ due to the pressure, but the official word is that “no one was left unattended”.
Turkish public broadcaster TRT World was among a number of other media outlets that carried the same story, with a clip of the sheer numbers of people seeking Portuguese citizenship posted on its Facebook page.
Portugal recently announced that, starting in May 2026, Portuguese passports will be extended from five to 10 years. However, those who lined up on Friday are still expected to receive five-year passports under the current rules, Times of Israel explained, referring to the “surge of Israeli applicants for Portuguese citizenship began after Portugal passed its ‘law of return’ in 2015, allowing the descendants of Portuguese Sephardic Jews who were affected by the 16th-century Inquisition to apply for nationality”.
The paper also mentions the decision by the Portuguese government in 2023 to end the law of return policy on the basis that its purpose of repatriation had been fulfilled.
“However, rather than fully abolishing the route, the law was revised to make citizenship for Sephardic descendants more restrictive and conditional, including demonstrating stronger ties to Portugal, such as residing in the country for at least three years.
“Portuguese citizenship has a wide-ranging appeal for Israelis, including the freedom of movement that comes with a European Union passport. Portugal has lower taxes and a lower cost of living than Israel, although its income levels are also proportionately lower. Some Israelis are drawn to the more relaxed admission rates at public universities in Europe and the lower tuition costs for EU nationals” says the paper.
“Demand has intensified since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks, as many Israelis have sought a second passport for added security in a period of heightened instability, which has also seen tens of thousands of Israelis leaving the country”.
What Times of Israel does not explain is that Israelis are already the No 1 group when it comes to nationalities seeking residency in this country. Earlier this month, SIC said that “just as in 2023, almost 18,000 Israelis succeeded in holding a Portuguese citizen’s card”.
And in July Lusa was reporting that 40% of the new Portuguese nationals were Israelis, 60% of whom do not live here.
Details such as these have prompted critics to complain that Portuguese nationality is being ‘sold to the highest bidders’.
Source: Correio da Manhã/ Times of Israel/ Lusa/ TRT World
