sherbert

Reinstating my thread from 2015: http://britishexpats.com/forum/portu...sports-863575/

So the unthinkable happened and here we are facing Brexit and I am looking into applying for a Portuguese passport through marriage.

Has anyone done this from *outside* the country. What was your experience? Did you apply in the UK or elsewhere?

Meeting the language and 'contribution to society' requirements may be difficult as I don't currently live in Portugal.

I've heard varying stories of success and failure from 'spoke the language fluently and lived there for x number of years and was denied' to 'can't speak a word of Portuguese and never set foot in the country and was granted a passport immediately'.

Ukkram

I think you may mean PT citizenship. One does not need to speak a word of Portuguese to hold a PT passport.

toots sweet

I am in process of trying to do the same. Last time I was in Portugal i visited the local office,who told me it was better to apply in the UK.
OH NO!! the Consulate here in Manchester is awful.Phone is never answered,emails never
acknowledged.I've emailed them to send the necessay paperwork,but am still waiting.
A visit is a traumatic experience as you can wait all day.
My experience of officialdom in Portugal has been quite good,so I will try again when I am next there,as I have no faith in the Consulate here.

macliam

Sounds like a clone of the London consulate......

sherbert

No, I don't. If you check the requirements for getting a PT Passport:

"Note: No formal residence period in Portugal is laid down; however, in practice, knowledge of the Portuguese language and integration into Portuguese society may be required.

• Links to the Portuguese community.
• Visits to Portugal (photos)
• Receipts from hotels, restaurants, medical bills, airlines
• Portuguese clubs or Associations
• Document proving that the applicant has plenty knowledge of the Portuguese idiom."

The key word seems to be 'may be required'...is seems arbitrary depending on who looks at your case!?

zoff

It was the same here in Newark, New Jersey but recently they started online appointments and this makes a world of difference!

Good luck.

sherbert

@zoff so did you apply? Have you been to the embassy...what should I expect?

zoff

Sorry to take this thread off topic.
I was born in Portugal, been living in the US for 50 years, so my case is different. I just needed to get a PT citizen card as I plan on going back for retirement. Since the recent election maybe sooner

sherbert

Ah! OK thanks for the clarification. Finding it hard to get a comprehensive overview of what needs to be done!

gedscottish

It's also possible to become a citizen after 6 years of residency but in that case it's "provided that they have sufficient knowledge of the Portuguese language"

source:
http://www.irn.mj.pt/IRN/sections/ir.../aquisicao-da/

sherbert

Sure, but I'm not in Portugal right now and want to try to get the passport sorted before Brexit screws us all over so mainly looking for advice from people who have applied for and received (or been denied) a passport on the basis of marriage to a Portuguese citizen.

toots sweet

OK.The consulate must be reading this forum because this morning I received an email,directing me elsewhere. This is what to do next

Informo que todos os pedidos de nacionalidade devem ser dirigidos diretamente � Conservatória de Registos Centrais, cujo contacto é indicado abaixo.

Conservatória dos Registos Centrais
Rua Rodrigo da Fonseca, 198
1099-003 Lisboa

Tel. 00 351 213817600
Fax 00 351 21 3817698
Correio eletrónico: [email protected]

Para mais informação, consultar:

Portal SEF

Depois de ter toda a documentação que lhe indicarem como necessária e tiver o respetivo formulário pronto, poderá contactar-nos novamente para obter marcação para reconhecimento da assinatura no processo de nacionalidade, indicando o endereço completo no Reino Unido.

In short apply to the above address,fill documents and get paperwork together,then (grrrr) back to the consulate.

toots sweet

OK.The consulate must be reading this forum because this morning I received an email,directing me elsewhere. This is what to do next

Informo que todos os pedidos de nacionalidade devem ser dirigidos diretamente � Conservatória de Registos Centrais, cujo contacto é indicado abaixo.

Conservatória dos Registos Centrais
Rua Rodrigo da Fonseca, 198
1099-003 Lisboa

Tel. 00 351 213817600
Fax 00 351 21 3817698
Correio eletrónico: [email protected]

Para mais informação, consultar:

Portal SEF

Depois de ter toda a documentação que lhe indicarem como necessária e tiver o respetivo formulário pronto, poderá contactar-nos novamente para obter marcação para reconhecimento da assinatura no processo de nacionalidade, indicando o endereço completo no Reino Unido.

In short apply to the above address,fill documents and get paperwork together,then (grrrr) back to the consulate.

JulieF

I too have struggled to find out what steps to follow -- many thanks to toot sweets for posting the info. It's about three months since your last post: what happened? Were you successful??

Has anyone reading this been successful in getting citizenship through this route? About how long did it take? Sherbert, any update? Has anyone been turned down because their "knowledge of the Portuguese language and integration into Portuguese society" was insufficient?

In case anyone is working on this, it's now possible to pay by credit card:
Instituto dos Registos e Notariado: Nova modalidade de pagamento para o pedido de Nacionalidade

While I wait for my police certificates to arrive, I hope to hear some encouraging updates!

gedscottish

A women I know who is married to a Portuguese guy and lived in Portugal/married for 25 years applied in October and still has heard nothing back!