If you are seeking Portuguese citizenship, the history of your surname and family is essential to ensure that your application can be made. Like many Brazilians, you may wonder which surnames are eligible for Portuguese citizenship. Find out below!
Also, learn what is most important when confirming whether you can apply for Portuguese nationality by descent.
How to know which surnames are eligible for Portuguese citizenship?
Firstly, there is no official list indicating which surnames have the right to Portuguese citizenship.
However, having a surname of Portuguese origin may indicate that you have the possibility of applying for Portuguese nationality by descent — that is, by being a descendant of a Portuguese citizen.
To be sure if you have this right, you need to verify other criteria established by law. The recognition of citizenship for descendants of Portuguese citizens has some limitations.
The simplest cases to resolve are generally those of children or grandchildren of Portuguese citizens. This is because, according to the criteria for granting Portuguese nationality, it is not possible to skip more than two generations to make the application directly.
Research on your own
With today’s technology at our disposal, you can consult various databases and lists of Portuguese immigrants in Brazil through the internet.
Additionally, there are search sites specialized in genealogical information, such as Family Search and MyHeritage.
With the help of specialized advisory services
Searching for records and documents of Portuguese ancestors on your own can take quite a while and still not yield the results you need. In this case, it is ideal to seek the help of professionals specialized in this area.
This will increase your chances of finding the documentation in less time. We recommend the services of three specialized consultancies that do serious and reliable work in this area: Cidadania Já, Cidadania4U, and Madeira da Costa.
Most common Portuguese surnames
According to a survey by the website “Nós, Portugueses,” the ten most common surnames (apelidos – as they are called in Portugal) in the country are:
- Silva
- Rodrigues
- Fernandes
- Gonçalves
- Santos
- Pereira
- Costa
- Ferreira
- Gomes
- Martins
How to research a Portuguese surname
As mentioned earlier, you can start your research on sites like Family Search, which has the largest genealogical collection in the world, or MyHeritage, which has lists of passengers from ships that disembarked in Brazil.
Additionally, there are archives with records of Portuguese immigrants who arrived in our country. In the Public Archive of São Paulo, you can find those who entered through the Port of Santos or stayed at the Immigrant Hostel between 1887 and 1978.
You can also search for information at the Immigration Museum of São Paulo and the National Archive, which provides lists of the entry of Portuguese citizens into the country through various Brazilian ports.
If the search seems too complicated, you can also hire a consultancy for Portuguese nationality. In this specialized service, in addition to handling the process, the consultancy can also build the family tree and search for documents.
Criteria for obtaining Portuguese citizenship by surname
Since there is no specific list of which surnames are eligible for Portuguese citizenship, the first and most important criterion is to prove descent, that is, to know if you are a child, grandchild, or great-grandchild of a Portuguese citizen.
This is crucial to understanding if you have the right to Portuguese citizenship.
Portuguese surname inherited from the father or mother
Regardless of your place of birth, if you are the child of a Portuguese citizen (even if only on the father’s or mother’s side), you are entitled to Portuguese citizenship.
However, it is important to know the details of the Portuguese citizenship application for children, as there are different procedures if you are over or under 18 years old, or an adopted child.
Portuguese surname inherited from the grandfather or grandmother
In general, it is not possible to acquire citizenship through more than two previous generations. In other words, you could only have the right to your Portuguese passport through your parents or grandparents.
However, there is an option to obtain Portuguese citizenship for great-grandchildren. If this is your case and you have living grandparents or parents, you can locate the documents of your great-grandparents and start the process of citizenship for these closer descendants (children or grandchildren of your great-grandparents).
Then, after your parents or grandparents acquire their citizenship, you can start your process.
Step-by-step to apply for Portuguese citizenship by surname
To apply for Portuguese citizenship by surname (by descent), follow these steps:
- Confirm that you are entitled to Portuguese citizenship;
- Organize the necessary certificates and other documents;
- Provide the Hague Apostille for documents issued in Brazil;
- Go to the place where you will submit the application (in Brazil, you should go to a Portuguese Consulate; if you live in Portugal or are in the country, you should go to a Civil Registry Office);
- Submit the application and pay the respective fee;
- Wait for the documents to be analyzed and for the decision on your Portuguese citizenship application;
- If the application is approved, you can request the citizen card and the Portuguese passport.
Applying for Portuguese citizenship with the help of specialized advisory services
There are countless offices and lawyers who work with the application for Portuguese citizenship. However, you must be very careful in choosing the professional who will guide your process.
This service requires experience and seriousness, so it is not advisable to request the service from an office whose work you do not know.
To better guide our readers, Euro Dicas conducted extensive research on the best consultancies that apply for Portuguese citizenship in Brazil: Cidadania Já, Cidadania4U, and Madeira da Costa.
Cidadania Já
Cidadania Já has more than 10,000 successful cases of European citizenship applications. The company works with automated service, so it is very quick to start your process.
According to Cidadania Já:
“Our main competitive advantage is fast and personalized service at all stages. In addition, our numbers of completed procedures make us the largest citizenship advisory company in Brazil today.”
Other differentiators of Cidadania Já:
- The company has a general rating of 8.5 on Reclame Aqui, and all customer complaints have been answered;
- If any unforeseen event or error occurs in the process, the company refunds the client’s investment;
- They have competitive prices, neither the cheapest nor the most expensive in the market;
- They offer the possibility of installment payments;
- The time for completing the processes does not depend solely on the company, but also on the registries and conservatories. On average, the application takes between 1 and 3 years;
- They have physical stores in São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Jundiaí, Rio de Janeiro, Criciúma, Blumenau, Porto Alegre, and Canoas, adding greater confidence to some clients. Their employees are trained to provide closer service and actively listen to each client’s story.
To learn more about Cidadania Já, read this article we wrote about the brand. To be served by Cidadania Já, visit the website and get ready to become a Portuguese citizen.
Cidadania4U
Cidadania4U claims to have the fastest service in Brazil. They offer automated service through their website and a proprietary app, which allows process tracking and contact with the team.
According to Cidadania4U:
“We are a company specialized in dealing with any issue involving Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish consulates. Everything you need to live the dream of being a European citizen in one place!”
The client can choose between a 100% virtual or in-person process. The brand has offices in two cities: Brasília and Joinville. The company’s overall rating on Reclame Aqui is excellent, with a score of 9.4. All complaints registered on the platform have been answered by the company.
To learn more about Cidadania4U, read this article we wrote about the brand. Visit Cidadania4U’s website to start your process of becoming a Portuguese citizen with the help of their technology.
Madeira da Costa
Madeira da Costa Sociedade de Advogados provides various legal services specializing in immigration, especially for Brazilians.
Among them, the company helps verify the requirements to know if you really have the right to obtain Portuguese nationality and, if so, can handle the entire process until you obtain your Portuguese passport.
Documents needed to apply for Portuguese citizenship by surname
Even in the application for citizenship by descent, there may be some differences in the required documents. This varies, for example, if you are a child or grandchild of a Portuguese citizen.
Check the necessary documentation for each situation.
Application for children of Portuguese citizens
The documents required for children of Portuguese citizens are:
- Declaration form for the attribution of Portuguese nationality for children;
- Official identification document of the applicant;
- Birth certificate of the applicant;
- Birth certificate of the Portuguese mother or father (as the case may be).
Application for grandchildren of Portuguese citizens
For grandchildren of Portuguese citizens, the documents to submit the application are:
- Declaration form for the attribution of Portuguese nationality for grandchildren;
- Identification document of the applicant;
- Birth certificate of the applicant;
- Birth certificate of the parent who is the child of a Portuguese citizen;
- Portuguese birth certificate of the Portuguese ancestor (grandfather or grandmother);
- Criminal record certificate.
All documents issued in Brazil must have the Hague Apostille to be valid in Portugal. Additionally, the certificates used for the application must be in the full content format. Otherwise, they will not be accepted.
If I don’t have the right by surname, what are the alternatives to obtain Portuguese citizenship?
If applying for Portuguese nationality by surname is not possible, there are other ways to obtain citizenship.
Portuguese law defines several possibilities for obtaining citizenship. See:
- Portuguese citizenship by length of residence;
- Portuguese citizenship for children born in Portugal;
– Portuguese citizenship by marriage (or for partners);
Portuguese citizenship for descendants of Sephardic Jews;
- Portuguese citizenship for parents of children born in Portugal.
Note that each of these modalities has its own rules and list of required documents. Therefore, you need to check the requirements of each one to know if you fit into any of the situations.
Is it worth applying for Portuguese citizenship?
It is definitely worth it, for several reasons. If you intend to live in Portugal or any other European Union country, having Portuguese citizenship makes your life much easier.
This is because you will not need to apply for a visa to enter the country, whether to live, study, work, or retire.
For living in other European countries, the procedures are also much simpler if you are a Portuguese citizen. Usually, it is enough to register or notify your arrival in the country.
Even if you only intend to travel around Europe, the Portuguese passport makes it easier to enter European countries and go through immigration.
In summary, having Portuguese citizenship is always worthwhile. You will have many benefits as a Portuguese citizen!