Portugal To Offer Citizenship To Descendants Of Expelled Jews

[Brian C.]

This is interesting: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/201 ... elled-jews My wife might even qualify for this, though it's hard to know for sure.

[Moses Botbol]

I read something on this a few months ago. I should try applying. Part of my family is originally from Gibraltar/Tangiers, but maybe they won't be so scrutinizing (my last name is Sephardic)? We may've been in Portugal at some point before that... Would I have to start paying taxes in Portugal in addition to USA?

[Alan McDonald]

I suggest anyone considering either changing nationality or taking on dual nationality thinks very long and hard about it before making any move. Take advice from your legal and financial experts about the possible implications (e.g. tax, military service) for yourself and your offspring.

[Moses Botbol]

For US citizens, they are still on the hook for paying filing and paying US taxes on income over 90K. Not sure what else applies... I don't think dual passport holders can get Global Entry, which I'd hate to give up...

[Christian Gollnick]

Hi Moses, I'm not 100% sure that Portugal was thinking about Moses Botbol when they passed that piece of legislation...

First of all, it's a pretty cool thing to admit that your country did something terrible half a millenium ago and that you want somehow to do something symbolic to show that you realize that something bad had been done. I hope at least that this was the motive for the Portuguese government - I would hate if they would have been guided by the thought "we in Portugal need money and Jewish people tend to be rich...". But Portugal was several times bankrupt over the last centuries and they have never done something like this before... so I guess that they really want to make people whole for what had been done in the 16th century. I personally don't know how people can prove that their ancestors where living in Portugal at that time... but I hope that at least a few people are able to do it. You in America might be blessed that you live in the greatest nation of them all ( ) and your only problem is the tax-man... but there might be people applying that live in other countries like Lebanon or Ethiopia and whose lives might be changed very much to the positive by this law... Let's hope that in the end something good comes out of this initiative...

[Moses Botbol]

Hi Moses, I'm not 100% sure that Portugal was thinking about Moses Botbol when they passed that piece of legislation...

I think the government is being purposely vague on who they are thinking about. 500 year is more than most can trace back with success. Part of my family and name sake is from that "general" region, who is to say that is not the case??? I am hardly making plans or packing bags, but it makes sense for me to explore this more; why not? I could be living quite cushy somewhere else as I mostly work from home...