Having a Sephardic surname can open the doors for Colombians to process their application for Portuguese nationality.
However, there are many people who do not know why this law allows those who have this offspring to access the benefits of the Portuguese passport, which is among the most powerful in the world, according to the Index Guide Ranking of Portugal. Passports.
(Read: Germany will ask questions about Israel to give nationality: does it apply to Colombians?).
To answer the question of why having a Sephardic surname can give you Portuguese nationality, we must refer to history, when, in 1942, the Catholic Monarchs of Spain subjected the Jews to an intense inquisition.
History of Sephardic surnames
More than 80 years ago, the Sephardic Jews (a term that refers to the Jews who lived in Spain) who resided in the Iberian Peninsula were expelled by the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, so a large part of them took refuge in Portugal seeking protection.
The Sephardim lasted four years on Portuguese soil, until King Manuel I expelled those who did not undergo Catholic baptism, according to the law firm Servicio Legal.
(More: Who can receive a green card for a US citizen).
At the beginning of the 16th century, a massive emigration of Jews occurred.who took refuge in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Turkey, North Africa and in Latin American territories such as Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and Colombia.
Spain, country on the Iberian Peninsula in Europe. iStock
The arrival of the Sephardim to Colombia
The Sephardim who emigrated to Colombia at that time arrived, along the Caribbean coast, to Cartagena, because that was where the ports were located.
“The new Christians who arrived came from numerous towns, cities, villages and countryside in Portugal, the Portuguese islands and the west African coast. Others were born in Spain and descended from Lusitanian parents.“, according to the thesis ‘New Christians in the Audience of Santa Fe, Popayán and Tierra Firme, between the 16th and 17th centuries’.
Regarding the number of Jews who arrived in Colombia, the figures available are not very clear. However, according to Anna María Splendiani, one of the historians who has most studied the Cartagena case, more than 150 names of Jews appear in the minutes, but only 59 were prosecuted.
(See: If I am Colombian, can I have another nationality and what could they be?).
The reason why Portugal gives nationality to those who have a Sephardic surname
So, To vindicate the rights of the Sephardim who were unjustly expelled from the country, Portugal promulgated the decree Law 30A/2025searching “reconnect Portugal with traditional Sephardic communities of Portuguese origin, without requiring residence in the national territory or mastery of Portuguese”.
However, this law has had some modifications with requirements that include that Those who claim to be of Sephardic descent must prove that condition and demonstrate regular trips throughout their lives to Portugal.among other requirements.
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Keep in mind that it is not enough to have a Sephardic surname in your name, but it is necessary that you carry out an elaborate and complete study that reconstructs your family tree to apply for Portuguese nationality.
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