Subject: Important news regarding the Spanish and Portuguese Sephardic programs
*NOW CLOSED: The application for Sephardic Jews to gain Spanish Citizenship.
*May 2020: Due to the pandemic, an extension of one year until September 2021 was given to those who had presented their preliminary request for citizenship before the October 2019 deadline.
*March 2018: The deadline to apply has been extended to October 1, 2019.
From: Luis Portero <catoportero@yahoo.es>
Sent: Tuesday, February 7, 2017 3:38 PM
To: Aron Hasson
Hi Aron,
Please note that a few days ago the Instituto Cervantes and the Government of Spain agreed that applicants aged 70 or older are exempt from passing the DELE A-2 (to prove the knowledge of the Spanish language applicable to applicants from non-Spanish speaking countries) and the CCSE tests (to prove the knowledge of basic constitutional values, social and cultural aspects of the Spanish life, applicable to all applicants). This is important news as it will allow older generations from the Sephardic communities of the United States of America, Morocco and Turkey to file their applications without having to pass the tests of the Instituto Cervantes, a problem which had prevented many from going through the process of gaining the Spanish citizenship.
Statistically speaking, the Government of Spain has registered approximately 4,300 Sephardic applicants who have begun the proceedings to sign before the presence of a Notary Public in Spain their actas de notoriedad or affidavits to acquire the Spanish nationality. Out of the 4,300 Sephardim, approximately 1,000 have signed up before a Notary and officially filed their applications. I am pleased to inform that 100 Sephardim have already received their Spanish Passports, some of them from Israel, Peru, Colombia, Mexico and one child under 18 years old from the United States. By the end of February or March, a second package of other 400 resolutions granting the Spanish nationality to Sephardim will be officially sent to the Consulates of Spain throughout the world, including countries like Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Venezuela, Panama , Costa Rica, Turkey, Morocco, France or the United States, among others. Spain is currently taking between 8 and 10 months to make up an official decision granting the Spanish citizenship.
On the other hand, Portugal has received approximately 5,000 official applications from Sephardim to gain the Portuguese nationality, mostly applicants from Brazil, Israel and Turkey. So far 400 Portuguese nationalities have been granted after two years of waiting, less than 8% of the total applications filed. The delay in the resolution of the files is the main difference between Portugal and Spain.
Please feel free to distribute this information to the Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel or to post this note in your website, if you’d like.
Best regards,
Luis Portero ABOGADO
Pasillo de Santa Isabel 15, 2º B
Málaga 29005, SPAIN
Telephone (952) 919275
January 19, 2016: 2nd Special Presentation for Applying for Spanish Citizenship
January 19, 2016 presentation announcement
Questions and answers for Spanish Civil/History Test
August 2015: The Rhodes Jewish Historical Foundation thanks Luis Portero, lead attorney for the Spanish Federation of Jewish Communities, for speaking to our community on August 27, 2015 at the Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel about the process for Sephardic Jews applying for Spanish citizenship. The Sephardic community of Los Angeles also wishes to express its gratitude to the Spanish Federation of Jewish Communities and to its President, Isaac Querub, for all the hard work that they have invested in getting this new law approved. This Spanish Jewish organization has promoted informative sessions to the international Sephardic communities which facilitates the process to be as easy as possible for Sephardic descendants to apply for the Spanish citizenship.
For a PowerPoint presentation of the Spanish Citizenship law click on the following:
LA Presentation Law Spanish citizenship Sephardim
For Frequently Asked Questions click on the following:
Rhodes Jewish Historical Foundation
