Thousands of Israelis turn out for Portuguese citizenship event

The one-day event aimed to help Israelis entitled to Portuguese citizenship who were unable to book appointments in advance.

By World Israel News Staff

Thousands of Israelis arrived at the Portuguese Embassy in central Israel last Friday after the consulate announced a one-day walk-in service for citizenship and passport applications.

The embassy said the event was intended to help people who have been unable to book appointments in advance, as slots are typically filled months ahead. Photos from the scene showed massive lines stretching from the embassy’s entrance in Ramat HaSharon down into the building’s underground parking lot.

At the end of the day, the Portuguese Embassy wrote on its official Facebook page that it had served thousands and that “no one was left unattended.”

Portugal first announced in 2015 that it would grant citizenship to descendants of Jews forced to leave during the Inquisition in the 16th century. Many of those Jews fled to North Africa and the Middle East, and their descendants eventually immigrated to Israel.

The announcement triggered a surge of applications from Israelis, prompting Portugal to later tighten the criteria for proving ancestry and eligibility. Numerous Israeli law firms now offer services to guide applicants through the Portuguese citizenship process.

While exact figures are not public, hundreds of thousands of Israelis are believed to hold at least one additional nationality. According to immigration and tax law firm CCLEX, roughly 10 percent of Israeli citizens possess a foreign passport.

Israelis whose ancestors fled persecution during the Holocaust are often entitled to German, Romanian, Polish, and other European citizenships. Researchers at Princeton University estimate that around 345,000 Israelis hold European passports. In addition, some 280,000 Israelis are believed to have American citizenship.

A recent report presented in the Knesset found that tens of thousands of Israelis have moved abroad since the October 7 massacres and subsequent multifront war.