There is some confusion, and I do know the correct information. Countries within the European Union have aligned citizenship laws to one standard: Citizenship extends to the CHILD of a citizen. Anyone born of a Portuguese citizen has by birth Portuguese citizenship. A birth within Portugal is registered officially with the government and the person need to nothing else.
A birth outside of Portugal must be registered with the Portuguese government. This can be accomplished through a consulate. Citizenship does NOT extend to grandchildren. A grandchild may claim citizenship AFTER the parent claims citizenship, but not before. Portugal does have additional opportunities for citizenship. One is by marriage to a Portuguese citizen. After a specific period of time (which I think is three years), the non-Portuguese spouse may request citizenship. The request must be completed entirely in Portuguese. This is the extent to which the spouse demonstrates fluency. Another opportunity is for a grandchild of a citizen, as is my situation. Because my father never claimed citizenship through his father, I cannot make my claim as a child of a citizen, only as a grandchild. In this situation, I must fulfill four requirements: 1. Prove citizenship of the grandparent, usually through a registration of the grandparent's birth, which in days gone by was done by the parish priest when listing the baptism. This proof must be an official copy, which can be obtained through the government. 2. Prove the absence of a criminal record. In North America, this can be initiated through the local law-enforcement authority and in the U.S. ties into FBI records. This record must be recently acquired when applying for citizenship. "Recently" seems to mean within the past six months. 3. Prove a minimum of three years of residency in Portugal. This is the tricky part for grandchildren in North America who are full-time in North America. I have a home in Pico and spend the entire summer there. This is my fifth summer here, and I have an official document from the junta of the freguesia that I am here "a major part of the year." 4. Demonstrate fluency in the Portuguese language. Here, things get a little murky--in true Portuguese fashion. There is a written test that can be administered at the consulate. In some areas of the U.S. the test can also be administered by individuals authorized by the Portuguese government to administer the test, such as any one of several teachers of Portuguese language and culture in the U.S. who have official status with the Portuguese government. In my situation, I am studying Portuguese from a woman who was a teacher employed by the Portuguese government in Angola and Pico. She is retired both from teaching and from her U.S. job. As a condition of securing her qualification for a Portuguese pension, she has been operating a small "school" teaching Portuguese language and culture. In the San Francisco Bay Area, there is a group of such teachers, all of whom are recognized by the Portuguese government and receive instruction materials they can use, though they are not paid for their work by the government. Every year, there is a conference of these teachers and the consul and other officials attend. In areas with concentrations of Portuguese immigrants (primarily Azorean), it is likely you can find someone who can help. The nearest consulate (San Francisco has one, fortunately) can also provide some guidance. Another example of the regulations: I belong to a local association. There is a married couple in which the wife was born in Portugal and emigrated as a young adult. She married a man born in California whose grandparents were Portuguese immigrants but whose parents never claimed citizenship. His grandparents and parents are dead. Their two adult sons would like to secure citizenship, and they attempted through their mother. However, the government insisted on proof of their legitimacy and they had to provide copies of their parents' marriage registration. Notice I wrote "registration" and not marriage "certificate." The parents married in California and never registered their marriage in Portugal. This has now been done and both sons can file claims of citizenship. Because they are citizens by birth, they merely have to show their mother's birth as a Portuguese citizen and the registration of her "foreign" marriage. One son is engaged and he inquired about citizenship for his non-Portuguese spouse, as both want an EU passport for travel within the EU and for the possibility of living and working in the union. After the marriage, the spouse must wait three years and then apply, which he will do through the consulate in San Francisco, with a request written in Portuguese. This information came directly from the consulate staff. And, yes, notice that I wrote "he" for the son's spouse. A few years ago, Portugal changed its laws to recognize same-sex marriages, both those performed in and outside of Portugal. The sex of the spouse applying for citizenship is not a concern. Another example: A married couple living part of the year in the U.S. and a major part of each year on S. Jorge. The husband is Portuguese by birth (both parents were born in the Azores and emigrated together to the U.S.). He has filed and secured his claim to Portuguese citizenship. His wife has no Portuguese connection (except for him!). She had to fulfill the three-year wait and then the Portuguese language request for Portuguese citizenship. The request paperwork entirely in Portuguese was the only demonstration of her fluency required. All this said, there seems to be some differing understandings of "fluency." The wife in S. Jorge did meet and talk with officials there and used only Portuguese in her dealings. Word in the Bay Area is that the test covers grammar, reading comprehension, writing skill, and some knowledge of Portuguese history. There is also an oral part to the test, through a brief conversation with the person administering the test. I am also told the test is given at certain times of the year by someone who comes from Portugal and travels to various consulates as a way of ensuring local staff members aren't bending the rules. Tomás Leal (who actually was "Tom" before getting residency in the Açores!) -- For options, such as changing to List, Digest, Abridged, or No Mail (vacation) mode, log into your Google account and visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Azores. Click in the blue area on the right that says "Join this group" and it will take you to "Edit my membership." --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Azores Genealogy" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/azores.
