Document #1138885
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Author)
The following information was provided by
an official of the embassy of Portugal in Washington, DC (10 Mar.
1994). Brazilian citizenship does not confer any citizenship rights
in Portugal. Portugal does not have any special citizenship
arrangements with Brazil. No person can become a Portuguese citizen
through naturalization. Portuguese nationality can only be obtained
inside or outside of Portugal by birth to a Portuguese parent.
A Brazilian citizen could have stayed
legally in Portugal for eight years only as a permanent resident,
provided she or he was not in the service of a foreign government
or organization. The only rights a permanent resident cannot enjoy,
compared to a Portuguese citizen, are voting rights. To obtain
permanent Portuguese residence status, persons can apply to the
nearest Portuguese diplomatic mission. The cost of the application
varies according to the country of citizenship of the applicant and
the exchange rate at the time of the application. It takes about a
year to get a response on an application from the Portuguese
immigration services.
This response was prepared after
researching publicly accessible information currently available to
the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does
not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular
claim to refugee status or asylum.
Embassy of Portugal, Washington, DC. 10
March 1994. Telephone interview with official.