DID Press: On Saturday, thousands of Israeli citizens formed long queues outside the Embassy of Portugal in Tel Aviv, waiting for a rare in-person “walk-in” opportunity to apply for Portuguese citizenship or renew Portuguese passports.
The unusually large turnout — with lines stretching from the embassy gate into the underground parking — came after the embassy announced a special slot to bypass its overburdened online reservation system. Many applicants arrived early in the morning to secure a spot.
The rush reflects growing interest among Israelis in obtaining a European Union passport via the citizenship pathway offered under the 2015 law that allows descendants of Sephardic Jews to seek Portuguese nationality.
However, the background is complex: in 2023 the Portuguese Parliament moved to repeal or significantly tighten the law granting citizenship to Sephardic descendants — a shift that has generated uncertainty for many applicants.