I have taken a DNA test and it shows I am a certain percentage Portuguese. Can I apply for Portuguese citizenship?
Thanks to companies like Ancestry.com and 23.com, DNA tests have become incredibly popular. These allow you to trace your ancestry through your DNA and to see from which parts of the world your genetic ancestors come from. And many people are discovering that a certain percentage of their DNA hails from Portugal. Is that enough to make a case for Portuguese citizenship?
According to Sandra Gomes Pinto of Sandra Gomes Pinto & Associados, DNA tests aren’t part of the criteria that we have in our law for obtaining Portuguese citizenship. People commonly obtain Portuguese citizenship through having a Portuguese parent, which is very easy, or a Portuguese grandparent. If it’s through a Portuguese grandparent as opposed to a Portuguese parent, you need to show evidence of speaking Portuguese [to an A2 level] and other ties to the Portuguese community. DNA evidence, unfortunately, just doesn’t come up in Portuguese law, so it’s not something that you can use to apply for Portuguese citizenship.
Portugal doesn’t seem to be the only country not to offer citizenship based on DNA results. Although many countries offer citizenship if you have a grandparent, no country currently offers citizenship based on a genetics test like the kind you would get from AncestryDNA or 23andMe.
However, if you feel you have a strong tie to Portugal, perhaps it’s time to consider moving to Portugal? Portugal offers a number of residency visas, such as the D7 or digital nomad visa (D8), which allow people from outside of the EU to move to Portugal. And after five years of living in Portugal, you will be able to apply for Portuguese citizenship through naturalisation. This would enable you to obtain a Portuguese passport and obtain the travel benefits that come from having an EU passport as well as the ability to live and work in the rest of the EU.