Citizenship by marriage

Hello!

My husband is Portuguese and we are looking for an attorney in the Porto area that could assist with registering our marriage over there. We’re both living in the U.S., but we are hoping that I can get my citizenship sometime in the near future. Any suggestions?

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Hello, Marisa!
I found this website from a law firm in Lisbon, and they say they have contacts in other locations. I don’t know anything about them, but they might be able to help.
Good luck!
I am also in the process of getting my citizenship by marriage to a Portuguese citizen and am in the last phase of the process, Step 7: Terminado. :slightly_smiling_face:

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Obrigada, David! We found a family law attorney in Porto (where my husband is from) so we’re just now starting the process. How long was the process for you? Any suggestions or tips?

Hi, Marisa!
I am going to say it will be about 2 years in October, but we have not used a lawyer. And, probably, the onset of the COVID issue surely delayed a lot of things. We were told by the Lisbon office that the process takes, usually, 1 1/2 to 2 years. It will probably be faster for you with the lawyer. My only suggestion is to be patient! :slightly_smiling_face: I am telling myself this every day, as I wait for a letter or something to be sent to me, informing me that I am now a citizen of Portugal! Talk about butterflies in the stomach!! :upside_down_face:

:slightly_smiling_face: :slightly_smiling_face: :slightly_smiling_face:

I am absolutely stunned! Two years of effort and waiting paid off! This is the notice that appeared this morning on my Portuguese Citizenship Request tracking page!

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Muitos parabéns, @David2019! E que coincidência receberes a aprovação poucos dias depois de comentares que continuavas a aguardar ansiosamente :raised_hands:

That’s awesome! Parabéns!!

Muito obrigado, @Joseph e @miwynn! Hoje é um dia feliz–e agora eu devo
estudar português muito mais intensamente!

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It just occurred to me that some members might be curious about the steps and time frame involved in applying for Portuguese citizenship. I noticed that the applicable website in Portugal recently tried to clarify this with new text, so I thought I’d post it here, in case it is helpful.

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Hi Marisa. My husband and I are looking to do the exact same thing and in Porto too! My mother in law is Portuguese, but has dual citizenship in the US and in Portugal. We are working with a firm in Lisbon; were you able to find one in Porto? Would you recommend them? We started with one firm in Lisbon, but they were not very responsive. The firm we’ve been working with has been much better. We haven’t sent in the money yet, so please let me know if you liked the firm you worked with. Thank you so much!

@David2019 thank you for your helpful information as well!

Just an update on my progress with this issue: It has been 3 1/2 years since I initiated my application for citizenship by marriage, and only last week did I finally receive a letter confirming that my application has been approved! What a long haul it has been–I wonder if the appearance of COVID contributed to the delay. Now I am dealing with getting my cartão de citadão and other ID cards–hopefully not another delay of a few years! :slightly_smiling_face:

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That’s very good news, @David2019 :star_struck: Congrats (finally)!

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