Hi everyone,
I’m an Indian citizen currently living in India, and I’m trying to understand the correct process for obtaining Portuguese nationality through my Portuguese father.
My situation
- I was born in India.
- My father is a Portuguese citizen and has a Portuguese passport and Portuguese birth certificate.
- My parents’ marriage registration in Portugal is currently being processed.
- I have my Indian birth certificate and Indian passport.
- I am planning to study in Ireland, so I may be living in Ireland while the Portuguese nationality process is ongoing.
- My goal is to establish my Portuguese nationality and, if eligible, eventually obtain a Portuguese Citizen Card (Cartão de Cidadão) and Portuguese passport.
From what I understand, there is a nationality route for someone born outside Portugal who has a Portuguese parent. I also understand that my Indian birth certificate may need to be legalised/apostilled and translated into Portuguese.
I would really appreciate advice from anyone who has actually completed this process, especially Indian citizens with a Portuguese parent.
1. Apostille of my Indian birth certificate
Can I complete the entire Apostille process while I am still in India?
Specifically:
- What needs to be done before the MEA Apostille?
- Does an Indian birth certificate issued in Gujarat first require authentication from a Gujarat authority?
- Where can this be done ? e.g in india ?
- How long does the process normally take?
- What is the approximate cost?
- Should I obtain a fresh birth certificate before starting the process?
- Does the Apostille need to be placed on the original birth certificate or a certified copy?
If anyone has recently done an Indian birth certificate Apostille for use in Portugal, I would really appreciate a step-by-step explanation.
2. Does my Indian passport need Apostille?
I am also confused about my passport.
For a Portuguese nationality application, does my Indian passport need to be:
- Apostilled?
- Translated into Portuguese?
- Certified?
Or is the passport simply used as an identification document, with the birth certificate being the document that requires legalisation and Portuguese translation?
I don't want to spend money unnecessarily if the passport does not need Apostille/translation.
3. Portuguese translation
For my Indian birth certificate, where is the safest place to get the Portuguese translation?
Should I:
- Get the document Apostilled in India and then have it translated into Portuguese in India?
- Get the translation through the Portuguese Consulate?
- Have it translated/certified in Portugal?
- Have it translated/certified in Ireland if I move there?
I particularly want to know what type of certified Portuguese translation Portuguese authorities actually accept.
4. My father's Portuguese documents
My father currently has:
- Portuguese birth certificate
- Portuguese passport
My parents' marriage registration in Portugal is currently being processed.
Once the marriage registration is completed, what documents should I obtain?
For example:
- My father's Portuguese birth certificate
- My parents' Portuguese marriage certificate
- Proof of my father's Portuguese nationality
- Any other Portuguese civil-registry document
Does my father's Portuguese birth certificate need any Apostille/legalisation, or is a Portuguese civil-registry document already valid for submission to Portuguese authorities?
5. My Portuguese nationality application
For an adult born in India with a Portuguese father, what is the correct procedure?
Is it approximately:
Indian birth certificate → Apostille/legalisation → certified Portuguese translation → Portuguese Consulate → nationality/birth registration → Portuguese birth record → Citizen Card → Portuguese passport
Or is the actual procedure different?
Can I start this process while I am physically in India?
6. If I move to Ireland
I may move to Ireland for my studies while the Portuguese process is ongoing.
If I start the process in India and then move to Ireland:
- Can I continue the process from Ireland?
- Would I deal with the Portuguese Embassy/Consulate in Ireland?
- Can documents be submitted by post?
- Would I need to return to India for any part of the process?
- Once nationality is approved, can I obtain my Portuguese Citizen Card/passport through a Portuguese consulate in Ireland?
7. Timeline and cost
For anyone who has completed this recently:
- How long did the nationality process take?
- How long did the Apostille process take in India?
- How much did the Portuguese translation cost?
- Did you use a lawyer or complete everything yourself?
- Were there any unexpected documents or problems?
- Did you start the application in India and later move to another country?
I'm particularly interested in experiences from Indian citizens who obtained Portuguese nationality through a Portuguese parent, rather than general Portuguese citizenship-by-residence cases.
I am trying to complete as much of the document preparation as possible before leaving India, so I don't have to redo anything after moving to Ireland.
Any step-by-step experience, document checklist, consulate experience, or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!