Applying for a Portuguese citizenship - declare on being a Canadian?

[Giladyavne]

Hi there,

I'm a Canadian citizen living abroad. I have two citizenships. I am now applying for a third - a Portuguese citizenship.
According to the local Portuguese embassy where I live (my first citizenship), I was advised NOT to declare on being a Canadian citizen (my second citizenship) to avoid any complications. According to them, the Portuguese government cannot find out that I am a Canadian so why bother, and I should just declare being a citizen of the country where I live and apply at (my first citizenship, where I also was born, so all my documents are from this country).

The question is, to declare or not? I wasn't born in Canada and I don't have residential ties to Canada. I love Canada and was raised in a Canadian household, but don't have family there and nothing in my life can suggest to the Portuguese authorities that I am a Canadian, unless they somehow investigate. However, I am scared that if they learn after I'm approved that I didn't provide all the needed documents (Canadian passport, Canadian Police Record) my Portuguese citizenship will be taken away from me and I'll be deported from Portugal.

I understand this forum is about immigration to Canada, but I was hoping you guys can help, maybe you know what to do in this cases when dealing with multiple citizneships.

Thanks.

Regards,
Gilad

 

[links18]

Caveat: I know nothing about Portuguese citizenship law. However, in general you should look very closely at the questions they ask you and answer them truthfully and completely. I doubt it would hurt you to declare two current citizenships instead of one. If a country allows dual citizenship they probably allow triple just the same. That is, unless something happened in Canada you don't want Portuguese authorities to know about? What is the basis of your claim to Portuguese citizenship? Are you entitled to it by descent or something or is it at Portugal's discretion?

 

[OOW]

Hi there,

I'm a Canadian citizen living abroad. I have two citizenships. I am now applying for a third - a Portuguese citizenship.
According to the local Portuguese embassy where I live (my first citizenship), I was advised NOT to declare on being a Canadian citizen (my second citizenship) to avoid any complications. According to them, the Portuguese government cannot find out that I am a Canadian so why bother, and I should just declare being a citizen of the country where I live and apply at (my first citizenship, where I also was born, so all my documents are from this country).

The question is, to declare or not? I wasn't born in Canada and I don't have residential ties to Canada. I love Canada and was raised in a Canadian household, but don't have family there and nothing in my life can suggest to the Portuguese authorities that I am a Canadian, unless they somehow investigate. However, I am scared that if they learn after I'm approved that I didn't provide all the needed documents (Canadian passport, Canadian Police Record) my Portuguese citizenship will be taken away from me and I'll be deported from Portugal.

I understand this forum is about immigration to Canada, but I was hoping you guys can help, maybe you know what to do in this cases when dealing with multiple citizneships.

Thanks.

Regards,
Gilad

Consider the following:

1. You have lived in Canada before for several years, right?
2. What if they ask you about all the places you have lived before?
3. If you tell them you have lived in Canada for xyz years, that would lead to another question: "under which condition - as PR, Citizen, or what"?
4. The best option is to declare your status truthfully and completely just as someone has advised. Somehow, they might uncover it.

 

[Giladyavne]

Guys, thank you so much for replying. I really appreciate it and will take your advice into consideration. To follow up on what I wrote earlier:

Caveat: I know nothing about Portuguese citizenship law. However, in general you should look very closely at the questions they ask you and answer them truthfully and completely. I doubt it would hurt you to declare two current citizenships instead of one. If a country allows dual citizenship they probably allow triple just the same. That is, unless something happened in Canada you don't want Portuguese authorities to know about? What is the basis of your claim to Portuguese citizenship? Are you entitled to it by descent or something or is it at Portugal's discretion?

Yes, Portugal allows you to have multiple citizenships, same as Canada (as far as I know) and Turkey (my "first citizenship"; country of birth).
My criminal record is as clean as it gets. My concern is only financially, that since I live abroad, to issue a Canadian police record I would have to contact a private comapny who can digitize my fingerprints and issue it on my behalf (120CAD), then authentication and legalization at the Portuguese embassy in Canada (the law ask at the country of origin of the document in question) would cost 225CAD, plus embassy fee and translation into Portuguese of the record, shipping excluded. It would be much easier had Canada been a signatory country of the Hague Convention ("Apostille"). That's alot of money for me right now as a post-graduate who earns his internship wage in Turkish lira. Really, would love to avoid it if I can.

I'm applying based on Portuguese descent.

Consider the following:

1. You have lived in Canada before for several years, right?
2. What if they ask you about all the places you have lived before?
3. If you tell them you have lived in Canada for xyz years, that would lead to another question: "under which condition - as PR, Citizen, or what"?
4. The best option is to declare your status truthfully and completely just as someone has advised. Somehow, they might uncover it.

1. No. I was born in Turkey, to Canadian parents. Never lived outside Turkey.
2. They do. According to the Portuguese law in my case, I need to provide a criminal record of any country of nationality (Turkey and Canada), of birth (Turkey) and of residency (Turkey).
3. True. And since I never lived outside Turkey, declaring that I am a Canadian (by doing so, applying with both my valid Turkish and Canadian passports) would bring up more questions, maybe having to provide a document supporting that I never lived in Canada, as well as having to include a Canadian Police Record.

Under this circumstances, do you still think I should make it known about my Canadian citizenship?

It's important to say, that I was told many times to renounce my Canadian citizenship as the best solution. I get it, but it's a bit more acomplicated, though. My fiancee is a Canadian born, who ironically is also acquiring a Portuguese citizenship (and no, we are not family related...we will be once we get married ). At some point, if we fail to adapt to Portugal we would like to have the option of moving back to her family in Canada. And while I don't see myself going back to Turkey, the documents are in hand and so the Turkish citizenship is not the problem for me to renounce it.

Thanks again for reading. Consulting with you guys make it easier for me.

Regards,
Gilad

 

[nkam]

First of all, it is far too risky and is not right not to declare that you are dual citizen. You do not know how much Portugal knows and/or what data bases they have access to.
Portugal is EU member state, that said, it shares intelligence with its partners of which Canada and the USA are ones. They will find out sooner or later and you will have no defence nor face to continue in your application.
If Portugal allows multiple citizenship, you should go through the process properly and you should be able to obtain it if you are eligible.
My two cents, declare the truth and have a piece of mind and you will get it if you are entitled to.

 

[Giladyavne]

First of all, it is far too risky and is not right not to declare that you are dual citizen. You do not know how much Portugal knows and/or what data bases they have access to.
Portugal is EU member state, that said, it shares intelligence with its partners of which Canada and the USA are ones. They will find out sooner or later and you will have no defence nor face to continue in your application.
If Portugal allows multiple citizenship, you should go through the process properly and you should be able to obtain it if you are eligible.
My two cents, declare the truth and have a piece of mind and you will get it if you are entitled to.

I don't know why, but again, at the Portuguese embassy they told me not to. It's the embassy, but it's not them who decide eventually so I get what you're saying and I think you're right. Thanks for the advice.

 

[links18]

I don't know why, but again, at the Portuguese embassy they told me not to. It's the embassy, but it's not them who decide eventually so I get what you're saying and I think you're right. Thanks for the advice.

In your subsequent post you state Portugal requires criminal records from any country of nationality. That would include Canada. I wouldn't trust someone's verbal answer from the embassy--they could very well be wrong and in fact appear to be based on other info you have provided.