Dual Citizenship

I have decided to pursue obtaining citizenship from Portugal, therefore hopefully becoming a dual citizen of the United States and Portugal. I am a bit excited by this, because there are some great benefits.

If I obtain a Portuguese citizenship, I would be able to vote in political elections, run for office (not likely), obtain a Portuguese passport, and wouldn’t get deported (wee!). There are more benefits, thanks to the recent unionization of Europe. By becoming a Portuguese citizen, I will also be able to enjoy the rights provided by the European union, including the ability to live, work, or retaire in any member state of the union, for an unlimited period. Which means if I ever get a bit of money my way, I might be able to have a summer home anywhere in Europe in the future.

Of course there are a few reservations I have. I wonder if obtaining a Portuguese citizenship might mean I have to pay some taxes to Portugal, or participate in mandatory military service. I don’t think it’s likely that either of these things will happen. My father has dual citizenship and does not pay any taxes to the Portuguese government, and I believe Portugal has a voluntary military.

4 Comments so far

  1. Paul on December 13, 2007

    Hi … were you able to get your dual citizenship? I am thinking of doing the same thing, since my parents were born in Portugal.

    Just curious!

  2. anarchyhamburger on December 13, 2007

    I haven’t actually done it yet because I’ve been too busy to take a trip to the consulate downtown. I hear it’s not much of a problem, especially if your parents still hold their Portuguese citizenship.

  3. Paul on December 14, 2007

    Thanks. I actually called the consulate yesterday, and they said all I would need is a parent’s Portuguese birth certificate, my birth certificate and my passport. So I’m going to get it all done in Providence when I go for Christmas.

  4. Ricardo on January 28, 2008

    Hello…just wondering if you ended up obtaining the dual citizenship. I’m interested in having this done very soon but can not seem to find any info on actually doing it. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

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