Local Goa News

Friday, June 24, 2016

Portuguese consulate issues 50 passports a day

Panaji: Despite the apprehensions surrounding the Brexit referendum, Portugal continued to issue nearly 40-50 Portuguese passports per day to Goans, sources have revealed citing data available with Goa Police, the Goa Passport Office and the Office of the Portuguese Consul General.

Stakeholders are now keeping a close watch to see if the number of Indian's giving up their citizenship and applying for Portuguese citizenship will drop following the United Kingdom's decision to walk away from the European Union.
Children of those born before Goa's liberation in 1961 and whose parents' birth is registered in Portugal are eligible to register their births in Portugal and to obtain citizenship or a 'bilhete de identidade' considered as good as citizenship. This opportunity has been availed by several Goans who now find themselves in a grey area wherein they are held to be citizens of both India and Portugal. The perplexing situation has led to calls for the union government to permit dual citizenship.
While some people chose to surrender their Indian passport directly, others chose to retain their passport. Last year, TOI had reported that everyday, nine people surrendered their Indian passports and took up Portuguese citizenship.
According to sources, over 200 people queue up outside the Portuguese Consul General's office in Altinho, often from the wee hours of the morning just to ensure that they are among the select few who manage to enter the coveted yellow-walled office.
"The Portuguese Consulate receives more than a 100 people in a day but you will find 10 times the number with agents who totally bypass the Consul General's office and register all the documents directly in Portugal," sources in the know said.
While the exact number of pending applications for Portuguese passports is not available, sources said that the process for registering applications was an ongoing process and the Brexit referendum would not have any implications on that process. "The number should be very high. Last year the number of those who applied was very high," the source said.
Sources informed that those seeking to apply for registration of their birth and marriage in Portugal could do so directly with the embassy in Delhi or with agents in Portugal.
"The Brexit decision may deter people but clarity will come in a few more days. France is still an option for those who want to go to Europe," the source said.

TOI Goa News

No comments:

Post a Comment