The Portuguese Socialist Party (PS) has raised concerns with the government, specifically addressing the Minister of Justice, about significant delays at the Institute of Registries and Notaries’ Central Registry Office in processing nationality applications for Portuguese descendants. These delays impact both minors and adults, children of Portuguese parents.
The PS argues that these delays are causing substantial issues, particularly as many people of Portuguese descent are eager to acquire nationality, but their applications are stalled in Portugal. Reports indicate that while the local consular offices handle cases swiftly, the backlog at the Central Registry Office exceeds tens of thousands, disrupting the lives of numerous Portuguese citizens living abroad.
Urgent cases, such as those involving newborns and minors who immediately require identification documents for administrative purposes, are reportedly delayed by up to two months. This situation creates a temporary statelessness for these individuals, preventing parents from traveling with their children due to the absence of identification documents.
Meanwhile, adults face validation delays of up to 18 months, despite the high costs and significant anticipation involved in obtaining Portuguese nationality, according to the PS inquiry to the government.
The PS is seeking information from the government about the backlog and the response times at the Central Registry Office concerning the consular requests for integrating the birth records of Portuguese citizens born abroad. They are questioning the government on the volume of pending birth registration processes for both minors and adults and the respective waiting times.
The party also inquires about the government’s plans to address the accumulation of cases and improve processing times.
