Ask A Question  | Learn more about Portugal

Is having different name on your birth certificate affect your application for Portuguese D7 visa and citizenship?

I intend to move to Portugal via D7 visa and eventually apply for citizenship after 5-6 years of residence. According to justica.gov.pt, for Portuguese citizenship, one of the required documents is birth certificate(although website says 'if possible' before birth certificate requirement, may be meaning not mandatory maybe) I changed my legal name by adding a new first name although my middle and last name is exactly same as in birth certificate of mine. My birth certificate only had 2 names first and last. The first name on birth certificate is now my current legal middle name and last name on my certificate is still my current legal last name. My concern is that, would having an old name on my birth certificate when submitting application for citizenship result in possible rejection or would it not be an issue? Some people may not even have birth certificates when they were born. Even though my birth certificate has the same date of birth and parents names. If so, would it be better to submitting copies of all my previous passports that had my birth name with it along with it just in case? Is it absolutely mandatory to submit birth certificate when applying for citizenship or could it be submitted without it? Your response would be appreciated. Thank you.

Answers
  • Diogo Capela
    Lamares, Capela & Associados, Sociedade de Advogados
    June 17, 2022

    It is necessary to present the birth certificate when applying for Portuguese nationality. Regarding the name change you made, using the proof of your request, we could easily prove that the birth certificate is indeed yours, and that there is no discrepancy between it and your current identification documents. You can show your old identification documents and the new ones so the Registry Office in Portugal understands that even though you have changed your name, your birth certificate is actually yours and there is no doubt about that.

  • Tiago Gali Macedo
    NEXT/Gali Macedo & Associados
    May 25, 2022

    In order to apply for the Portuguese nationality, it is mandatory for the applicant to deliver his / her birth certificate to the Portuguese authorities. Should the applicant change his / her name at any point in his / her life prior to the application, his / her file should include a certificate of that legal name change, along with the abovementioned birth certificate, in order for the authorities to realize, when processing the request, that the documents indeed only refer to him / her.

  • Sara Sousa Rebolo
    Prime Legal
    May 19, 2022

    It might not cause impact in the applications if you have legal official documents explaining the differences in the names.

Call Us

+1-800-347-9390

Free
Evaluation