As part of its presence in Brazil, AIM Global has been strengthening its work with the local audience, especially regarding the interest in naturalization in European countries.
Numerous Brazilian citizens are eligible for European nationalities, such as Portuguese, Italian, and German.
In the case of Portugal, grandchildren of Portuguese nationals also have the right to citizenship, which means that an estimated 25 million Brazilians could be eligible. Since 2010, 400,000 of them have obtained Portuguese citizenship.
Despite this, Brazil’s most sought-after European citizenship is not Portuguese, but Italian. As we have seen in previous blogs, more than 80 million people worldwide are entitled to Italian citizenship.
In Brazil, there are an estimated 31 million descendants of Italians who are eligible for Italian citizenship by descent, but many of them are unaware of this.
Another highly sought-after country in this regard is Spain. Spain offers several paths to obtain citizenship, such as the Grandchildren’s Law and the Golden Visa.
As is the case with other Latin Americans, Brazilians who have two years of continuous legal residence in Spain can apply for Spanish citizenship.
Germany is also among the most requested countries. Germany recognizes the principle of nationality by descent (jus sanguinis) and considers individuals whose parents were German citizens at the time of their birth as Germans.
Since many Germans immigrated to Brazil during and after World War II, it is important to note that German law includes reparative regulations granting the right to naturalization to victims of persecution under the Nazi regime, who lost or did not acquire German nationality.
Europe in the DNA of Brazilians
In addition to these considerations, recent studies conducted by Genera laboratory show that up to 72% of Brazilians’ DNA has European ancestry.
Of that percentage, the majority (39%) corresponds to Portuguese and Spanish heritage, 29% to Western Europe (Great Britain, Germany, France, and the Netherlands), and 15% to Italy. There is also a smaller presence of nationalities from the Balkans and Eastern Europe.
This can be explained by the colonization process in the case of Portugal and Spain, and later, in the 18th and 19th centuries, by migration processes that attracted people from around the world to Brazil.
The three states with the highest presence of European ancestry, even above the national average, are Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul, and Paraná.
How Can AIM Global Help You?
According to the European statistics office (Eurostat), Brazilians are among the ten nationalities that most obtained European citizenship in 2022; of these, 70% were concentrated in Portugal and Italy.
AIM Global, as experts in international mobility, can provide you with legal advice on all matters related to citizenship processes in countries like Italy, Portugal, or Spain.
With offices in Lisbon and a large team of professionals, AIM Global supports you throughout the entire process, until you receive your passport. Don’t hesitate – schedule a meeting with us and start making your dream of becoming a global citizen a reality today.
