John Monteiro, let me tell you that your comparison is most absurd. You are comparing the process of recouping or acquiring Portuguese citizenship with the process of getting a British passport. That comparison does not make sense and it is ridiculous. You can actually get a Portuguese passport on the same day of application if you are already a Portuguese citizen and if you apply in Portugal.
It is Portuguese Citizenship that takes time to get. Not a Portuguese passport because you can get that in less than 24 hours for 90 euros if you apply in Portugal. I have often corrected Goans in this respect. You should not say you are getting a Portuguese passport. The right term is getting Portuguese Citizenship which is a completely different process. In order to get a Portuguese passport, you need to be a Portuguese citizen first. Just like in order to get a British passport you need to be a British citizen first. Clear now????? I do hope so. It takes time because it is not a simple process. Your birth registration needs to be transcribed to the Portuguese Civil Birth Registration Office. Often there are spelling mistakes in names from Indian registry offices, people change names on their Indian passports, parents' names are written in different ways, with different spellings, sometimes the dates are not the same from one document to the other, etc. This is just to say that a small difference in names or dates amongst documents belonging to the same person can be taken as suspicious or forgery. Example: Suppose your Indian passport has a different name than what it is actually written on your birth certificate. Or maybe less names or even different spellings of your names. This is extremely common in Indian documents (indian certificates, indian passports, etc). In India people change names very easily or omit names or even change their names to the English version (change Joao to John, Alberto to Albert, Vicente to Vincent, Miguel to Minguel, etc I could give you thousands of examples). BTW, is your name really John on your birth certificate or Joao? :-) I am just surprised that your father being so Portuguese gave you the name of John instead of Joao. So the two years referred by "M S <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>" was the period required to process his papers to get Portuguese citizenship. 2 years is good. Maybe this person's case was straightforward and there were no errors in names, dates, etc. If a case presents different names or mistakes in dates, etc, the Portuguese authorities become suspicious and the applicants are then requested to do affidavits which take time and effort from all parties involved. This is the reason why the process takes long. Many legitimate cases have problems with names and dates in the documents presented. A big problem because the Portuguese are extremely strict with names and dates. If there are differences, your process will be delayed until you explain the differences and fix the problem by issuing affidavits or sworn written declarations. Best regards Paulo Colaco Dias -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of JOHN MONTEIRO Sent: 01 August 2008 11:28 To: Goa's premiere mailing list, estb. 1994! Subject: Re: [Goanet] portuguese passport Its always nice to hear of something positive, and thank you for that, shows that perseverance & patience pays off in the end. Well done & congratulations to you. Two years does seem an awful long time when you consider in the UK three weeks for a passport is 'a lifetime's wait' for the majority who want to use it only to go on holidays to Costa del Fish & Chips. Patience on your part, correct documentation etc have at last paid off for you. John Monteiro No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG. Version: 8.0.100 / Virus Database: 270.5.10/1585 - Release Date: 01/08/2008 06:39