Goan Trend: Increasing Demand for Portuguese Citizenship

620 Individuals Obtain Portuguese Citizenship from January to April This Year

Panjim: Between January and April this year, a total of 620 individuals from Goa surrendered their Indian passports and acquired foreign passports, particularly Portuguese citizenship.

The information was provided by the Foreign Registration Office (FRRO) in Panjim to the Election Office in Altinho.

In a letter to the Joint Chief Electoral Officer and the District Magistrate, the Deputy Superintendent of Police at the FRRO, Nutan Verenkar, stated that all these applicants had applied online for new visas with the FRRO in Mumbai, which is responsible for processing visa-related services for foreign nationals in the state. The FRRO in Goa acts as a subsidiary office to the FRRO in Mumbai.

According to the records in the e-FRRO system, 531 applications were processed, while 89 applications were still pending with the FRRO in Mumbai.

The trend of Goans acquiring Portuguese citizenship has been driven by factors such as better job prospects and aspirational lifestyles.

Last year, 1,265 Goans relinquished their Indian passports in favor of Portuguese passports. In 2021, a total of 2,835 Goans surrendered their Indian citizenship.

Since 2015, it is estimated that over 23,000 Goans have given up their Indian citizenship and obtained Portuguese passports. However, there has been a significant decrease in the number of Goans acquiring Portuguese passports following Brexit.

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