Portuguese Brazilian
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 5 million Brazilians have recent Portuguese ancestry (at least one grandparent) and are eligible to obtain Portuguese citizenship. | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| All of Brazil (predominantly in Rio de Janeiro, Espirito Santo and São Paulo) | |
| Languages | |
| Portuguese | |
| Religion | |
|
Primarily Roman Catholicism |
|
| Related ethnic groups | |
Primarily Roman Catholicism
Portuguese Brazilians (Portuguese: Luso-brasileiros) are Brazilian citizens whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in Portugal. Most of the Portuguese who arrived throughout the centuries in Brazil sought economic opportunities. Although present since the onset of the colonization, Portuguese people began migrating to Brazil in larger numbers and without state support in the 18th century.
Nowadays, the Portuguese constitute the biggest group of foreigners living in the country, with an estimated 596,000 Portuguese nationals currently living in Brazil. According to Portuguese law, any Brazilian that has at least one Portuguese parent or grandparent is eligible to obtain Portuguese citizenship. 5 million Brazilians fall under this category.
According to the Constitution of Brazil, the Portuguese people have a special status in Brazil. Article 12, first paragraph of the Constitution, grants to citizens of Portugal with permanent residence in Brazil "the rights attached to Brazilians", excluded from the constitutional prerogatives of Brazilian born. Requirements for the granting of equality are: habitual residence (permanent), the age of majority and formulation of request from the Minister of Justice.
In Brazil, the Portuguese may require equal treatment with regard to civil rights; moreover, they may ask to be granted political rights granted to Brazilians (except the rights exclusive to the Brazilian born). In the latter case, this requires a minimum of three years of permanent residence.
The use of citizenship by non-Brazilian nationals (in this case, Portuguese) is a rare exception to the principle that nationality is a sine qua non for citizenship, granted to the Portuguese – if with reciprocal treatment for the Brazilians in Portugal – due to the historic relationship between the two countries.
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Wikipedia