TNAG-2199-FCO40-3154-Portuguese-citizenship-as-applied-to-residents-of-Macau-comp-1990 — Page 7

CONFIDENTIAL

PORTUGUESE NATIONALITY LAW: MACAU

References: A. Minute dated 4 May from Counsellor, Lisbon.

B. BTC Hong Kong telno 149 of 9 May.

Background

1.

Precise figures of Portuguese passport holders in Macau

are hard to come by, even the Portuguese Government appear to

be confused. During the Home Secretary's visit to Lisbon earlier this month he was told by his Portuguese counterpart that only 3-4000 people from Macau would have right of residence in Portugal.

This differs greatly to figures of around 100,000 which we have been told in the past.

2. The confusion mainly arises from the fact that the Portuguese themselves have little idea how many people in the territory actually have Portuguese citizenship with the full right of abode in

metropolitan Portugal. In fact the Portuguese are not even sure of

an accurate figure for the total population of Macao itself, because

of the large number of illegal immigrants from the mainland. There is no strict system of identity cards as there is in Hong Kong.

The most accurate figure available of those holding full citizenship with right of abode in metropolitan Portugal is

3.

around 100,000, based in the number of Portuguese passports issued in Macau in recent years. Until 1974 all persons born in Macau automatically had the right to Portuguese citizenship but since then only those born in Macau of Portuguese parents have the right to Portuguese citizenship. Others can acquire it but only if they can fulfil the following qualifications.

(i) 6 years residing in Portugal or a territory administered

by Portugal;

(ii) proof of written and spoken Portuguese;

MTHARB