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What is an Apostille?
By: Ivo Rodriguez | July 12, 2021 | Categories: Documentation
An Apostille is the facilitated certification of public documents for their use globally applicable to 105 countries that are a part of the Hague Convention’s Apostille Section. India became a member of the Hague Convention in 2005 which abolished the requirement of legalization of foreign public documents and instead facilitated the provision of an apostille.
Apostille is done for personal documents like birth/death/marriage certificates, affidavits, power of attorneys, and educational documents like degree, diploma, and matriculation, for use during the process of documentation as part of immigration paperwork.
At Lighthouse Consultancy, our services include doorstep collection of your documents along with their attestations and apostille.
FAQ's
Got a question? We have the answer!
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My Grandparents had Goan ancestry ,but my parents were born outside Goa.Am I still eligible to apply for Portuguese Nationality?"Yes,after studying your ancestry documents we can apply for the registration of your ancestry in Portugal & claim yours too. This is a very tedious process though and one which may take years to process.
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I am a Goan but my spouse isn't. Is she also eligible to get the Portuguese Nationality?Yes, New rules allow for the application of Non Goan Spouse based on certain conditions & additional documentation.
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Does India allow for dual citizenship?No,India does not allow for dual Nationality.On taking Portuguese Nationality,an Indian Citizen must denounce his Indian Citizenship immediately.However one can apply for the OCI ( Overseas Citizen of India ) Card. This card allows the Portuguese Passport holder to have unlimited access to enter and exit India. Its as good as holding a Dual Nationality. More details about the advantages of the OCI Card may be downloaded from the below link.
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As a Portuguese National ,can I hold property in India?"Yes, It is recommended that one applies for an OCI card immediately after surrendering of the Indian Passport. The OCI Card holder is treated on par as any other Indian Citizen and is allowed to hold property.One must be aware though that buying and selling property for Gain comes under the Income Tax laws of India & the OCI card holder will come under the said laws of the Indian Income Tax Acts.
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What is the validity of the Portuguese Passport?A Portuguese Passport is valid for a period of 5 Years & can be renewed at the closest Portuguese Embassy or Consulate of where the person is a resident.
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Do I pay taxes to the Portuguese Government once I take the Portuguee Passport?Portugal Taxes apply only to Portuguese Nationals that work and reside within Portugal. If you work outside Portugal,you will not be paying taxes to the Portuguese Government.
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Is it necessary to know Portuguese to apply for the Portuguese Passport?No, It isnt necessary to learn Portuguese, though we recommend that one learns the basics of the Portuguese Language.One may begin with conversational Portuguese.