Portuguese citizenship may be a politically sensitive issue in Goa, but the lure of better economic prospects and access to other European nations is pushing large numbers of Goans to switch nationalities.



Portugal, which ruled Goa for 450 years before it was incorporated into India in 1961, recognises Goans born before 1961 – as well as their children and grandchildren – as Portuguese citizens. Since India does not allow dual citizenship, Goans acquiring official Portuguese passports have to give up their Indian citizenship.



According to data from the Election Commission of India, 11,500 Goans surrendered their Indian passports in favour of Portuguese citizenship in the five years between January 31, 2008 and January 31, 2013.



The Portugal embassies in India did not provide concrete data on the number of Goans granted citizenship over the years, but passport agents who help applicants through the paperwork estimate that 300,000 to 400,000 Goans have become Portuguese citizens since Portugal joined the European Union in 1986.



Giving up Indian citizenship means having one’s name struck off Indian voters’ lists and losing the right to stand for elections or buy agricultural property in India. Many Goans, however, have not surrendered their Indian passports, which has made the issue of citizenship conversion increasingly controversial.



In November 2013, two Goan legislators – Caetano Silva of the Goa Vikas Party and Glen Ticlo of the BJP – were found to be Portuguese citizens, which renders their political profiles illegal. A case against them is being heard in the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court – one of many such legal disputes over dual citizenship.



Such controversies notwithstanding, the Goans who become Portuguese citizens are not too concerned about losing certain rights in India.



“There are basically two motives [for people seeking Portuguese nationality],” said Jorge Roza de Oliveira, ambassador of Portugal in New Delhi. “There are those who feel proximity with Portugal and those who see citizenship as a means of bettering their life – and this is the largest number.”



For most Goan-Portuguese citizens, it is the latter – the hope of getting employment somewhere in the European Union – that holds more weight. “Portugal has been a part of the EU for a long time, but in the past few years, the benefits of being a member nation have been publicised much more, so people are seeking citizenship to look for work,” said Frederick Noronha, an independent journalist from Goa.



“It is good to know that I am eligible to get work anywhere in the EU,” said Dhruv (not his real name), a 23-year-old Mumbai-based Goan who gave up his Indian citizenship two years ago. His Portuguese passport, he says, allows him visa-free access to 192 countries around the world, and he has already travelled quite extensively around Europe. Meanwhile, Dhruv’s status as an Overseas Citizen of India gives him most of the rights that Indian citizens have. “I cannot vote or buy agricultural property in India, but it is as close to a dual citizenship as one can get,” he said.



While Dhruv has a job in Mumbai, many Goan residents feel that the trend of seeking Portuguese citizenship has been fuelled by a rising dissatisfaction with the lack of opportunities in India.



“Most of those applying for Portuguese nationality see it as an economic necessity, because successive Indian governments have not provided sufficient employment opportunities for Goans,” said an elderly businessman from Madgaon, Goa, who did not wish to be named.



This sentiment is echoed by many among the lower socio-economic classes in Goa, but the root of this malaise lies in the complicated history of the state, says Jason Keith Fernandes, a legal anthropologist based in Goa. He describes a good portion of Portugal’s rule in Goa, and particularly the commencement of Portuguese sovereignty over Goa, not as colonialism but as the expansion of a kingdom. “Further, while Catholics were already considered citizens of the Empire, from the time that Portugal became a republic in 1910, it considered all Goans, regardless of religion, as its citizens,” said Fernandes.



Fernandes points out that when India took over Goa in 1961, Portugal continued to recognise Goan-Indians as Portuguese citizens, but Indian law made dual citizenship illegal.



“Goans who take Portuguese citizenship are therefore ‘reclaiming’ or ‘actualising’ a right that already exists,” said Fernandes. “They may be doing so largely for economic reasons, but it is their right. And India should recognise the rights of Goans to the option of dual citizenship.”



Fernandes, however, believes there is also a disadvantage to giving up Indian citizenship that Goans are overlooking in their enthusiasm for Portuguese passports. “Goans are already going through a huge identity crisis purportedly because of the large numbers of non-Goans migrating to the state,” he said. “At a time like this, if you give up the right to stand for elections, it could compound the problem in the future.”