NAME CHANGE - CIRCA 1929 - CITIZENSHIP APP

Hi Marize,

It seems to me that you should follow these steps:

1. You should start by obtaining a birth certificate from your great-grandfather at the Civil Registry Office in Madeira / Conservatoria do Registo Civil na Madeira.

https://conservatorias.com/conservatori … na-madeira

On this link you can choose the one closest to his birthplace. Send an email, I think you can send them in English and they will reply. If you have to send in Portuguese and if you need help, say so.

2.
2a. If the name change was made in Madeira, you should also inform them about it in 1.

In Portugal, the process of name change always goes through the Civil Registry Office:
https://www.irn.mj.pt/IRN/sections/irn/ … o-de-nome/

2b. If the name change was made in South Africa, you should try to find out where it was made, in order to make this association between the old name and the new name.

2c. If the problem is due to a writing error in your great-grandfather's name on your grandmother's birth certificate, and the corresponding ("perfilhação"/Recognition as father) wrongly made due to improper name change,  try to see at your grandmother's Civil Registry Office in South Africa whether you can solve this error by presenting your great-grandfather's birth certificate obtained in 1.

I don't know if this will help in your problem.

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You can also try to explain your problem at the Central Registry Office in Lisbon by email:

https://www.irn.mj.pt/sections/irn/a_re … -centrais/

Conservatória dos Registos Centrais
Address: Rua Rodrigo da Fonseca, nº 202, 1099-033 Lisboa
Phone number: 213817600 / Fax: 2138176 98
Email: [email protected]

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About acquiring Portuguese nationality by your grandmother, you can also see this link, because the subject is the same:

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=898784

HI,

Thanks so much for your reply.

My great-grandfather changed his name from Manuel Ferreira to José Rodrigues da Silva when he came to South Africa circa 1929 - he changed his name in South Africa.

He signed my gran's birth certificate as José so we really need to proof the legality of the name change.

I got a hold of a very helpful and friendly lady at the Department of Home Affairs in Port Elizabeth whom explained the confirmation letter process to me. As per the Consulate they need a confirmation letter confirming the name change. Hopefully all will go well.

If it does - then we can start following the normal route for citizenship. Cannot wait! I have his baptism record which I obtained from tombo.pt - got the book info from ABM PT.

I cannot speak the language although I do try and learn it via Duolingo.

I need some assistance with the translation of a marriage certificate - more specifically - the second part of it. Would you mind looking at it to see if you can decipher it?

Thanks a mil!

Hi,
You have to give more details, such as some of these: marriage register nr, Father, Mother, Marriage Date, reference nr, ....

Eg. Could be this?
Registo de casamento n.º 82: Manuel Ferreira c.c. Júlia de Jesus Gonçalves
Informação não tratada arquivisticamente.
Pai do nubente: António Ferreira; Mãe do nubente: Luísa de Jesus; Pai da nubente: José Maria Gonçalves; Mãe da nubente: Joana de Jesus.
Datas1921-01-06/1921-01-06
Código de referênciaPT/ABM/CRCRBR/002/00008/000082
Cota atualLiv. 626, f. 82-82 v.º

HI,

Thanks - I'll give you the link to tombo.pt:

Page1
https://arquivo-abm.madeira.gov.pt/view … ID=1908090

Page2
https://arquivo-abm.madeira.gov.pt/view … ID=1908091

Do you reside in POrtugal if I may ask?

Thanks for your help!