Roman Abramovich gains EU citizenship via Portuguese passport
Russian-Israeli billionaire Roman Abramovich, owner of the Chelsea FC football club, became a Portuguese citizen under a law granting passports to those whose Jewish ancestors had been expelled in the 15th century.
According to media reports, Abramovich must have proved that he was the descendant of Jews whose families fled the Iberian Peninsula as a result of campaigns of anti-Semitic persecution in Portugal and Spain.
A Portuguese passport allows Abramovich to live and work anywhere in the European Union. It will also be easier for him to do business in the UK. In 2018, Abramovich received an Israeli ID card under the Law of Return, which allows Jews to become citizens of Israel. He arrived by his private jet.
Due to a diplomatic dispute between London and Moscow, he was granted Israeli citizenship, being unable to extend his visa to the UK.