José Ribeiro e Castro graduated in Law in 1975, at the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon, where he was one of the best students of his year. He was jurisconsult and senior technical staff of the State, Deputy State Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister Diogo Freitas do Amaral in the governments of AD – Democratic Alliance, from 1980 to 1983, and deputy to the Assembly of the Republic in 1976, 1979, 1980, 1999 , 2009 and 2011.

Vice-President of the Parliamentary Group of the CDS in 1981 and President of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and Portuguese Communities, from 2009 to 2011.
President of the Parliamentary Committee on Education, Science and Culture, from 2011 to 2013.
Vice-president of the Parliamentary Committee on European Affairs, from 2013 to 2015.

Elected to the European Parliament in 1999 and 2004, with two served terms between 1999 and 2009.
Vice-President of the Employment and Social Affairs Committee of the EP and of several international cooperation groups.
President of CDS PP between 2005 and 2007.

Mayor and President of the Municipal Assembly of Sintra (2001/05).
Vice-president of Sport Lisboa e Benfica in 1997/98.

He accumulates Advocacy with political and social causes in which he is deeply involved.
President of SHIP – Sociedade Histórica da Independência de Portugal.

Specialist in Public Law and Nationality Law, he was one of the co-authors of the Law that attributed Portuguese nationality to the Sephardic Jews.

Practice areas: Public right, Nationality, Immigration and Residence Law.

Fluent in Portuguese, French, English