Updated: July 14, 2025

 

The Portuguese Government recently announced significant proposal changes to the Portuguese Nationality Law. This could include doubling the minimum period of legal residency required for most foreigners to apply for citizenship, from five to ten years.

Individuals from Portuguese-speaking countries (CPLP), such as Brazil, Angola, and Mozambique, will be able to apply after seven years, while those from other nations will only be able to apply after ten years.

While the government has yet to publish the draft proposal, this move shows a shift towards a model that is aligned more closely with the European Union standard, referred to as “regulated and humanist immigration”.

These policy updates have not yet been enacted into the Portuguese law and current rights and ongoing applications will remain unaffected. This is because they are protected by the constitution that prevents retroactive applications of laws.

In this article, we provide a comprehensive overview of the latest Portuguese Nationality Law news and the latest developments, what has been announced so far, the legal challenges that the proposals face, and what applicants need to understand about their current situation.

What has the Portuguese Government announced?

The Portuguese Government has announced modifications to the Portugal Citizenship Law. Below, we detail the key points for consideration regarding the Portugal citizenship law changes 2025.

New Portuguese Nationality Law 2025: What we know so far

new portugal nationality law 2025The Portuguese Government’s proposals include important changes to its immigration process and Portuguese Nationality Law, particularly with regard to the residency requirement before it is possible to apply for Portuguese citizenship. 

Portugal nationality law 2025 proposed changes: 

  • Extended residency requirements to apply for Portugal citizenship: From five to ten years (for Portuguese-speaking countries (CPLP countries, it is now seven years).
  • New testing requirements: A mandatory civic and cultural test for applicants to show a “true conneection” to Portugal. 

Alongside these proposals, the following have also been recommended: 

  • Stricter entry controls linked to Portugal’s integration capacity
  • Restricting the Job Seeker Visa to only highly qualified candidates
  • Mandatory Portuguese test for certain residence permit renewals
  • Creating streamlined institutional structures, including border management units

 

Latest Developments

The Portuguese Parliament has agreed to extend discussions on the nationality law changes until the third week of September, representing a shift from the original plan to resolve the matter before the summer parliamentary recess.

This extension allows for expert hearings and specialist consultations to take place on the proposed changes. Presumably, this decision is due to growing concerns about the constitutional compliance of the original proposals. This reinforces the assessment from our residency and citizenship division, Global Citizen Solutions, that several amendments may face serious constitutional challenges.

Expected timeline:

  • Expert hearings and specialist consultations can take place during summer recess.
  • The third week of September: Final recommendations from the committee
  • After September, before the annual budget discussions in October: Parliamentary vote

This extended timeline provides a valuable opportunity for comprehensive constitutional review and inclusive stakeholder input.

Is the new nationality law already in effect?

It’s important to note that, at the moment, the draft proposal is only a set of recommendations and is not set in law. There are still a few steps in the process before it becomes enshrined in Portuguese law and the timeline for its adoption is expected to be gradual.

  • Debates in Parliament
  • Potential amendments
  • Support from coalition parties (the Portuguese Government does not hold an absolute majority)
  • Approval from the Portuguese Parliament
  • Development of the necessary regulatory and administrative frameworks

How does it affect current applicants?

If you have already applied for citizenship by naturalization, the revised citizenship regulations will not affect naturalization applications submitted before 19 June 2025. Applications that are submitted after this time or incomplete submissions could be subject to new regulations once they are officially enacted.

How does it affect Golden Visa holders?

Portugal Golden Visa Nationality Law ChangePortugal’s Golden Visa is the country’s popular residency by investment program that was introduced in 2012. The Portuguese Government has not proposed any changes to the residency rights under the Golden Visa program, with your right to residency protected once your Golden Visa application has been submitted.

The route to access Portuguese citizenship may be impacted by the proposed law.

Alongside this, there were the following changes to the Golden Visa:

  • Processing timeline: Formulization of up to 18 months for official processing for future applications.
  • Administrative modifications: Changes to timeline calculations and processing procedures.

AIMA: Operational Improvements

AIMA, the Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum, has introduced several measures to enhance operations.

From January 2026, they will launch a new digital system to improve communication and transparency for applicants and legal representatives.

Alongside this, and already in circulation, since June 2025, the online renewal system has progressed, removing the need for in-person appointments if biometric data remains valid.

Frequently Asked Questions about the 2025 Portuguese Nationality Law Changes

Proposed reforms to citizenship rules include extending the Portuguese residency requirement for citizenship from five to ten years for most applicants. For CPLP countries, it increases from five to seven years from the first residence permit. New requirements also include a civic knowledge test. This is in line with the nationality requirements in several other EU countries.

Portugal offers citizenship through birth, descent, marriage/civil union, or naturalization. This is according to the Portuguese government.

Regarding citizenship eligibility for children born to Portuguese parents, you can generally apply for Portuguese citizenship by descent if you have parents or grandparents who hold Portuguese citizenship.

Proposed changes aim to extend the residency period for Portuguese citizenship for foreign nationals. For most applicants, it would increase from five to ten years. CPLP country nationals would see an increase from five to seven years, starting from their first residence permit.

A Portuguese passport is primarily issued to Portuguese citizens. Citizenship can be acquired through birth, descent (having Portuguese parents or grandparents), marriage to a Portuguese citizen, or naturalization after residing in Portugal for a set period of time.

You can be granted citizenship through several avenues, including citizenship by Portuguese descent, naturalization after a period of legal residency, or marriage to a Portuguese citizen.

For naturalization, you will need to have had legal residence in Portugal for five years, although proposals are pushing for this to be increased to ten years (seven years for CPCL countries).

Yes, Portugal allows dual citizenship. You can have both Portuguese and foreign citizenship (provided your country of origin also allows dual citizenship).

Should Golden Visa holders be seeking to secure citizenship, they may face the new residency stay requirement of ten years as opposed to five years (for CLIP countries this is seven years). However, it is worth bearing in mind that at the moment, the draft proposal is only a set of recommendations and is not set in law.

There are several steps before it becomes enshrined in Portuguese law.

The proposed citizenship regulations will not affect naturalization applications that were submitted before 19 June 2025.

The Portuguese language requirement (A2 level) remains unchanged if you are seeking to acquire citizenship. However, completing an additional civic and Portuguese culture test for applicants to show a “true connection” to Portugal and knowledge of the Portuguese culture has been proposed for applicants to show their ties to the Portuguese community.

To acquire Portuguese nationality as the child of Portuguese parents living abroad, you will need to apply for Portuguese nationality by descent at a Portuguese Consulate or Embassy.

There are several benefits to obtaining Portuguese nationality. This includes acquiring the right to live, work, and study in any EU country, visa-free travel within the Schengen Area, and greater financial and mobility freedoms.

Portuguese nationality processing times can take a few months to two years. The processing time is currently experiencing delays due to backlogs and staff shortages.

Yes, individuals with roots in former Portuguese territories can potentially acquire Portuguese citizenship, particularly through descent or naturalization.