What is the Nationality Law and what is its current framework?
The Portuguese Nationality Law has been in force since 1981 and has been amended
eleven times. The most recent — the 11th amendment, approved on 1 April 2026 —
represents the most comprehensive reform in recent years.
The amendment was approved with 152 votes in favour, 64 against and one abstention,
addressing the unconstitutionalities identified by the Constitutional Court in December 2025.
No transitional period is foreseen: the new rules will apply immediately upon entry into force. Close monitoring of the process is recommended.
What are the ways to acquire Portuguese nationality?
There are five main ways to acquire Portuguese nationality:
- Nationality by origin: granted at birth to children of a Portuguese father or mother; to
children born in Portugal of foreign nationals legally resident for at least 5 years; and to
grandchildren of Portuguese nationals who demonstrate an effective connection to the
national community. - Marriage or civil partnership: the spouse or civil partner of a Portuguese national for more
than 3 years may acquire nationality by declaration. - Adoption: a person fully adopted by a Portuguese national acquires nationality by operation
of law. - Naturalisation by residence: a foreign national legally resident in Portugal for at least
7 years, if a citizen of a Portuguese-speaking country or of the European Union, or for at least
10 years in all other cases. The time period counts exclusively from the date of issue of a
valid residence card. Knowledge of Portuguese, the absence of convictions for serious crimes
and no risk to national security are also required. - Sephardic regime: revoked for new applications. Proceedings already submitted continue to
be assessed under the previous rules.
What are the main changes affecting those seeking naturalisation?
The most relevant changes approved in 2026 are:
- Longer timelines: the minimum residence period rises from 5 to 7 years for citizens of CPLP
countries and the EU, and from 5 to 10 years for all others. This is one of the most significant
changes of the reform. - Count from the residence card: the clock only starts running once the residence card is in
hand. The waiting period for a residence authorisation, including the period of expression of
interest, no longer counts. Those who do not yet hold a valid residence title should act
urgently. - Civic and cultural integration: proof of knowledge of Portuguese culture, history and
national symbols, by test or certificate, is now required, as well as a solemn declaration of
adherence to the principles of the Democratic Rule of Law and proof of means of subsistence. - Filiation established after coming of age: filiation established by court order after coming of
age has effect on nationality if the application is submitted within 3 years of the judgment
becoming final. - Collection of biometric data: introduced in nationality applications; in the event of refusal,
the data are deleted after the judicial appeal period.
What changes with the new Immigration Law, in force since October 2025?
The new Immigration Law is not a nationality law, but it directly amended the routes to legal
residence, an essential precondition for naturalisation:
- Abolition of the expression of interest: since October 2025, it is no longer possible to apply
for a residence authorisation by expression of interest. Those who did not regularise their
situation by 31 December 2025 are subject to the new regime, with the naturalisation period
counted only from the issue of a valid residence card. - New visa for qualified job seekers: replaces the previous generic job-search visa,
suspended since October 2025. Aimed at professionals with specialised technical skills and
awaiting further regulation.
What does the 11th amendment approved on 1 April 2026 provide for?
Beyond the longer timelines and the new counting method from the residence card, the approved
law introduces other relevant measures:
- Children of foreign nationals born in Portugal: nationality is no longer granted
automatically. At least one parent must have been legally resident in Portugal for 5 years and
an express declaration must be made. Regular attendance at compulsory schooling may also
be required. - Extended ancestry: nationality by descent is extended to great-grandchildren of Portuguese
nationals, but naturalisation of ascendants of original Portuguese nationals is abolished. - End of naturalisation through parenthood: foreign parents of children born in Portugal lose
the right to naturalise on the basis of parenthood of a child registered as Portuguese.
What are the new rules on loss of nationality for criminal involvement?
The 2026 reform strengthened the consequences of criminal activity both for those seeking to
obtain and for those already holding Portuguese nationality:
- Bar to naturalisation: nationality cannot be obtained by anyone convicted of an effective
prison sentence of 3 or more years for serious crimes such as terrorism, organised violent
crime or crimes against state security. - Loss of nationality as an ancillary penalty: nationality may be revoked as an ancillary
penalty for anyone sentenced to 5 or more years of effective imprisonment for very serious
crimes, such as aggravated homicide, human trafficking or sexual abuse. This applies only to
those who obtained nationality less than 10 years ago. - Loss due to fraud: nationality may also be revoked from anyone who obtained it fraudulently
less than 10 years ago, with a safeguard for children unaware of the fraud committed by their
parents. Lack of an effective connection to the national community remains a ground for
opposition to acquisition.
Do you need guidance on your nationality process?
The new law directly affects those already living in Portugal or planning to apply for nationality. If
you want to know how these changes affect your situation, contact us for a personalised
consultation.
Priscilla Frederighi | [email protected]
Contact us and/or book a meeting here.