Portugal news in English.

Subscribe

The Portugal Brief
Guides

Getting Portuguese Citizenship by Naturalisation

Researched and written with AI tools from official sources. How we make our guides

How many years of legal residence you need, which rules cover your application, the language proof, the documents, the €250 fee, and how to apply.

The Portugal Brief 10 min read

Getting Portuguese Citizenship by Naturalisation

Last verified: October 2026.

Who this is for

  • You are a foreign resident, EU or non-EU, living legally in Portugal and want Portuguese citizenship.
  • You applied before 19 May 2026 and want to know which rules cover you.
  • You are planning ahead and need to know when your years of residence add up.

Not for you if: you want to stay long term without becoming Portuguese. Read Getting Permanent Residence in Portugal instead.

Updated October 2026. A new nationality law has applied since 19 May 2026. You now need 7 or 10 years of legal residence, not 5. As of 1 October 2026, the detailed rules for the new culture and civics test had not been published.

Naturalisation is how a foreign adult becomes Portuguese after living here legally for long enough. If you are from an EU country or a Portuguese-speaking country, you need 7 years of legal residence. Everyone else needs 10. You must also prove your Portuguese, have no serious criminal record, and be able to support yourself. The application costs €250 and goes to the registry service (IRN), not to AIMA. No official processing time is published, and many cases take years. Portugal allows dual nationality.

Which rules apply to you

The date you submitted your application decides which rules apply.

  • If you applied before 19 May 2026, the old rules apply. That means 5 years of legal residence and the old requirements.
  • If you apply on or after 19 May 2026, the new rules apply in full.

The Ministry of Justice says the new rules apply only to applications submitted after the law came into force. If your application is already filed, keep it. Withdrawing and applying again would put you under the new rules.

How many years you need

Your nationalityYears of legal residenceAll years must fall within
EU country or Portuguese-speaking country (CPLP)79 years
Any other country1012 years
Stateless46 years

The Portuguese-speaking countries are Angola, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Timor-Leste.

How the years are counted:

  • Only legal residence counts. That means time in Portugal with a residence permit, or another status recognised by the immigration or asylum rules. If you are an EU citizen, your EU registration certificate counts.
  • Waiting time no longer counts. Under the old rules, your clock started on the day you applied for your first residence permit, if it was granted. The new law removed that rule. If you waited two years for your first card, those years may not count.
  • Gaps are allowed, within a limit. You can add up separate periods of legal residence. But all of them must fall within 9 years or 12 years, as the table shows. A long gap can push your early years outside that window.

Keep every residence card you have held, including expired ones, and every AIMA receipt. They prove each period.

What else you must show

Under the new rules, you must meet all of these when you apply:

  1. You are 18 or over.
  2. You have the years of legal residence in the table above.
  3. You know enough Portuguese, and enough about Portuguese culture, history, and national symbols. You prove this by a test or a certificate.
  4. You know the basic rights and duties of a Portuguese citizen and how the state is organised.
  5. You make a formal declaration that you accept the basic principles of a democratic state.
  6. You have not been sentenced, by a final judgment, to more than 3 years in prison for terrorism, violent or organised crime, crimes against state security, or helping illegal immigration.
  7. You are not a danger to national security or defence.
  8. You are not under UN or EU sanctions.
  9. You can support yourself.

If you are from a Portuguese-speaking country, the law presumes you speak Portuguese. You still need to meet the culture and civics requirements.

If you have a conviction that might count, the Public Prosecutor (Ministério Público) weighs it. The prosecutor looks at the sentence, the type of crime, how long ago it happened, and how well you are integrated. If the decision goes against you, you can ask a court to review it.

The new tests are not ready yet

The law gave the government 90 days from 18 May 2026 to write the detailed rules. These will say how you prove culture, history, rights and duties, and self-sufficiency, and how you make the declaration. When we checked on 1 October 2026, we could not find those rules published. The justice portal still says the complementary rules are being prepared.

What this means for you:

  • If you already qualify, you can apply. But nobody can yet say exactly which tests or certificates the registry will accept for the new parts.
  • A Portuguese language certificate at A2 level is still the main proof of your Portuguese. Get it now.
  • Check the registry's nationality pages again before you apply.

How to prove your Portuguese

You need at least level A2, the second level of the European language scale. A2 means you can handle simple everyday conversations, read short texts, and fill in forms. The justice portal lists these proofs:

  • A certificate from a Portuguese school, public or private, showing you studied there.
  • A pass in a Portuguese language exam, such as the CIPLE exam run by the University of Lisbon's testing centre (CAPLE). See Portuguese Language Exams CIPLE, DEPLE, and DIPLE.
  • A certificate from a recognised foreign language assessment centre.

A free Portuguese course for newcomers (Português Língua de Acolhimento) also works. A certificate at A2 or higher counts as proof of Portuguese for nationality. Courses run at public schools, public employment service (IEFP) centres, and Qualifica centres. To enrol you need a residence permit, proof you have applied for one, or a social security number (NISS). See Free Portuguese Courses for Foreigners in Portugal (PLA).

If you were born in a Portuguese-speaking country and hold its nationality, you do not need to send language proof. Book early either way. Exam dates are limited and courses fill up.

Documents you need

The registry's naturalisation form (Modelo 6.1) lists these:

  • The application form for naturalisation by residence, signed.
  • Your birth certificate. If it was issued abroad, it needs an apostille or consular legalisation.
  • Proof of your Portuguese.
  • Criminal record certificates from your country of birth, your country of nationality, and every country you lived in after age 16.
  • A certified copy of your passport or residence permit.
  • If someone applies for you, a power of attorney.

You do not need a Portuguese criminal record certificate. The registry gets it directly.

Documents in English, French, or Spanish do not need a translation unless the registry asks. Documents in other languages need a translation. See Getting an Apostille or Consular Legalisation in Portugal and Getting a Certified Translation in Portugal.

Bring copies of every residence permit or registration certificate you have held. For the new self-sufficiency rule, keep payslips, tax returns, and social security records ready. The registry has not yet said what it will ask for.

How to apply

  1. Check your dates. Count your years of legal residence from your cards. Make sure they all fall within the 9 or 12 year window.
  2. Get your language proof. Sit an exam or finish an A2 course.
  3. Order your foreign documents. Get your birth certificate and criminal record certificates, with apostilles and translations. Order the criminal records last, so they are recent.
  4. Fill in the form. Use Modelo 6.1 from the registry's forms page. Your signature must be certified, unless you sign in front of registry staff when you hand it in.
  5. Pay the €250 fee (see below).
  6. Submit the application in one of these ways: - By registered post to a nationality desk (Balcão da Nacionalidade) or to the Central Registry Office (Conservatória dos Registos Centrais) in Lisbon. The justice portal lists the addresses. - In person at a nationality desk. There are desks in cities across the country, including Braga, Guimarães, Porto, Vila do Conde, and Vila Nova de Gaia in the North. You can also apply at a Portuguese consulate abroad. - Online through a lawyer or solicitor. Only lawyers and solicitors registered in Portugal can use the online service. You cannot apply online yourself.
  7. Keep your access code. When your application is logged, the registry emails you a code. Use it on the justice portal to follow your case.
  8. Answer any request quickly. The registry may ask for more documents.

What it costs

  • Application fee: €250. By post, pay by card on the registry's payment page, or send a certified or bank cheque in euros made out to IRN, IP. At a desk you can also pay in cash or by Multibanco card.
  • Language exam. CAPLE sets the CIPLE fee. Check it when you register.
  • Foreign documents. Apostilles, certificates, and translations are charged by the issuing country and the translator.
  • A lawyer or solicitor, only if you choose one.

The procedure is free for children born in Portugal, stateless people, and children in state care.

How long it takes

No official processing time is published, and many applications take years. You can follow your case online with your access code. The status page shows four stages:

  1. Submitted (Submetido): your application is logged.
  2. Under review (Em análise): the registry checks your documents and the legal requirements.
  3. For decision (Para decisão): a decision is being issued.
  4. Completed (Concluído): you have been registered as Portuguese, or the application was refused and closed.

You can also call the Registry Line (Linha de Registos) on +351 211 950 500, on weekdays from 09:00 to 18:00. If you lose your access code, ask at a nationality desk or on the Registry Line.

When you are approved

You become Portuguese when the registry records your naturalisation. Once registered, you can:

Portuguese law lets you keep your other nationality. Check your home country's law, because some countries remove their nationality if you take another one.

If you are refused

If the refusal is based on a criminal conviction, you can ask a court to review the prosecutor's finding. For other refusals, you can challenge the decision in court, usually with a lawyer. You can also apply again with a complete file and a new fee.

Other routes to citizenship

Naturalisation by residence is not the only route. You may have another one if:

  • You are married to a Portuguese citizen for more than 3 years. You apply by declaration while still married.
  • You live with a Portuguese partner for more than 3 years, and a court has recognised the union.
  • Your child was born in Portugal. A child born here can be Portuguese from birth if a parent had lived here legally for at least 5 years at the time of birth. Otherwise, the child can naturalise later if a parent has 5 years of legal residence when applying, and the child attends school. See Registering a Birth in Portugal.
  • You are a grandchild of a Portuguese citizen by origin and have real ties to Portugal. This is a claim to citizenship from birth, with its own rules.
  • You are a great grandchild of a Portuguese citizen by origin and have lived here legally for at least 5 years.
  • You are stateless and have lived here legally for at least 4 years.

The route for descendants of Sephardic Jews has been abolished. Applications filed before 19 May 2026 are decided under the old rules.

If you are Brazilian, you can also ask for equal rights with Portuguese citizens while you build your years. See Getting Equal Rights Status as a Brazilian in Portugal.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change often; check the official source before you act.

Sources

This guide is written from official sources and, where relevant, organisations' own websites.

Last verified October 2026. Rules and fees change; check the official source before acting.

Read next