Portugal's Nationality Law Overhaul: The Five Key Changes Every Expat Needs to Understand

On April 1, Portugal's parliament approved a revised version of the nationality law by a two-thirds majority, following an agreement between the governing PSD and the right-wing Chega party. The vote came after the Constitutional Court struck down four provisions of an earlier version in December 2025.

The parliamentary approval was widely expected, but the devil is in the details — and those details matter enormously for the hundreds of thousands of foreign residents building their lives in Portugal.

Here are the five changes that matter most.

1. Residency Requirement Doubles to Ten Years

The headline change: the minimum legal residency period for citizenship by naturalization rises from five years to ten years for most applicants. Nationals of EU member states and CPLP countries — the Community of Portuguese Language Countries, including Brazil, Angola, and Mozambique — face a slightly shorter requirement of seven years.

This brings Portugal broadly in line with countries like Spain and Italy, which also require ten years of residency. It represents a dramatic shift from Portugal's previous position as one of Europe's most accessible citizenship pathways.

The practical impact falls hardest on holders of the D7 visa, digital nomad visa, and Golden Visa who arrived within the last five years expecting a quicker route to a Portuguese passport.

2. New Cultural Knowledge Test

Beyond the existing A2-level Portuguese language requirement (which does not apply to nationals of Portuguese-speaking countries), applicants will now need to pass a test covering Portuguese culture, history, and basic constitutional rights.

The format and content of this test have not yet been published. The government is expected to issue implementation regulations after presidential promulgation. For expats, this means an additional preparation requirement — though the A2 language threshold remains relatively modest by European standards.

3. Stricter Criminal Record Rules (With Limits)

The revised law tightens restrictions on applicants with criminal records. However, the Constitutional Court has already blocked the most aggressive proposals, including provisions that would have automatically excluded anyone with a prison sentence of three years or more and vaguely defined clauses that gave authorities broad discretion to deny applications.

The surviving version limits the criminal record bar to convictions carrying sentences of three years or more, and the exclusion is not automatic — it requires judicial assessment. This is an important distinction for applicants who may have minor offenses on their records.

4. End of the Sephardic Jew Citizenship Route

The amendments formally close the special citizenship pathway for descendants of Sephardic Jews, which had been available since 2015. Portugal introduced the route as a form of historical reparation for the expulsion of Jewish communities during the Inquisition.

The programme had already been effectively suspended following corruption investigations involving the Jewish Community of Porto. Its formal closure was widely expected.

5. Tighter Rules for Children Born in Portugal

Under the current law, children born in Portugal to foreign parents can access Portuguese nationality relatively easily. The revised law now requires that at least one parent must have been legally resident in Portugal for a minimum of three years before the child's birth.

This change will primarily affect recent arrivals who have children shortly after settling in Portugal.

The Presidential Wildcard

The law is not yet in effect. President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa's term ended in March, and his successor, Ana Gomes — who was historically critical of the PSD-Chega alignment — now holds the promulgation pen. President Seguro could sign the law, send it back to parliament, or refer specific provisions to the Constitutional Court for review.

Given that the Constitutional Court already struck down parts of the previous version, a second referral is not out of the question. Expats and immigration lawyers are watching the presidential palace closely.

What Should Expats Do Now?

The current five-year rule remains in effect until the new law is formally promulgated and enters into force. The Constitutional Court has already ruled that the new residency timeline cannot be applied retroactively to pending applications — a significant protection for those already in the pipeline.

For residents who have been in Portugal for four or more years, the advice from immigration lawyers is straightforward: begin preparing your citizenship application now, while the current rules still apply. Gather your language certification, criminal record checks, and proof of ties to the community. The window may not remain open indefinitely.

For those considering a move to Portugal, the realistic cost of living remains competitive by Western European standards — but the citizenship timeline just got significantly longer.