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Citizenship

Becoming a Portuguese Citizen by Naturalisation in 2026 — A Practical Guide to the Lei n.º 37/81 Article 6 Path, the Five-Year Residency Anchor, the CIPLE A2 Portuguese-Language Test and the IRN Pedido de Aquisição

Becoming a Portuguese Citizen by Naturalisation in 2026 — A Practical Guide to the Lei n.º 37/81 Article 6 Path, the Five-Year Residency Anchor, the CIPLE A2 Portuguese-Language Test and the IRN Pedido de Aquisição

Becoming a Portuguese citizen by naturalisation under Article 6 of Lei n.º 37/81 (Lei da Nacionalidade) follows the five-year residency anchor, the CIPLE A2 Portuguese-language test, the criminal-record threshold and the IRN Pedido de Aquisição cycle. This 2026 guide unpacks the path.
The Portugal Brief
President Seguro Signs the New Nationality Law Into Force — Naturalisation for Non-EU Residents Doubles to 10 Years, CPLP and EU Citizens Move to 7, and Birth-Right Citizenship Tightens to a Five-Year Parental Residency Test

President Seguro Signs the New Nationality Law Into Force — Naturalisation for Non-EU Residents Doubles to 10 Years, CPLP and EU Citizens Move to 7, and Birth-Right Citizenship Tightens to a Five-Year Parental Residency Test

President Seguro signed the new Lei da Nacionalidade on 3 May 2026, doubling naturalisation residency to 10 years for non-EU/CPLP applicants, raising it to 7 years for EU and CPLP citizens, and tightening birth-right citizenship to a 5-year parental residency test.
The Portugal Brief