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Parliament was expected to vote this week on major changes to Portugal’s nationality law, including extending the required residency period for citizenship. But last-minute proposals from two parties — Partido Socialista (PS) and Chega — have postponed the vote.
Adding to the uncertainty, the death of former Prime Minister Francisco Pinto Balsemão has led to a two-day suspension of parliamentary activities, meaning the vote may be delayed further.
Here’s what’s on the table — and what these changes could mean for different groups of people living in or moving to Portugal.
What PS Is Proposing
1. New Naturalization Timelines: 6 and 8 Years
The PS proposal would extend the required length of legal residence for citizenship applications:
- 6 years for citizens of Portuguese-speaking countries (CPLP) and EU member states
- 8 years for everyone else
These new timelines would apply from January 1, 2026, if the proposal is approved.
What this means for you:
- If you’re already on a residence permit in Portugal, current 5-year rules may still apply under transitional provisions.
- If you plan to move to Portugal after 2026, you may face a longer wait before becoming eligible for citizenship.
- EU citizens and citizens from CPLP countries would face a smaller increase (one extra year), while everyone else would wait three years longer than the current five.
Portugalist take: 8 Years is far from ideal, but it’s better than the initially proposed 10. It would still be better than Spain where the requirement is 10 year, and Spain doesn’t automatically recognize dual citizenship.
Crucially, it probably takes 8 years to get Portuguese citizenship under the current rules: 5 years of qualifying and 2-3 years of processing time. If delays are reduced so that it isn’t much more than 8 years, this would actually keep most things the same for non-EU/EEA/Swiss citizens.
2. Grandfathering Period for Current Residents and Golden Visa Holders
The proposal includes a transitional period to protect people who have already started their residency journey.
- Current rules (5 years to naturalization) would still apply to anyone who meets the current requirements and initiates the citizenship application by June 30, 2026.
- Additional protections would extend the previous rules to people who already hold or have applied for a residence permit by December 31, 2027.
What this means for you:
- If you already live in Portugal or have applied for residency, you’ll have time to apply for citizenship under the existing five-year rule.
- If you’re considering applying for residency soon, starting the process earlier may give you access to the current, shorter timeline.
Portugalist take: This is definitely good news for many, and it protects those who have been resident here for 4-5 years. However, to be truly fair it should include anyone who currently has residency in Portugal as of June 2026, even if they’re brand new in the country.
Take the following examples:
Example 1: You got your residency in June 2021. You’ll hit your 5-year mark in June 2026. As long as you apply by June 30, 2026, you’ll be able to use the 5-year rule — not the new 8-year timeline.
Example 2: You started your residency in March 2023. You’ll hit your 5-year mark in March 2028. Because that’s after December 31, 2027, you would not be able to apply under the 5-year rule. Instead, you’d be subject to the new 6-year (EU/CPLP) or 8-year (other nationals) rule.
Example 3: You started your residency in October 2022. You’ll reach 5 years in October 2027. If you apply before December 31, 2027, you’ll still qualify for the 5-year rule.
3. Protection Against Bureaucratic Delays
The proposal keeps the provision that counts time waiting for AIMA’s decision toward your legal residence period.
What this means for you:
- If your application is delayed by Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo (AIMA), that time still counts toward citizenship eligibility.
- This is important for people facing long processing times, as it prevents losing months (or years) of qualifying time because of administrative backlog.
Portugalist take: This is definitely a good thing.
4. Temporary Naturalization Routes
The PS text includes transitional provisions until December 31, 2026, which would make it easier for:
- People born in Portugal to foreign parents with legal residence.
- Individuals who lost Portuguese nationality under older legal frameworks (e.g., in the 1970s).
What this means for you:
- If you or your parents fall into these specific categories, you may be eligible for a simplified naturalization route.
5. Stricter Criminal Record Rules
Applicants would be ineligible if they have been sentenced to two years or more in prison for crimes under Portuguese law. This lowers the threshold compared to previous drafts.
What this means for you:
- For most applicants, this change won’t affect eligibility.
- It does, however, signal a tightening of character requirements for naturalization.
What Chega Is Proposing
Chega is not focused on timelines but on citizenship revocation. Their proposal introduces a new mechanism that would allow the courts to revoke Portuguese citizenship from dual nationals convicted of serious crimes within 20 years of naturalizing.
These crimes include:
- Terrorism and organized crime
- Homicide
- Sexual offenses
- Drug and arms trafficking
- Crimes against the state
What this means for you:
- This would not affect citizenship by birth.
- It would apply only to naturalized dual nationals.
- Courts would consider factors like integration, length of residence, and ties to Portugal before deciding.
This proposal would be a significant change, and it remains to be seen whether it will gain majority support in parliament.
Why the Vote Was Delayed
- The PS amendment was submitted Tuesday morning, and the Chega proposal late Monday night.
- These last-minute changes required a legal and constitutional review by the relevant parliamentary committee.
- The vote was moved to Thursday, but parliamentary business was then suspended following the death of Francisco Pinto Balsemão.
- As of now, there is no confirmed new date for the vote.
Summary of the Key Points
| Issue | Current Rule | Proposed Change (PS) | Effective Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residency for citizenship | 5 years for everyone | 6 years (EU & CPLP); 8 years (other nationals) | Jan 1, 2026 |
| Golden Visa / existing residents | Same 5-year rule | Protected through transitional measures | June 30, 2026 (or Dec 31, 2027) |
| Bureaucratic delays | Count toward 5 years | Count toward 6 or 8 years | Ongoing |
| Criminal record threshold | 3 years | 2 years | Jan 1, 2026 |
| Revocation (Chega) | Not currently applicable | Revocation for serious crimes within 20 years | TBD |
Final Thoughts
Portugal’s nationality law is still under debate. No changes have been approved yet, but if the PS proposal moves forward, it would mean a longer path to citizenship for future applicants — with protections for those already in the system.
If you begin legal residence before 2026 and apply by the transitional deadline, you’ll likely still be eligible for citizenship under the 5-year rule.
If you arrive after 2026 or miss the deadline, you’ll be subject to the new 6 or 8-year requirements.
