The Portuguese passport is becoming increasingly popular, not least because having it gives you the right to move to any EU country (including Portugal, of course).
Many people have a claim to a Portuguese passport — for example, by having a Portuguese grandparent or having lived in Portugal for more than five years — and are now trying to take advantage of their ability to get a second passport. However, often showing an A2 level of Portuguese is required (also referred to as CIPLE or upper-beginner).
Examples include:
- Those with a Portuguese grandparent
- Those applying for citizenship through naturalisation (after living in Portugal for five years or more)
- Third country nationals (those from outside the EU) applying for permanent residency
- Those with a Portuguese partner or spouse (this isn’t always asked for in this instance, but seems to be asked for more often than not)
Even if it’s not a requirement, it shows a tie or link to Portugal and Portuguese culture and this is very important to the people who make these decisions. And if you plan to live in Portugal, having at least an A2 level of Portuguese will definitely help.
Courses & Resources
Most European Portuguese courses cover “beginner’s Portuguese,” which typically means A1 and usually A2 as well, but the following courses really highlight that they cover these levels.
- Portuguese Master Course – Video-based courses that cover A1-B2 European Portuguese
- Practice Portuguese – A fantastically-affordable and comprehensive website that includes audio content, videos, an app, grammar—basically everything you need to learn European Portuguese.
- The Journey – This course isn’t correlated to a specific level, but covers both A1 and A2 European Portuguese
- Portuguese Lab Academy – An online learning platform dedicated to Portuguese from Portugal
- Plataforma de Português Online – A free resource that covers A1 – B2 European Portuguese, particularly vocabulary
You can see a full list of European Portuguese Courses & Textbooks here.
It’s also possible to take a 150-hour language course where you get a certificate at the end that replaces the need for the A2 exam, for example with Segunda Vida or Edpro Association. This could be ideal for those that are unable to take an exam, but would require you to spend around three hours per week for a year in order to get the certificate.
These courses are exclusively available to individuals residing in Portugal, meaning that live abroad are not eligible to enrol. Upon successful completion of the course, participants are awarded a certificate which then qualifies them to apply for citizenship.
How Hard is the A2 Level?
Learning a language takes time and effort and taking exams can be stressful for many people. That said, the A2-Level is achievable.
Joel Rendall co-runs Practice Portuguese, one of the largest and most popular websites for learning European Portuguese. He says that students typically take anywhere from a few months to a few years to reach an A2-level of Portuguese, but that it depends on a number of factors.
These factors include:
- The number of hours spent learning each day.
- Focusing on the right material according to your individual goals.
- Personality and learning style.
- How truly motivated that person is to learn the language.
A lot of the issues with the A2 come down to not enough studying and not focusing on speaking or listening. Too many people expect to just “pick it up” or spend their time on enjoyable but potentially less effective activities like listening to Portuguese music or watching children’s TV shows rather than the hard work of learning grammar, listening to Portuguese audio (and testing themselves on it), practicing writing, and practicing speaking.
Too many people focus on reading (e.g. reading the news in Portuguese) and learning vocabulary lists. While these are obviously important, grammar, listening, speaking, and writing, should be given a lot of attention too.
Despite living in Portugal for several years, studying some Portuguese, and knowing some Spanish, you can’t just wing the A2 exam. I scraped by but I would highly recommend people get a teacher.
Portugalist Reader
That said, there are people who struggle with languages and exam settings and this exam can be challenging. Many people struggle understanding the exam directions, feel that the sound quality of the audio isn’t very good, and find that even getting basic information (like where the exam is held) is challenging. Be prepared for this.
On the bright side, it is worth noting is that you only need to get 55% or higher in order to pass. If it still sounds hard, remember this: Germany, France, and the UK all require a B1-level of their respective languages which would mean an extra 150-200 hours of extra learning.
Suddenly, Portugal’s language requirement doesn’t sound so bad.
The Exam
The exam itself consists of 4 parts:
- Reading & Writing (1 hour 15 minutes) – Worth 45% of the total. The questions are mainly multiple choice with one or two short-form written answers. You should know how to write an email, text message, post card, and complaint, among other forms of writing, as these will all have a different style and format.
- Listening (30 minutes) – Worth 30% of the total. This is usually considered the hardest part. Many people report that not only is the content hard, but the audio quality is often poor.
- Speaking (10-15 minutes) – Worth 25% of the total. This is usually done as part of a small group or in tandem with another person, and varies in format. You’re normally asked at least one question, such as something about yourself, and you’re then supposed to answer that question (in as much length as possible). You may be given a piece of paper with images that you can talk about. Because there are other people in the group, you won’t be speaking for the entire time. You may end up role-playing with the other people in the ground. The focus of this section is frequently about different occupations : doctor, fireman, family having dinner, teacher
To pass, you need to get a minimum of 55%.
You can find your nearest CAPLE-certified testing centre here or IEFP centre here. There are around 100 testing centres in more than 35 countries worldwide. Obviously, there are a number of testing centres in Portugal.
A2 (or CIPLE) exams take place every few months and are much more frequent than other levels. You can find the next test date here or register here.
Currently the exam costs €72. Payment is normally made by Multibanco or bank transfer, so it’s a good idea to allow at least a day for the payment to process.
You can normally check your results here. It can take around 4-6 weeks more to receive the certificate.
In total, this can take around 6-8 weeks which can slow down a citizenship application process. For this reason, it’s a good idea to take the exam as soon as you are ready.
Preparing for the exam
It’s recommended that you work through a course or textbook that covers A1 & A2 European Portuguese. Some courses are strong in one area (e.g. listening) so make sure that you are covering all areas of the language including listening, reading, writing, and speaking. It’s also a good idea to spend some time focusing on Portuguese grammar.
Past exam papers can be hard to find, but there is one example on the University of Lisbon website:
There’s also a book of past papers, which, unfortunately, only includes one per level, available from Lidel.
Can I Get An Exemption for the A2 Portuguese Exam?
For many people, passing the A2 exam – a requirement to obtain Portuguese citizenship and for non-EU citizens permanent residency too – can seem overwhelming, particularly if you suffer from something like dyslexia or hearing problems. What about cases where you cannot read or write? Is it possible to get an exemption?
There isn’t much (if any) information about this online. However, after several enquiries to language schools in Portugal, the Instituto Camões in London were kind enough to refer me to the frequently asked questions section of the CAPLE section of the University of Lisbon’s website.
The following is a translation of the answer with the most important bits highlighted (at the time of writing, the information wasn’t available in the English FAQs). In short, a complete exemption seems unlikely and it’s more likely that the testing centre will adjust the test to suit your abilities.
Of course, all of this is assuming you have a condition of some kind, such as dyslexia or hearing problems. While many websites imply that there may be instances where you don’t need to take the A2 exam to obtain citizenship, they never go into any specific detail and it seems like you can’t get an exemption just because.
Unfortunately, if you don’t meet the requirements to get an exemption, you’ll need to study and get at least 55% in the exam if you want to pass. Thankfully, though, there are some great courses that cover A1 and A2 European Portuguese, free resources like podcasts and flashcard apps, and information about the A2 exam itself.
Alternatively, rather than sit the A2 exam (or higher), which is the most common way to show you have an A2 level of Portuguese, another option, according to Justica.gov.pt, would be to show “a certificate of qualification from a Portuguese public, private or cooperative educational establishment.” According to acm.gov.pt, the certificate obtained at “Level A2 – Elementary User” (and above) can be used when applying for Portuguese nationality.
Dyslexia, Hearing, and Mobility Problems
If the candidate needs to benefit from justifiably special conditions to take the exam, when registering, he must inform LAPE of his specific needs.
LAPE will be able to provide support for physical mobility issues and CAPLE-ULisboa helps to resolve issues related to difficulty or absence of hearing and vision.
If the candidate has a diagnosis of dyslexia, he must present a medical certificate proving his condition (see: dyslexia test for adults, from the Portuguese Dyslexia Association). In English, see: The Bangor Dyslexia Test developed by the Miles Dyslexia Centre, and the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test – Third UK Edition (WIAT-III UK).
In confirmed cases of dyslexia, CAPLE recommends that LAPE adopt the following procedures:
CO —> repeat each audio track one more time;
CL —> allow the candidate to spend an additional 1/3 of the time (rounded to the highest integer) on each task;
PIE —> allow the candidate to spend an additional 1/3 of the time (rounded to the highest integer) on each task and indicate the candidate’s special conditions in the season report;
PIO —> allow the candidate to spend an additional 1/3 of the time (rounded to the highest integer) on each task.
Support for other special conditions may not be available at the time of exams or at the LAPE where the candidate intends to take the exam. This may imply that the candidate has to wait for the next exam period or to go to a LAPE where the required conditions can be made available.
CAPLE-ULisboa and the LAPE where you are enrolled will do their best to ensure that the candidate has the conditions he needs to take the exam.
Disabled or Over 60 Years Old And Cannot Read or Write
Before registering, you must contact the LAPE where you would like to take the exam and send the documents proving your special condition (multipurpose certificate in case of disability) and identification document. Depending on your special condition, you will be informed whether or not you can take the exam and, if so, under what conditions the exam can be performed.
According to the Portuguese Nationality Regulation, art. 25, point 6, of DL no. 26/2022, of 18 March, on the proof of knowledge of the Portuguese language,
“In the case of people with serious health problems or disabilities with a degree of incapacity duly proven by a multipurpose medical certificate issued in accordance with Portuguese legislation, or people aged 60 or over who cannot read or write, the proof of knowledge of the Portuguese language must be adequate to your ability to demonstrate knowledge of this language.”
and Ordinance 176/2014, point 3,
“Proof of knowledge of the Portuguese language is carried out exclusively through an oral test, in the following situations:
a) candidates aged 60 or over who cannot read or write;
b) candidates with serious health problems or disabilities of different degrees that make it impossible to take the test provided for in paragraph 2.
4 — When it is not possible to carry out any of the tests provided for in numbers 2 and 3, the Portuguese language test will be adapted, on a case-by-case basis, to the specific needs of the candidates.”
Are you From a Portuguese Speaking Country?
One way in which you can get a complete exemption is if you’re from a Portuguese-speaking country like Brazil and Mozambique. However, there are three requirements you must meet, according to Justica.Gov.Pt:
“You do not need to present documents to prove your knowledge of Portuguese when you meet all the following conditions:
- Was born in a Portuguese-speaking country
- Has nationality of a Portuguese-speaking country for more than 10 years
- Lives in Portugal for more than 5 years”
FAQs
Will I need to take an exam?
Yes, you will need a certificate to show you have an A2-level of Portuguese (or higher) unless you’re from a Portuguese-speaking country like Brazil or Mozambique. Some people have also been able to take a 150-hour class instead.
Do I need to take an exam if I already have a higher level of Portuguese?
If you have a certificate to show you have a higher level of Portuguese (e.g. B1, B2, C1, or C2) then you do not need to sit the A2 exam.
Is Portugal getting rid of the language requirement?
In December 2019, the Portuguese Parliament discussed the possibility of removing the language requirement. It didn’t happen. There are always discussions about this, but it seems unlikely that it’ll happen and you’re better off just learning enough Portuguese to pass the exam.
Do people applying for citizenship via the Golden Visa need to take the test?
You don’t need to take the test to get temporary residency in Portugal, but you do need a certificate to show you have A2 Portuguese or higher if you’re applying for citizenship[source] or permanent residency [source].
Do I need to take the A1 AND the A2 exam?
No, you only need to take the A2 exam.
Do under 18s need to show an A2-level of Portuguese?
If they are attending a Portuguese school, a declaration of proficiency from the school may be enough.
Who else is exempt from taking the language requirement?
People over 60 who are mentally-handicapped, illiterate, or seriously ill may be exempt from the requirement. Under 10s and anyone with special needs can request to have the test adapted to their needs.
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