Portugal has Rewritten the Rules on Who Gets to Become Portuguese

May 31 (edited) • 📋Essentials, Admin &...🧐

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After a constitutional standoff, two rounds of parliamentary votes, and a decade of mounting pressure, the new Nationality Law is signed. Here's everything that's changed.

(Based on a Portugal Talk Radio podcast · 31 May 2026 · 8 min read)

Portugal has just rewritten the rules on who can become Portuguese. After months of political debate, a constitutional standoff, and two separate trips through parliament, President António José Seguro signed the country's new Nationality Law on the third of May this year.

For tens of thousands of residents, investors, and descendants of Portuguese emigrants around the world, the question is simple: what does this mean for me?

At a glance — key facts

Signed into law: 3 May 2026 President Seguro
Parliamentary vote: 1 April 2026, 152 to 64
Residency (non-EU/non-CPLP): 10 years (was 5)
Residency (EU & CPLP nationals): 7 years (was 3–5)
In force: 19 May 2026 - published in the Diário da República 18 May 2026
Sephardic route: Permanently closed from 4 May 2026

*The roots of the reform*

Portuguese nationality law has its roots in 'Lei 37/81' - a law that has been updated several times over the decades. But the pace of change accelerated sharply in 2025, when the newly elected government, which took office in June of that year, moved quickly to overhaul the rules.

The pitch was this: Portugal needed stricter, clearer conditions for citizenship - longer waiting periods, proper language testing, and tighter checks on criminal records. The government argued Portugal's rules were among the most permissive in Europe and had, in some cases, been abused.

Portugal's rules were among the most permissive in Europe. The government argued they had, in some cases, been systematically abused.

*A law built in three acts*

What followed was anything but straightforward. Parliament approved the first version of the reform in July 2025. But in August, the Constitutional Court stepped in - striking down several provisions as unconstitutional. Judges found that rules restricting family reunification violated the constitutional right to family unity. The President sent the law back to parliament.

A revised version came in September 2025, then went through further scrutiny. The Court issued further rulings in December, trimming additional provisions. It took until April 2026 for a final version to pass — approved with a two-thirds majority of 152 votes to 64 - and President Seguro signed it into law on May 3rd.

*Three changes you need to know*

1 - The residency clock has been doubled

Until now, most residents could apply for citizenship after five years of legal residency. Under the new law, that rises to ten years for non-EU, non-Portuguese-speaking nationals. EU nationals and citizens of CPLP countries - Brazil, Cape Verde, Angola, Mozambique, and others in the Portuguese-speaking world - face a seven-year requirement, up from three years previously for CPLP nationals and five for EU citizens.

The clock also now starts from the date your residence permit is issued, not the date you applied - reversing a 2024 rule that had been a lifeline for people caught in AIMA's notorious processing backlogs.

2 - Integration requirements are now mandatory

Applicants for naturalisation must now formally demonstrate Portuguese language proficiency and an understanding of the country's culture, civic rights and duties, and political organisation. The minimum language level is A2, demonstrated via the CIPLE exam - the Certificado Inicial de Português Língua Estrangeira, administered by CAPLE at the University of Lisbon. Note that being a native speaker of Brazilian Portuguese does not exempt you - the CIPLE exam assesses Standard European Portuguese specifically.

Language tests were always informally expected, but this formalises and raises the bar.

3 - The Sephardic ancestry route is permanently closed

The Sephardic Jewish ancestry route has been formally shut. This was a 2015 programme designed as historical reparation: descendants of Jews expelled from the Iberian Peninsula in the fifteenth century could apply for Portuguese citizenship in recognition of that persecution. Over 250,000 applications were submitted.

But the programme became mired in controversy - most notably when it emerged that figures including Roman Abramovich had used the route. New applications had already been halted in December 2022. The new law formalises that closure permanently. The Jewish Community of Lisbon confirmed it stopped accepting submissions on the fourth of May 2026.

The path to Portuguese citizenship is simply a little longer now. But for hundreds of thousands of people already in the system, the critical question is: which rules apply to me?

*What the Constitutional Court protected*

Not everything tightened. The Constitutional Court drew firm lines throughout this process. Automatic exclusion from nationality based solely on a criminal record was struck down as disproportionate — the revised law instead sets a threshold: applicants sentenced to three years or more are ineligible. Rules on family reunification were also softened after the Court ruled earlier drafts breached constitutional protections for family unity.

And citizenship by descent - through a parent or grandparent - remains firmly in place. A new pathway for great-grandparent descent has even been introduced, though it requires B1-level Portuguese and documented proof of a genuine connection to Portugal.

Critically, the President's promulgation note confirmed that pending procedures should not be affected by the legislative change. Nationality applications filed on or before 18 May 2026 remain under the prior Lei 37/81 regime - meaning if you already applied, you do not need to start again.

*What happens next*

The law is now in force, having been published in the Diário da República on 18 May 2026 and entering into effect the following day. The Government has 90 days to issue updated regulations. AIMA has not yet published guidance on how residency time already accrued will count toward the new seven- or ten-year clock, and legal experts advise against assumptions.

If you are in the system with a pending application filed on or before 18 May 2026, you are protected under the old rules. If you are not yet in the system, the new timelines apply from the date your residence permit is issued.

Portugal remains one of the most sought-after EU citizenships in the world. The path is simply a little longer now.

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Editorial note: This article corrects a reference in the original broadcast script to "President Marcelo" returning the law to parliament - this referred to an earlier draft under President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, whose term has since ended. President António José Seguro signed the final law on 3 May 2026. The CPLP previous residency baseline of three years has also been clarified.

All figures reflect information current as of 31 May 2026.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.

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Portugal has Rewritten the Rules on Who Gets to Become Portuguese