6 de May, 2026
For years, Portugal was one of the European countries with the most accessible rules for obtaining citizenship. However, this scenario has been changing. After a period of greater flexibility between 2015 and 2020, the new amendments to the Nationality Law in 2026, approved on May 3, mark a new cycle of stricter requirements and tighter regulations, driven by political changes and the significant increase in applications.
In this article, we revisit the main changes to the Portuguese Nationality Law over the last decade and explain what changed in 2026, what still depends on regulation, and who may be affected.
If you are of Portuguese descent or legally residing in Portugal, this may be a strategic moment to move forward with your application before the new requirements fully come into force.
🔎 Also check out our Complete Guide to Portuguese Citizenship.
Realizing your goal of living in Europe or obtaining European citizenship can be simpler than you think. We offer personalized support to make the immigration process more accessible and uncomplicated.
The political context helps explain this revision: the strengthening of right-wing parties (such as Chega), the significant growth of the foreign population — now representing more than 10% of residents — and the increased demand for nationality applications from descendants and residents. In 2022 alone, there were 367,000 applications, and there are currently more than 500,000 pending cases at the IRN, with waiting times that may exceed four years.
Given this scenario, the government argues for stricter rules. In 2025, amendments to the Immigration Law were also approved, making the granting of visas more restrictive and tightening family reunification rules.
Read the analysis published by Jornal Público on the new scenario.
After being reformulated by Parliament to overcome the constitutional issues raised by the Constitutional Court, the legislation was promulgated by the President of the Republic on May 3, 2026.
The new law comes into force on the day following its publication in the Diário da República, which may occur at any moment. It is important to highlight that the new rules apply only to applications submitted after the law comes into effect, while pending applications remain governed by the previous legislation, in line with the President’s concern about avoiding a breach of trust in the State.
Some aspects of the law, namely the detailed criteria for assessing integration (including any possible examination), still depend on regulation, and the Government has up to 90 days to define those terms.
Want more details about the legislative approval process? We have a complete article explaining how the legislative process works in Portugal and how laws can be amended in the country.
Realizing your goal of living in Europe or obtaining European citizenship can be simpler than you think. We offer personalized support to make the immigration process more accessible and uncomplicated.
Over the past decades, the Portuguese Nationality Law (Law no. 37/81) has undergone several changes. At times, access was made easier; at others, it became more restrictive. Check out the main amendments over the last decade.
Organic Law no. 9/2015, of July 29, marked a historic milestone by allowing grandchildren of Portuguese citizens to be recognized as citizens of origin (jus sanguinis of the 2nd degree), provided they proved effective ties with the Portuguese community. It was the first time that a grandchild born abroad could obtain nationality of origin through a declaration and proof of connection alone. Before this change, grandchildren only had access to naturalization, not nationality of origin.
Decree-Law no. 30-A/2015, of February 27, regulated the granting of Portuguese nationality to descendants of Portuguese Sephardic Jews. The law had already been created in 2013, but only in 2015 did it become clear how to prove the link and tradition of belonging to a Sephardic community of Portuguese origin. The main appeal of this law was that it had no generational limit; it could derive from any direct-line relative (parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, great-great-grandparent) or from a collateral line (descendants sharing a common ancestor). In other words, it was possible to “trace back” to a distant Sephardic relative in the family to enable nationality for several generations.
In 2018, Organic Law no. 2/2018, of 05/07 introduced significant changes:
Children of foreigners born in Portuguese territory, whose parents had been residing in the country for at least two years, began to be automatically considered Portuguese citizens.
The parents of children who acquired Portuguese citizenship by being born in Portugal also became entitled to apply for nationality, provided they had been residing in Portugal for five years, whether legally or not.
For couples, the 2018 law brought the existence of Portuguese children as proof of automatic ties. In other words, if a person had at least three years of marriage and children with Portuguese nationality, they did not need to prove any additional links.
The minimum residence period required to apply for nationality was reduced from six to five years.
Organic Law no. 2/2020, of November 10, the ninth amendment to the Nationality Law, simplified access for grandchildren, spouses, and children born in Portuguese territory, making Portugal one of the most permissive EU countries in terms of access to citizenship.
With the 2020 amendment, the requirement to prove “effective ties with Portugal” was simplified. Demonstrating knowledge of the Portuguese language was enough for the requirement to be considered fulfilled, without the need to present additional evidence such as frequent trips to Portugal, property in the country, or participation in Portuguese communities abroad.
This change especially benefited Brazilians and other Portuguese-speaking descendants.
In 2020, spouses and partners of Portuguese citizens with more than six years of marriage or union were able to apply for nationality without the need to prove ties with Portugal. For unions lasting between three and six years, proving ties remained mandatory.
Learn more details about the current rules in our complete article on Portuguese nationality through marriage.
For children born in Portugal, the criteria were relaxed in 2020. It became sufficient for one of the parents to have legal residence or to have been living in the country (even without a residence permit) for at least one year at the time of birth for the child to be entitled to nationality of origin. Previously, two years were required.
Starting in 2022, access to Portuguese citizenship began to become more restrictive, marking the end of the so-called “easy paths.” The main change was the near closure of the Sephardic route, as explained below.
Given the significant number of applications — in 2022 alone, there were 124,663 requests from descendants of Sephardic Jews, representing one-third of all nationality processes that year — Decree-Law No. 26/2022 came into force. The new rule began requiring candidates to demonstrate a genuine connection to Portugal. This meant owning property or participating in a company acquired through inheritance, or proving regular travel to Portugal throughout life, demonstrating a lasting and effective connection with the country — a difficult requirement to fulfill.
Portugal’s Golden Visa also underwent restrictions, but in 2023: read our full article.
In 2024, Organic Law 1/2024, of March 5, introduced three major changes:
The Sephardic route became even more difficult. In addition to proof of ancestry validated by a specialized commission appointed by the Ministry of Justice (CIL), applicants were now required to reside in Portugal for at least three years. In practice, this amendment closed the so-called “Sephardic door” for those unwilling to establish residence in Portuguese territory. We have a full article on citizenship for Sephardic descendants where we explain, in detail, all eligibility criteria.
If the filiation of a Portuguese citizen was only recognized once the child reached adulthood, they were granted three years after the court ruling to apply for nationality. Until then, recognition in adulthood was never accepted for the granting of nationality under any circumstance. Therefore, this represents a facilitation of the law.
The five-year period required for naturalization began to include the waiting time from the request for the first residence permit, provided it was subsequently approved. This amendment corrected the unfairness caused by the chronic delays of SEF/AIMA, which forced many investors and workers to wait two to three years for their first residence card — time that is now counted toward citizenship. However, this facilitation may also be short-lived: there are already plans to revert to the previous system.
This trajectory shows that the law has never been static: it adapts to the political and social context. Today, the trend is toward greater restriction.
Portugal is not alone. Countries such as Spain, Italy, Germany, and France have also revised or are currently revising their citizenship and immigration laws, making the process more demanding.
A controversial case is Italy, which recently tightened the rules for transmitting citizenship to descendants, imposing generational limits, higher fees, and additional requirements. Decree-Law No. 36/2025 established that only individuals with at least one parent or grandparent born in Italy, or with a parent who had legally resided in Italy for at least two years before the applicant’s birth, can apply for Italian citizenship by descent.
The rules imposed by Italy were so drastic that the Constitutional Court scheduled a hearing to assess whether the new restrictions violate the principle of jus sanguinis. A final decision on the constitutionality of these changes is expected by the end of 2025. Learn more in our article on the changes to Italian citizenship law.
Many descendants believe they will always have time to apply for nationality. However, history shows the opposite:
Portuguese nationality is one of the most valuable in the world, granting not only a European passport but also the right to live, work, and study throughout the European Union. The current law still guarantees facilitated access for children and grandchildren of Portuguese citizens.
If you or your family are eligible, do not wait. Take advantage of the current legislation and start the process before the doors close.
👉 Contact Atlantic Bridge Consulting today and learn how we can help you secure your Portuguese citizenship safely and quickly.
Realizing your goal of living in Europe or obtaining European citizenship can be simpler than you think. We offer personalized support to make the immigration process more accessible and uncomplicated.
Author:
Atlantic Bridge
