Portugal’s Citizenship Law Change: What It Means For Expats And Golden Visa Holders

Portugal’s Parliament has conscionable approved a arguable caller citizenship rule that could person awesome consequences for thousands of expats, investors and semipermanent residents who had been readying to go Portuguese citizens successful nan coming years.

The reform, passed connected October 28, 2025, doubles nan clip required to suffice for citizenship – from 5 years to ten. It besides adds caller conditions, specified arsenic a civic knowledge trial and tighter criminal grounds rules.

For galore foreigners who saw Portugal arsenic 1 of Europe’s astir accessible paths to citizenship, this alteration comes arsenic a awesome blow.

Ten years to citizenship: what’s changing and who’s affected

The approved betterment represents 1 of nan biggest overhauls of Portugal’s nationality rule successful decades.

Under nan caller rules, nan minimum play of ineligible residence to use for citizenship increases from 5 to 10 years for astir applicants. Citizens from Portuguese-speaking countries (CPLP) and EU nationals will look a shorter hold of 7 years.

But that’s not each – location are respective different important adjustments.

The countdown to eligibility will now commencement from nan day your first residence paper is issued, not nan day you submitted your first application. For galore people, that alteration unsocial could push their timeline backmost by months, aliases moreover years.

In summation to proving A2-level Portuguese proficiency — which remains unchanged – applicants will now person to walk a caller civic knowledge trial covering Portuguese culture, laws, and history. They’ll besides request to formally state their committedness to antiauthoritarian principles, supply impervious of financial stability, and show that they are not taxable to EU aliases UN sanctions.

The betterment besides ends nan celebrated Sephardic Jewish ancestry route, which had granted Portuguese nationality to tens of thousands of descendants of Jews expelled from nan Iberian Peninsula hundreds of years ago.

Another caller clause allows for nan nonaccomplishment of nationality successful cases of condemnation for superior crimes, though nan specifics will beryllium group retired later successful secondary legislation.

Not rule yet: nan President’s determination still pending

While nan betterment has been approved by Parliament, it hasn’t travel into effect yet.

The adjacent measurement is successful nan hands of Portugal’s President, who has up to 20 days to either:

1. Sign nan rule and make it official,
2. Send it backmost to Parliament pinch comments, or
3. Ask nan Constitutional Court to reappraisal it.

If nan rule is sent to nan Court – a move galore ineligible experts see apt – nan judges will person 25 days to measure whether parts of nan betterment breach nan Constitution.

Until this process is complete, nan existent five-year norm still applies to citizenship applications already filed.

This uncertainty has near galore expats and investors successful limbo, unsure whether their existent aliases early applications will autumn nether nan aged rules aliases nan caller ones.

Golden Visa holders: what’s changing and what’s not

For holders of Portugal’s Golden Visa , it’s important to statement that this betterment does not impact their residency rights. The Golden Visa remains successful place, and residents nether this programme tin still renew their permits, recreation freely wrong Schengen, and reunite pinch family members.

What’s changing, however, is nan way to citizenship. Once nan rule is successful force, Golden Visa holders – for illustration each different residents – will request to hold 10 years alternatively of 5 earlier being eligible to use for nationality.

If you person already applied for citizenship and your exertion is complete and submitted, it should beryllium processed nether nan existent law. But if you haven’t yet applied, aliases if your record is still pending and incomplete, it whitethorn autumn nether nan caller authorities erstwhile nan rule officially takes effect.

Legal experts are peculiarly concerned astir this deficiency of a clear “grandfather clause”, which could time off immoderate applicants caught betwixt nan 2 systems.

Despite nan changes, there’s still 1 agleam spot: you tin still use for Permanent Residency aft 5 years. This position grants semipermanent stableness and allows residents to support their authorities without staying full-time successful Portugal.

The Permanent Residency paper is valid for 5 years, renewable, and requires only A2-level Portuguese connection – pinch nary caller finance aliases beingness enactment obligations.

That intends that aft 5 years, Golden Visa holders can:

• Apply for Permanent Residency,
• Withdraw aliases alteration their finance if they wish, and
• Continue moving toward citizenship nether nan new, longer timeline.

Legal experts raise law concerns

The betterment has sparked wide disapproval from migration lawyers, investors, and academics, galore of whom reason that nan rule could beryllium unconstitutional.

Their main interest lies successful nan absence of transitional protections. Without a clear clause safeguarding applications already successful process, thousands of residents who planned their investments and semipermanent stays based connected nan five-year norm could spot their plans disrupted overnight.

Some ineligible analysts foretell that nan President will nonstop nan rule to nan Constitutional Court, some to explain nan retroactive implications and to find whether extending nan request to 10 years aligns pinch Portugal’s ineligible principles.

There’s besides increasing statement complete whether nan caller tests and declarations mightiness make nan process excessively burdensome, perchance discouraging qualified and well-integrated residents from applying.

For now, nan adjacent fewer weeks will beryllium decisive. The President’s determination and nan Court’s imaginable ruling will find whether nan betterment moves guardant arsenic planned aliases faces further delay.

Why Portugal’s caller citizenship rule matters for expats and investors

Portugal’s citizenship rule has agelong been 1 of nan astir welcoming successful Europe, particularly for expats, retirees, and investors seeking a foothold successful nan EU.

By extending nan waiting play to 10 years, nan state moves person to nan European average, but astatine a costs – it risks undermining investor assurance and reducing nan entreaty of residency-by-investment routes for illustration nan Golden Visa.

The coming months will show whether this betterment marks a caller era of tighter power – aliases whether Portugal, faced pinch mounting unit from its expat community, decides to soften nan blow.

Until then, applicants are advised to activity ineligible proposal and enactment informed arsenic nan rule moves done its last stages.

Stay tuned pinch Euro Weekly News for much news from Portugal