New rules for the portuguese citizenship in 2024
Portuguese citizenship can be applied for by any citizen who is the child or grandchild (and, in some cases, even great-grandchild) of a Portuguese citizen. It can also be requested by parents of minors born in Portugal and by spouses of Portuguese citizens. Descendants of Sephardic Jews can also apply for nationality.
In addition to recovering the history of your ancestors, Portuguese nationality can broaden your horizons. Nationality confers the right to a Portuguese passport, which allows the Portuguese to work or visit, for limited periods, several countries without the need for a visa. But let's start from beginning.
The Portuguese Nationality is applied to whom?
In 2006 Portugal relaxed its citizenship laws with the amendment of the Portuguese Nationality Act. This amendment made possible the Portuguese citizenship eligibility for non-EU nationals after five years of legal residence, and also the Portuguese Nationality by marriage is available after three years.
What's the Portuguese Nationality benefits?
You'll notice that the rights given by the Portuguese permanent residents (via residence permit) are the same as Portuguese Nationality rights, as below:
- Possibility to get hired in full employment or self-employment (without a Portuguese work permit)
- Smooth participate in education and study, including cheaper tuitions on the best universities
- Full access to the Portuguese social security benefits and pensions
- Facilitated process to buy property in Portugal, including mortgages
More than these benefits, the Portuguese nationality also gives you the:
- Right to vote in Portuguese elections and referendums
- Portuguese passport, ranked 16th in the world on the Passport Index
- Right to live, work or even retire in other EU member states.
The process to obtain the Portuguese Nationality is more demanding than obtaining and time-consuming than requesting the permanent residence permit. However, having a Portuguese Nationality and also a Portuguese Passport can make life easier.
Who can apply for Portuguese Nationality?
- Marriage to a Portuguese citizen (after three years of marriage)
- Descent or birth (Portuguese by origin)
- Naturalization after five years of residence
- Adoption by a Portuguese citizen
- Being a citizen of a former Portuguese overseas territory
- The Sephardic Jews (Portuguese Sephardic citizenship scheme)
On last January 5th, the Portuguese parliament approved new changes to the Nationality Law (Law nº37/81, of October 3rd).
Among the changes we highlight:
- Sephardic Jews: now it's needed to demonstrate belonging to a Sephardic community of Portuguese origin, legally residing in Portugal for at least 3 years and the validation of the connection with Portugal will now be carried out by a commission (article 6).
- Majority: even if membership is only recognized after the majority age, nationality may still be requested. The requirement is that recognition must be made through the courts and the application for nationality must occur within three years following the final decision (art 14).
- Time of residence: the period of legal residence will start to count from the moment the residence permit was requested, as long as it is granted (art 16).
Point of attention: the law will still go through the process of presidential enactment and final publication and may be approved or modified. After promulgation, the law will need to be regulated.
The foreign residents need to apply for the Portuguese Nationality process at the Portuguese Ministry of Justice by IRN (Instituto de Registos e Notariado). The documents required will depend accordingly on each case. In that case, you can count on our expertise. So, if you have any questions, please fill in the form below and we will be more than glad to help you.