Wednesday, November 4, 2026 - Portugal’s Council of Ministers has approved regulations intended to implement the country’s amended Nationality Law, moving it closer to applying revised citizenship requirements.
The regulations, approved on October 29, 2026, address how
authorities will assess applications, including requirements relating to
language proficiency, cultural knowledge and financial independence. However,
as of November 2, the implementing decree had not been confirmed as promulgated
and published in the official gazette, the Diário da República. Some
administrative procedures therefore remained awaiting final clarification.
Under the revised law, the minimum period of legal residence
for citizenship has increased from five to 10 years for nationals of countries
including Nigeria, India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. European Union
citizens and nationals of Portuguese-speaking countries have a seven-year
pathway.
The distinction means nationals of non-Portuguese-speaking
African countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa, fall under
the general 10-year requirement. Citizens of Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau,
São Tomé and Príncipe, Mozambique and Equatorial Guinea qualify for the
seven-year pathway because Portuguese is an official language in those
countries.
According to figures from Portugal’s Agency for Integration,
Migration and Asylum, known as AIMA, more than 242,000 residents were nationals
of India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh at the end of 2025. The agency also
recorded more than 263,000 foreign residents from Angola, Cape Verde,
Guinea-Bissau and São Tomé and Príncipe during the same period. The regulatory
approval comes amid a substantial backlog of citizenship applications.
Ministry of Justice figures reported by Portuguese media
showed that 690,480 applications were awaiting decisions as of June 30, 2026,
an increase of 38 per cent from the previous year. Applications based on
immigrants’ years of legal residence accounted for 26 per cent of the pending
cases.
The revised legislation, Organic Law No. 1/2026, received
parliamentary approval on April 1. President António José Seguro signed it on
May 3, and it was published in the official gazette on May 18 before entering
into force the following day. While the law established the new citizenship
conditions, the October 29 decision approved the regulations intended to put
them into practice.
Minister of the Presidency António Leitão Amaro said the
regulations would enable full implementation while simplifying administrative
procedures. The government also intends to expand digital processing and
information-sharing between public agencies to improve the handling of
applications.
Beyond longer residence requirements, applicants must
demonstrate knowledge of the Portuguese language, culture, history, democratic
institutions and civic responsibilities. They must also show that they can
support themselves financially and declare their commitment to democratic
principles.
Government officials say the conditions are intended to
strengthen integration and applicants’ connections to Portuguese society. The
legislation allows separate periods of legal residence to be combined within a
nine-year window for EU and Portuguese-speaking nationals, or a 12-year window
for other applicants.
It also removes a provision introduced in 2024 that allowed
time spent waiting for residence permit approval to count towards citizenship
eligibility, provided the permit was eventually granted. Further details
concerning language assessments, financial requirements and biometric data
collection are expected through the implementing regulations.
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