Portugal's New Nationality Law (2026): 10 Years to Citizenship, Explained
On 19 May 2026 Portugal doubled the residence it asks of most foreigners before they can naturalise. Organic Law 1/2026 rewrote the Nationality Law of 1981: ten years of legal residence for most applicants, seven for EU citizens and nationals of Portuguese-speaking countries, a tighter birthright rule for children born in Portugal, and a new route for great-grandchildren of Portuguese citizens. Here is what the law says, article by article, and who is caught by it.
Quick answer
Since 19 May 2026, naturalisation in Portugal requires 10 years of legal residence for most non-EU nationals and 7 years for citizens of EU member states and of Portuguese-speaking countries (the CPLP). Before the change the period was five years for everyone. Applications that were already pending on 19 May 2026 are decided under the old rules. The law also requires sufficient knowledge of Portuguese and of the political organisation of the Portuguese state, a solemn declaration of adherence to the democratic rule of law, and no effective prison sentence of more than 3 years for the listed serious crimes. A child born in Portugal to foreign parents now gets Portuguese nationality at birth only if a parent has been legally resident for at least 5 years. Marriage or a registered partnership of more than 3 years with a Portuguese citizen still opens a declaration route. Every figure below is taken from the law as published in the Diário da República.
What changed on 19 May 2026
Organic Law 1/2026 was published in the Diário da República on 18 May 2026 and, by its own final article, entered into force on the day after publication. A correction notice (Declaração de Retificação 17/2026/1) fixed the text the same day. The Ministry of Justice summarised the change on its portal: the amendments alter both the attribution of nationality (at birth) and its acquisition (by naturalisation, marriage and other routes). The government has 90 days from publication to adapt the Nationality Regulation, so the forms and the fee schedule follow the law rather than lead it.
| Rule | Until 18 May 2026 | From 19 May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Legal residence for naturalisation (most nationalities) | 5 years | 10 years |
| Legal residence for EU citizens and CPLP nationals | 5 years | 7 years |
| Child born in Portugal to foreign parents | Parent legally resident at birth (previous wording) | Parent legally resident for at least 5 years at birth |
| Language and culture | Sufficient knowledge of Portuguese | Test or certificate of sufficient knowledge of the Portuguese language and culture, history and national symbols |
| Marriage or registered partnership with a Portuguese citizen | 3 years, by declaration | 3 years, by declaration; partnerships need a court recognition decision |
| Great-grandchildren of a Portuguese citizen | No route | New route to nationality |
| Stateless people legally resident in Portugal | General rules | Eligible after at least 4 years |
| Applications pending on 19 May 2026 | Decided under the previous wording of the law | |
Source for every row: Lei Orgânica n.º 1/2026, Articles 1, 3 and 6 of the Nationality Law as amended, and the transitional provision on pending procedures.
Naturalisation: the new Article 6
Article 6 of the Nationality Law lists what the government looks at when it grants nationality by naturalisation. The residence requirement in paragraph 1(b) now reads: legally resident in Portuguese territory for at least seven years, for nationals of countries whose official language is Portuguese and for citizens of EU member states, or 10 years for everyone else. Stateless people who have been legally resident for at least four years are granted nationality under paragraph 3, and the law opens a new route for great-grandchildren of a Portuguese citizen by origin.
The other conditions stayed in the article and were tightened in places. Paragraph 1(c) now asks the applicant to prove, by test or certificate, sufficient knowledge of the Portuguese language and culture, history and national symbols; paragraph 1(d) asks for sufficient knowledge of the fundamental rights and duties of Portuguese nationality and of the political organisation of the Portuguese state. The applicant must make a solemn declaration of adherence to the fundamental principles of the democratic rule of law, and must not have been sentenced to an effective prison term of more than 3 years for terrorism, violent or especially violent crime, highly organised crime, crimes against the security of the state, or assisting illegal immigration. Nationals of Portuguese-speaking countries are presumed to meet the language part of 1(c) unless a manifest lack of Portuguese is evident. The Ministry of Justice lists these conditions in its 19 May notice.
Residence is counted as the sum of all periods of legal residence in national territory, consecutive or not, provided they fall within a maximum window of 6, 9 or 12 years, depending on whether the applicant is stateless, a CPLP or EU national, or a national of another country. A long gap can therefore push older years out of the count.
Who is "CPLP" and why it matters
The seven-year track applies to citizens of EU member states and to nationals of countries whose official language is Portuguese. The CPLP (Community of Portuguese Language Countries) members are Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé and Príncipe, Timor-Leste and Equatorial Guinea. If you hold one of those passports, or an EU passport, your clock is seven years. A British, Indian, American, Ukrainian or Chinese national needs ten.
Children born in Portugal
The birthright rule in Article 1(1)(f) was the other big change. A child born in Portugal to foreign parents is Portuguese at birth only if, at the moment of birth, one of the parents has been legally resident in Portugal for at least 5 years. Proof is made when the birth is declared, by presenting the parent's identity document and one of the documents that evidence legal residence. Before 19 May 2026 a much shorter period of parental residence was enough.
Marriage and partnerships
A foreigner married for more than 3 years to a Portuguese citizen can still acquire nationality by declaration during the marriage. A foreigner who has lived in a registered partnership (união de facto) for more than 3 years with a Portuguese citizen can do the same, after the competent court has issued a decision recognising the partnership. The state can still oppose the acquisition on the public-order grounds listed in Article 6, so the criminal-record condition applies here too.
If you had already applied
The transitional rule is the single most important line in the law for people mid-process: administrative procedures pending on the date the law entered into force are decided under the previous wording. If your naturalisation file was registered at the IRN (Instituto dos Registos e do Notariado) before 19 May 2026, the five-year rule you applied under still governs your case. If you reached five years in June 2026 and had not filed, you are now on the seven- or ten-year track.
What did not change
- Permanent residence. The law amends nationality, not residence permits; the residence rules for the AIMA permits are separate.
- The language level. The Nationality Law still asks for "sufficient knowledge" of Portuguese; the level and the accepted certificates are set in the Nationality Regulation that the government must update within 90 days.
- Fees and forms, which follow the regulation, not the organic law.
How to count your years
- Only legal residence counts: time on a residence permit or an equivalent title. Time waiting for a first decision counts only where the law's own counting rule deems it legal residence.
- Periods can be added up even if they were interrupted; the law expressly sums consecutive or non-consecutive periods.
- Keep every permit, renewal receipt and AIMA appointment record. The IRN decides on documents, and the burden is on you.
What this means if you are planning a move
- Arrive in 2026 as a non-EU national and the earliest naturalisation date is ten years later, assuming unbroken legal residence.
- Brazilians and other CPLP nationals keep a shorter path: seven years.
- A child born to you in Portugal is only Portuguese at birth if you already have five years of legal residence; otherwise the child follows your status.
Frequently asked questions
How many years do I need to become a Portuguese citizen in 2026?
Ten years of legal residence for most non-EU nationals, seven for EU citizens and nationals of Portuguese-speaking countries, under Organic Law 1/2026 in force since 19 May 2026.
I applied before 19 May 2026. Does the new 10-year rule apply to me?
No. Procedures pending on the day the law entered into force are decided under the previous wording of the Nationality Law.
Is my child born in Lisbon automatically Portuguese?
Only if, at the time of birth, one parent had been legally resident in Portugal for at least five years. Otherwise the child does not acquire Portuguese nationality at birth under the new Article 1.
Can I still get nationality through marriage?
Yes. A foreigner married for more than three years to a Portuguese citizen can declare for nationality during the marriage; registered partnerships of more than three years also qualify once a court has recognised the partnership.
Did the law change Portuguese permanent residence?
No. Organic Law 1/2026 amends the Nationality Law. Residence permits and permanent residence are governed by the immigration framework and were not rewritten by this law.
Sources
- Diário da República — Lei Orgânica n.º 1/2026, de 18 de maio (full text; Articles 1, 3, 6 and the transitional provision)
- Ministério da Justiça — "Lei da Nacionalidade: novas regras entram em vigor a 19 de maio"
- Diário da República — Lei da Nacionalidade (Lei n.º 37/81), consolidated text