Portugal’s New Nationality Law: 10 Years for Most

Organic Law 1/2026 took effect on 19 May 2026. Naturalisation now requires ten years of legal residence for most nationalities — but pending applications are protected, and one widely repeated claim about children born in Portugal is simply wrong.

A lot of what is being written in English about Portugal’s nationality reform is wrong in two specific ways. This article was written by reading the law itself, article by article, and every claim below cites the provision it comes from.

First, the status question, because plenty of sites are still hedging: this is not a bill and not a proposal. It is law, and it is in force.

Organic Law no. 1/2026 was published in Diário da República no. 95/2026, Series I, on 18 May 2026. Under its Article 8, it entered into force the day after publication — 19 May 2026. It was approved by Parliament on 1 April 2026, promulgated by the President on 3 May and countersigned by the Prime Minister on 4 May.

The residence requirement: 7 or 10 years

Article 6(1)(b) now requires the applicant to have been legally resident in Portugal for at least:

Who you are	Before	Now
Citizens of EU Member States	5 years	7 years
Nationals of Portuguese-speaking countries (Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde and others)	5 years	7 years
Everyone else — including US, UK, Canadian, Indian and Chinese nationals	5 years	10 years

If you are American, British, Canadian, Indian or from any country outside the EU and outside the Portuguese-speaking bloc, the honest summary is that your path to citizenship doubled in length.

If your application is already submitted, you are protected

This is the single most important paragraph for anyone already in the process. Article 7(2) states, in the official text:

“Aos procedimentos administrativos pendentes à data da entrada em vigor da presente lei aplica-se a Lei n.º 37/81, de 3 de outubro, na redação anterior à presente lei.”

In plain English: administrative procedures that were pending when the law entered into force continue to be decided under the previous version of the law — including the old five-year requirement.

What matters is that the application was already submitted and undecided on 19 May 2026. If you had not filed by then, the new rules apply to you. Keep your submission receipt and its date somewhere safe: it is now a legally significant document.

How the residence period is counted

Rarely explained, and it can work strongly in your favour. The law counts the sum of all periods of legal residence in Portugal, whether consecutive or interrupted, provided they fall within a maximum window:

Applicant	Maximum window
Stateless persons	6 years
Nationals of Portuguese-speaking countries and EU Member States	9 years
All other nationals	12 years

So if you lived in Portugal legally, left for a period, and later returned, those periods add up — as long as they fit inside the applicable window. Before assuming you are starting from zero, add up what you already have.

The new requirements beyond time

Article 6(1) sets out conditions that must all be met. Alongside being of legal age, the notable additions are:

• (c) proving, by test or certificate, sufficient knowledge of the Portuguese language and culture, national history and national symbols. The old requirement centred on language; it now reaches culture, history and symbols.
• (d) sufficient knowledge of the fundamental rights and duties attached to Portuguese nationality and of the political organisation of the Portuguese State.
• (e) a solemn declaration of adherence to the fundamental principles of the democratic rule of law.
• (f) no final conviction to an effective prison sentence of more than three years for terrorism, violent or especially violent crime, highly organised crime, crimes against State security, or aiding illegal immigration.
• (g) not constituting a danger or threat to national security or defence.
• (h) not being subject to restrictive measures adopted by the United Nations or the European Union.
• (i) having the capacity to ensure one’s own subsistence.

Points (c) and (i) are the ones that change day-to-day preparation. The examination is broader than a language test, and financial self-sufficiency is now a standalone requirement rather than an implicit expectation.

The claim that is simply wrong

Several English-language sites are reporting that Portugal eliminated citizenship for children of foreign nationals born in the country. That is not what the law says. The route was tightened, not removed.

Under Article 1(1)(f), individuals born in Portuguese territory to foreign parents may declare that they wish to be Portuguese, provided that at the moment of birth one of the parents had been legally resident in Portugal for at least five years.

And Article 6(2) provides for the granting of nationality to minors born in Portuguese territory to foreign parents where, at the time of the application, two conditions are met cumulatively: one parent has been legally resident for at least five years, and the minor is enrolled in and regularly attending school.

The practical difference between “abolished” and “requires five years of a parent’s legal residence” is the difference between abandoning a plan and scheduling it. If you are raising a family in Portugal, the route exists — it now depends on your own residence timeline.

What to do now

1. Application already filed and pending? The old rules govern it. Secure your submission receipt and its date.
2. Approaching five years and not yet filed? The new rules apply. Recalculate against seven or ten years, depending on your nationality.
3. Add up interrupted periods before assuming you are starting over.
4. Start preparing for the examination now. It is no longer only about language.
5. Document your means of subsistence, which is now an express condition.

A necessary caveat

This article summarises the main points read directly from the text published in Diário da República. The law was also subject to Declaration of Rectification no. 17/2026/1, published in the same edition. Individual situations — marriage to a Portuguese national, descent, grandparents, dual nationality, interrupted residence — are governed by provisions this summary does not cover.

Where a deadline matters to you, verify against the official text linked below and, if possible, take legal advice. A counting error here costs years.

Frequently asked questions

Perguntas frequentes

Is Portugal’s new nationality law already in force?

Yes. Organic Law no. 1/2026 was published in Diário da República on 18 May 2026 and, under its Article 8, entered into force the following day — 19 May 2026. It is law, not a proposal.

How many years of residence do I need now?

Article 6(1)(b) requires seven years of legal residence for nationals of Portuguese-speaking countries and citizens of EU Member States, and ten years for nationals of all other countries. The previous requirement was five years for everyone.

I already submitted my application. Am I affected?

No. Article 7(2) provides that administrative procedures pending when the law entered into force continue to be governed by the previous version of the law, including the five-year requirement.

I lived in Portugal, left, and came back. Do I lose that time?

Not necessarily. The law counts the sum of all periods of legal residence, consecutive or interrupted, provided they fall within a maximum window — 9 years for EU and Portuguese-speaking nationals, 12 years for other nationals, 6 years for stateless persons.

Did Portugal abolish citizenship for children born there to foreign parents?

No. Article 1(1)(f) still allows a declaration where, at the moment of birth, one parent had been legally resident for at least five years. Article 6(2) provides a route for minors born in Portugal where a parent has five years of legal residence and the child is enrolled in and regularly attending school.

What does the new test cover?

Article 6(1)(c) requires proof, by test or certificate, of sufficient knowledge of the Portuguese language and culture, national history and national symbols — broader than the previous language-focused requirement.

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• The same nationality change covered in Portuguese, with the parliamentary detail.