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Portuguese Citizenship Requirements: Residency May Increase from 5 to 10 Years
- Dra Nina Dourado
- Sep 2
- 3 min read
Did you know that the time required to apply for Portuguese citizenship may soon double?
Today, the Portuguese citizenship requirements allow you to apply after 5 years of legal residence in Portugal. But a proposal is already circulating among government parties to increase this period to 10 years. This change has not yet been approved, but it could move forward quickly after the legislative elections in May 2025.
In this post, you’ll understand what’s at stake, who will be affected, and why it’s urgent to act now.
What is happening in Portugal?
After the fall of Luís Montenegro’s government in March 2025, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa called early legislative elections for May 18.
As a result, center-right parties such as the Democratic Alliance (AD) began pushing for changes to the Nationality Law. The most discussed proposal is to increase the required period of legal residence for naturalization from 5 to 10 years.
Proposed changes to the Nationality Law
The changes under discussion include:
Increasing the residency period from 5 to 10 years
Stricter integration requirements, demanding stronger proof of ties to the Portuguese community
Although a formal draft law does not yet exist, the proposal is already being publicly debated and may be officially introduced soon after the new government is formed.
Who will be affected by the new Portuguese citizenship requirements?
People who have already completed 5 years of legal residence but have not yet applied for citizenship
Spouses of Portuguese citizens who are waiting to apply through marriage
Immigrants who are close to completing 5 years and intend to wait a few more months
Important: It is not allowed to submit the application with only 3 or 4 years of legal residence expecting it to be analyzed later. The 5-year requirement must be fully met at the time of the application. Requests submitted before that are rejected.
Why act now?
The change that would allow counting residence time from the Manifestação de Interesse (Expression of Interest) is still not regulated and cannot yet be applied.
Italy’s experience has shown that changes can be approved suddenly and even retroactively, affecting those who have not yet submitted their application.
The closer we get to the elections, the greater the risk that the new legislature will quickly approve changes.
If you have already completed 5 years of legal residence, this is the time to formalize your application.
Conclusion + Next Step
The upcoming elections in Portugal may speed up significant changes to the Nationality Law. And the most concerning proposal is precisely the one that doubles the required period of residence from 5 to 10 years.
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In addition, on the form page you will find an exclusive video from attorney at law Nina Dourado, with guidance that will certainly be useful for your process.
Time is running. If your period of legal residence has already reached 5 years, the best moment to act is now. Don’t wait for the change to happen.
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