Portugal tightens citizenship rules, raises residency requirement to 10 years

Portugal has tightened its citizenship rules after a sharp rise in immigration, introducing longer waiting periods for foreign nationals seeking citizenship, according to a Bloomberg report. The law has been signed by the country’s president following parliamentary approval last year.

Citizenship timeline extended

The law increases the minimum residency requirement for citizenship from five years to up to 10 years for most foreign applicants. The legislation had the support of the minority centre-right Social Democratic Party and the far-right Chega party.

President António José Seguro said in a statement that pending applications should not be affected by the new rules. He said this would otherwise create “an undesirable breach of trust in the state, at the domestic and international level.”


Portugal has seen a significant rise in its foreign-born population after the pandemic. The country now has about 1.5 million foreign residents, accounting for nearly 15% of its population, according to Portugal’s Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum. This is almost three times higher than the level recorded in 2019.

Citizens from Brazil, Angola and other Portuguese-speaking countries will also face longer timelines. Their citizenship eligibility period has been increased from five years to seven years under the new law.

Strain due to immigration applications

The move is aimed at easing pressure on public services, including housing, healthcare and administrative systems, which have come under strain due to the rapid increase in immigration applications.

The decision also impacts Portugal’s “golden visa” programme, which offers residency to non-European investors. The programme currently allows foreign investors to obtain residency through options such as a minimum €500,000 investment in eligible funds.

Under existing rules, participants could apply for citizenship after five years in the scheme, but the new framework extends the overall timeline in line with stricter residency requirements.

(With Bloomberg inputs)