An IMGW News Report
Portugal is tightening the screws on naturalisation. In a move likely to reshape its attractiveness for migrants and long-term residents, the Portuguese Council of Ministers has approved sweeping changes to the Nationality Law.
The reforms, unveiled on 23 June, extend residency requirements, impose cultural integration criteria, and curtail automatic birthright citizenship.
“Portugal is no longer rolling out the red carpet”
The headline change is a longer path to citizenship. Nationals from the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) – including Brazil, Angola and Mozambique – must now reside in Portugal for seven years (up from five) before applying for citizenship.
For all other nationalities, the threshold jumps to a full decade. Crucially, the clock starts ticking only from the date a residence permit is granted – not from the initial application.
Automatic citizenship for children born in Portugal to foreign parents is also curtailed. Under the new rules, both parents must have legally resided in the country for at least three years and must formally apply for the child’s nationality.
Birth on Portuguese soil, once a near-guarantee of citizenship, is no longer sufficient. Applicants will face new integration hurdles. Language proficiency, cultural awareness, and understanding of constitutional rights and duties will be assessed – likely through formal testing.
Moreover, all candidates must sign a solemn declaration of adherence to democratic values and the rule of law.
A stricter stance on criminal records rounds out the package. Any prior custodial sentence – regardless of duration – will now disqualify applicants, replacing the earlier three-year threshold.
António Leitão Amaro, Minister of the Presidency, defended the reforms as necessary to ensure “a meaningful connection to the nation.”
But the backlash has been swift. Critics accuse the government of undermining integration efforts and moving the goalposts for thousands already living in Portugal with hopes of citizenship.
With parliamentary and constitutional hurdles still ahead, the draft law may yet be amended. But the message is clear: Portugal is no longer rolling out the red carpet.
