A significant change to Portugal’s nationality law has been signed by the President, extending the residency requirement for naturalisation. However, the widely reported claim that this change ends the country’s Golden Visa programme is incorrect.
On 3 May 2026, the President of the Republic promulgated a new organic law that significantly changes the path to citizenship for legal residents in Portugal. According to the official Promulgation Note, the general residency requirement for citizenship has been extended from 5 years to 10 years. For nationals of EU/CPLP (Community of Portuguese Language Countries) member states, the requirement is set at 7 years.
The Assembleia da República passed the legislation on 1 April 2026 with a vote of 152 in favour and 64 against, before dispatching it to the Presidency on 13 April 2026. The law is expected to take effect upon publication in the Diário da República, which multiple specialist sources indicated was expected within days of 4–5 May 2026. Until that publication date, the current 5-year framework continues to apply.
What Portugal’s New Nationality Law Changes
Three key modifications have been confirmed by official sources:
1. The Residency Clock for Naturalisation Now Starts Later
The government has confirmed that the residency period for citizenship will now be counted from the date the residence title is obtained, not from the date of application. This reverses a provision previously enacted in 2024 under Lei Orgânica n.º 1/2024, which allowed time spent pending approval to count toward the requirement.
In practical terms, for a new applicant, the waiting period effectively begins after the physical residence card is issued — not when the application is first submitted.
Backlogs at AIMA mean many applicants wait several months — and sometimes close to or beyond a year — between submitting their first residence application and receiving a physical residence card, so the real time from arrival in Portugal to eventual eligibility for citizenship will often extend beyond the nominal 10-year requirement.
Given these administrative delays, many future applicants are likely to face a real-world timeline to citizenship that exceeds a decade between first arrival in Portugal and eligibility to apply for naturalisation, even though the legal requirement is set at 7 or 10 years of residence counted from the first permit.
2. Children Born in Portugal Face a Stricter Naturalisation Requirement
For children born in Portugal, the path to citizenship by birth has become more demanding. The law now requires that both parents must have been legally resident in Portugal for at least five years at the time of the child’s birth — up from the previous requirement of one year.
In plain terms: a child born in Portugal today would not automatically qualify for citizenship unless their parents had already been legally resident for five continuous years at the time of birth. Parents who arrived recently and have been resident for fewer than five years would need to reach that threshold before a child born in Portugal could access citizenship through this route.
At the time of writing, no clear official guidance has been published on how the new five-year parental residence rule will apply to children already born in Portugal under the previous one-year framework. Families in this situation should seek advice from a licensed Portuguese immigration lawyer, as any transitional protections or case-by-case solutions are likely to depend on future implementing guidance and individual file histories.
3. Golden Visa Remains Untouched
Despite widespread misreporting in the media and online speculation — explicitly documented by specialist outlet Portugal Panorama — the Golden Visa residency programme is not affected by this legislative change. The Presidency of the Republic, along with the official government communique published at portugal.gov.pt, has explicitly confirmed that the investment-based residency scheme remains in place under its current rules.
Golden Visa holders face one of the lightest physical-presence requirements in Europe: at least 7 days in Portugal in the first year of the permit, and at least 14 days in each subsequent two-year renewal period — a total of around 35 days over the first five years.
The investment thresholds themselves are unchanged by this nationality-law reform: current Golden Visa routes generally start from around €250,000 for certain cultural projects, with most mainstream fund and business options requiring €500,000 or more.
Under the revised rules, Golden Visa investors who pursue citizenship are expected to fall under the same extended naturalisation timelines as other residents — 7 years for EU and CPLP nationals and 10 years for all others — measured from the issuance of the first residence permit, even though the residency rights and renewal rules of the Golden Visa itself remain unchanged.
What Remains Unchanged for Pending Naturalisation Applicants
For applicants who have already submitted citizenship applications, the new rules should not apply. The Presidency’s note states that pending citizenship applications should not be affected by this legislative change.Furthermore, a controversial provision that would have allowed for the loss of Portuguese nationality as an accessory criminal penalty was not promulgated. The President referred the companion decree — Decreto n.º 49/XVII — to the Constitutional Court for review on 21 April 2026, and that review remains pending.
Key Uncertainty: Does the New Law Apply Retroactively?
While the general understanding is that the law applies to future applications after publication — and not to residency time already accumulated by current residents — this point has not been officially confirmed by the government. According to analysis from the Constitutional Court and the Presidency’s note, it appears likely, though not yet directly confirmed, that the law applies to applications made after gazette publication rather than retroactively to residency time already accumulated.
Since this specific detail has only been established through inference rather than a direct ministerial statement, applicants are advised to confirm their specific situation with a licensed Portuguese immigration lawyer.
Zagdim Analysis
The section below represents Zagdim’s editorial assessment and interpretation of the available evidence. It is not based on direct official confirmation and should be read as editorial judgment, not established fact.
In Zagdim’s editorial reading of the available reporting, the market reaction and much of the initial press coverage overstated the impact of this change, particularly regarding the Golden Visa’s status. The practical distinctions worth noting are:
- Golden Visa holders are not affected by this change — the programme remains in place under its existing rules.
- Standard residency holders (non-EU/non-CPLP) now face a naturalisation wait of 10 years, up from the previous 5.
- Parents of children born in Portugal now need to have been legally resident for five years — up from one — for their child to qualify for citizenship by birth.
This represents a material shift in planning considerations for those weighing long-term Portuguese residency. Those not applying under the Golden Visa or D7 passive income routes should factor a significantly longer citizenship timeline into their decision-making.
Portugal’s 2026 nationality law represents a genuine shift in how long-term residents — including Golden Visa investors — should plan their path to citizenship. The headline number is 10 years, but between the clock-start change and AIMA’s processing backlogs, the real-world timeline is likely to be longer. Understanding which rules apply to your specific permit type, arrival date, and family situation is worth doing carefully before making any decisions.
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Disclaimer: This article is based on officially verified sources current as of 8 May 2026. Requirements change frequently. Always confirm your specific situation with a licensed immigration attorney or AIMA directly.
