05/05/2026
🚨 Citizenship Law Update – Important Changes Ahead
The President has officially promulgated the revised Citizenship Law on 3 May 2026. Publication is expected in the coming days, with the new rules entering into force immediately thereafter.
This amendment introduces significant changes that will impact both ongoing and future citizenship applications:
• Residency requirement increased to 7 years for nationals of Portuguese-speaking countries and 10 years for all others
• Residency counting now starts from the issuance of the first residence permit card
• Time between application submission and permit issuance no longer counts toward eligibility
Notably, no transitional or grandfathering provisions have been provided for Golden Visa holders.
What this means:
Applicants who may still qualify and meet the respective criteria under the current 5-year framework should act quickly. A very limited window remains before the new rules take effect.
If you are in the process of preparing your application, this is the time to move forward.
