Planning to move to Portugal? Citizenship now takes up to 10 years as new residency law kicks in

Portugal has doubled the waiting period for citizenship. What was a five-year residency requirement for most foreign nationals is now up to ten years, a significant tightening of the rules in a country whose foreign-born population has nearly tripled since 2019.

The law, which had parliamentary support from the minority centre-right Social Democratic Party and the far-right Chega party, has been signed by the president and is now in effect.

Why the change

Portugal now has approximately 1.5 million foreign residents, accounting for nearly 15 per cent of its total population, almost three times the level recorded before the pandemic, according to the country's Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum. That surge has placed visible strain on public services, including housing, healthcare and administrative systems struggling to process the volume of applications.

Who is affected

The extended timeline applies to most foreign applicants. Even citizens from Brazil, Angola and other Portuguese-speaking countries, who historically had closer ties to Portugal and a shorter path to citizenship, are not exempt. Their eligibility period has been extended from five years to seven under the new law.

President António José Seguro moved to protect those already in the system. He said in a statement that pending applications should not be affected by the new rules, adding that applying the changes retroactively would create "an undesirable breach of trust in the state, at the domestic and international level."

Golden visa implications

The changes also affect Portugal's golden visa programme, which offers residency to non-European investors through options including a minimum €500,000 investment in eligible funds. Under the previous framework, golden visa participants could apply for citizenship after five years in the scheme. The new residency requirements extend that overall timeline, making the route to a Portuguese passport longer for investors as well.