Portugal News

Lisbon 18 May, 2026 — Portugal has officially published its new nationality reform today in the Diário da República as Lei Orgânica n.º 1/2026, de 18 de Maio, formally amending Law n.º 37/81, the Portuguese Nationality Law.

The law enters into force the day after publication, meaning the new rules are expected to start applying from 19 May 2026. 

One of the biggest changes is the increase in the residence period required for naturalisation:

Portugal’s parliament is preparing to vote on what critics describe as a “disproportionate detention” proposal, marking the final phase of the government’s broader anti-immigration legislative package that has reshaped migration policy in the country over recent months.

Lisbon May 14, 2026 — AIMA have now carried out more than 763,000 consultations and decided over 525,000 immigration cases, with approximately 473,000 receiving favorable decisions, according to Minister of the Presidency António Leitão Amaro. 189,000 Manifestação de Interesse cases were still left unprocessed at the time of the statement.

Lisbon, May 13, 2026 — Although Portugal’s revised Nationality Law has already been promulgated by President António José Seguro, constitutional scrutiny of the reform may not yet be over.

Under Portugal’s constitutional framework, the government must now prepare a regulatory decree-law within 90 days to define how the new nationality regime will be implemented in practice. Legal analysts note that this regulation will return to the President for promulgation, reopening the possibility of presidential intervention if constitutional concerns remain unresolved.

Lisbon May 12, 2026 — A proposal allowing the loss of Portuguese nationality for naturalized citizens convicted of serious crimes may still advance in the Assembly of the Republic, but constitutional experts say it would require approval by a two-thirds parliamentary majority due to potential conflicts with the Constitution.

Lisbon, May 4, 2026 — A note of caution now shadows Portugal’s newly approved nationality reform, as President António José Seguro warns that the changes must not undermine trust or fairness—particularly for those already navigating the system.

In his statement accompanying the law’s promulgation, the President stressed the “importance of ensuring that pending proceedings are not effectively affected by the legislative change,” cautioning that any retroactive impact could amount to “an undesirable breach of trust in the State, both internally and externally.”

Lisbon 17 April, 2026 — Portugal’s controversial nationality law has entered a new phase of legal uncertainty, as the Socialist Party (PS) has moved to request constitutional review of the recently approved legislation.

Lisbon April 3, 2026 — Portugal’s Parliament has re-approved its proposed nationality law reform on April 1, 2026, marking a significant political step forward for a measure that has already faced judicial resistance. Backed by PSD, Chega, IL, and CDS-PP, the reform seeks to extend the residency requirement for citizenship from five years to ten years for most applicants, and to seven years for nationals of Portuguese-speaking countries.

Lisbon March 13, 2026 — Recent media reports have created confusion among immigrants and nationality applicants about possible changes to Portugal’s nationality law. Some reports suggested that the law could soon move forward again with only minor adjustments. However, the legal situation is more complex following the ruling of the Constitutional Court of Portugal.

Feb 16, 2026 — In Lisbon’s political corridors, the debate over Portugal’s nationality law is moving again, though slowly and mostly behind committee doors. After the Constitutional Court struck down several provisions late last year, the bill did not disappear; it was sent back to Parliament to be rewritten. Since then, parties have been working through the legal objections, consulting constitutional experts and negotiating possible revisions that could survive another review.