The ruling party made it clear before the summer recess that it would agree to hold hearings, but that the matter should be resolved by the time the State Budget, which will be presented today, is discussed.
The recent approval of the new Foreigners' Law raised questions about possible changes to the Nationality Law, as both were announced jointly by the Government. However, they are distinct laws . The Nationality Law is currently undergoing hearings—or hearings—with professionals and entities involved in the matter.
This process was interrupted for a few days, as Parliament is in immediate recess for municipal elections. Activities will resume next week, when meetings on the topic are also expected to resume .
The government has secured urgent approval for the proposal and has already gathered nearly all the opinions and assessments from organizations and experts . These documents will be considered in defining the text that will be voted on again.
The parties agreed that the matter would be resolved before the start of discussions on the 2026 State Budget , which will be presented this afternoon, October 9th. It has already been decided that the first debates on the 2026 State Budget will take place on October 27th and 28th — that is, in less than 20 days.
With activities set to resume next week, party leaders are expected to meet to organize their agenda. This meeting will determine the date for the vote on the Nationality Law.
The text was forwarded to the committee without a vote, and a new version may be presented based on the opinions requested and already received. After that, it will need to be submitted again to the plenary , where it will require a majority for approval.
As with the Foreigners' Law, Chega will likely be the government's main ally in this change . Among the changes proposed by Luís Montenegro's government is an increase in the required residency period for citizens of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP) to apply for nationality— from five to seven years . For other immigrants, the period will double, from the current five to ten years. The law will also state that the waiting time for a residency permit—in some cases up to three years—will not be included in this calculation.
The Brazilian government has already held official talks with Portugal on the matter, warning that the new law should not widen the differences in treatment of Portuguese immigrants residing in Brazil. The issue has already been discussed between the foreign ministers and also at the recent annual meeting between the two countries.
In an interview with DN Brasil, Ambassador Márcia Loureiro stated that the application of reciprocity has not been ruled out . "I do not rule out the possibility of reactions from Brazilian society and the Brazilian parliament to the proposed legislative changes in Portugal," she said in an exclusive interview with the newspaper.