Lisbon, 6 November 2025 —
Portugal’s long-debated reform of the Lei da Nacionalidade (Law No. 37/81) has inched one step closer to Belém. The Constitutional Affairs Committee of the Assembleia da República has formally approved the redação final — the final editorial text — of the government’s proposal to tighten access to Portuguese citizenship.
The document, Informação n.º 49/DAPLEN/2025, dated 4 November 2025, finalizes the text adopted by Parliament in a plenary vote on 28 October 2025. It confirms adjustments in wording and harmonization with existing immigration and nationality statutes. Under Article 8, the new law will enter into force the day after its publication in the Diário da República.
With the committee’s endorsement complete, the approved decree will now be transmitted to President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who can choose to:
- Promulgate the law and send it for publication,
- Veto and return it to Parliament, or
- Request preventive constitutional review by the Constitutional Court.
As of this morning, no official record on presidencia.pt or dre.pt shows that the decree has reached the President’s office.
The reform extends the residency period required for citizenship from five to ten years for most foreign nationals, or seven years for citizens of EU and CPLP countries. It also clarifies that the residency “clock” begins only after issuance of a residence permit, not upon entry or application. The government argues the change will “align nationality acquisition with genuine integration,” while critics say it risks creating “a decade of exclusion.”
The bill was passed amid heated debate — with opposition parties accusing the ruling majority of “closing doors that Portugal had proudly kept open.” Advocacy groups have already urged the President to seek constitutional review, citing equality and proportionality concerns.
If promulgated, the law would represent the eleventh amendment to Portugal’s nationality framework since its original 1981 adoption.