Portugal News

The President of the Republic was reacting to the news that the Socialist Party will request a preventive review of the Nationality Law by the Constitutional Court.

The President of the Republic stated this Thursday that, in response to a request for preventive review of the Nationality Law made by the Socialist Party, he will wait for the Constitutional Court to issue its ruling before, possibly, "politically reconsidering the law."

In a decisive move, the parliamentary group of Partido Socialista (PS) has announced its intention to file a preventive constitutional review of the revised Lei da Nacionalidade (Nationality Law) with the Tribunal Constitucional. 

The legislative changes, recently approved by right-wing parties, are now under scrutiny for potential breaches of constitutional guarantees such as the “principle of trust” in administrative proceedings and the regime for loss of nationality as an accessory penalty.

Lisbon, 11 November 2025: The parliamentary decrees revising the Lei n.º 37/81 (Nationality Law) and introducing a new ground for loss of nationality have officially been forwarded to the office of Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa at the Palácio de Belém.

There are two decrees: one that provides for the loss of nationality as an accessory penalty in cases of serious crimes, and another that amends several articles, including the one that makes it no longer possible for parents to apply for nationality for babies born in the country.

If you’re an immigrant who had a baby in Portugal, a common question has been circulating among many families:

With the approval of the new Nationality Law in Parliament — although it’s not yet in effect — is it no longer possible to apply for Portuguese nationality through a baby born in Portugal?

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.

Task force created for the regularization of immigrants in Portugal will end on December 31 next. Agency estimates that more than 600 thousand immigrants passed through the 20 posts of the structure.

Presidential candidate André Ventura today accused the President of the Republic of conditioning the approval of the new laws on foreigners and nationality, and criticized him for his silence on the health situation.

Between 2023 and 2024, the number of people who immigrated to Portugal decreased by two percent, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). On the other hand, emigration of Portuguese citizens to OECD countries increased to 61,000 (an increase of four percent in 2023).

António Leitão Amaro, Minister of the Presidency, who is being heard in Parliament regarding the 2026 State Budget, stated that the idea that immigrants "parasitize social benefits" is also "false," recalling, for example, that they benefit less from the Guaranteed Minimum Income (RSI) than the general population.

When Parliament approved the reform of Portugal’s Nationality Law, it also voted on a separate but related change to the Penal Code. The two measures were debated together but approved as different legal diplomas because they operate in different legal domains.

1. What the Penal Code amendment does

The amendment introduces a new accessory penalty that allows a court to revoke Portuguese nationality from someone who acquired it and was later convicted of a very serious crime. The revocation can occur only if: