On October 28, 2025,, the Assembly of the Republic approved the new Legal Regime of Portuguese Nationality Lei n.º 20/XVII/1.ª (CH) — an essential reform for the country. The Government said, the new law reinforces the effective connection of foreign citizens to Portugal, making the process fairer, more demanding and transparent, and combating abuses in the attribution of nationality.
Nationality is a commitment to Portugal — to its values, its community and its future.
Juliana Mendes Correia | MP
Voting
The PS, Chega, IL, and other parties voted in favor totaled 157 up against, with 64 final votes on the assembly. To pass the legislation requires the favorable vote of an absolute majority of deputies, at least 116 out of 230.The left-wing parliamentary groups voted against it, and the Socialist Party has already indicated that the sanction of loss of nationality could represent a violation of constitutional principles.
The Law still has to be still approved or vetoed by President of the Republic.
Amendments to Nationality Law
Here are the brief overview of changes made..
- The Time for Portuguese Citizenship for other country nationals will be increased to 10 years (from current 5 years)
- The Nationality time for CIP countries (community of Portuguese-language countries (Brazil, Angola, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, São Tomé and Principe, and Timor-Leste), the rule will be increased to seven years instead of ten.
- Sufficiently the Portuguese language and culture, history and at the time of application.
- The Residence clock starts ticking only when authorities grant a residence permit. All periods of legal residence in Portugal will be counted towards time spent in the country, continuous or interrupted.
- Applications in process where citizenship is pending, the old rules will apply, but residents who haven’t yet initiated citizenship will have to conform to the new seven- or ten-year rule.
- No transitional or grandfathering provisions for GV holders.
- Denaturalization or loss of nationality would be decreed by a judge in the case of highly serious crimes punishable by four years or more in prison, such as crimes against the state or violent crimes such as homicide or rape.
- Children born in Portugal should be entitled to Portuguese nationality provided that, at the time of birth, one of the parents has been legally resident in Portugal for at least two years.
- Sephardic Jews – the special naturalization route created in 2015 for descendants of Portuguese Sephardic Jews is eliminated
Next Steps
The next step is to send the new law to President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa for enactment, veto, or referral to the Constitutional Court. After that, if enacted, it must be published in the Official Gazette (DRE).
- Initial Discussion (completed): General discussion of the law proposal in the Parliament plenary session
- Committee Review (completed): Relevant committees examine the proposal and hear from experts and stakeholders
- Parliament Voting (completed): Parliament can propose amendments and the proposed law is debated and voted upon
- President Ratification (pending): The President can ratify, veto or send the proposal back to parliament for further review
- Constitutional Court Validation (pending): The President or other parties can request a constitutional assessment
- Official Publishing (pending): The new law is enacted five days after its official publication in the Government Official Gazette
Presidents Decision
The President of the Republic, who will have 20 days to:
- Promulgate the law, (approval) the law comes in to effect in 90 days.
- Exercise a political veto, returning it to Parliament; or
- Request a preventive review of constitutionality from the Constitutional Court.
If the President opts to refer it to the Court, it must issue its decision within 25 days.
We urge our clients to closely monitor the situation in the coming weeks while awaiting the outcome of the President’s review and, most likely, the Constitutional Court’s deliberation. Even if the law is approved, Portugal PR card is a great alternative to citizenship.
