Portugal joins European countries in tightening citizenship pathways

Business Standard

24-06-2025

Portugal will double the minimum period of legal residency required for most foreigners to apply for citizenship, the government said on Monday, in a move expected to affect hundreds of thousands of applicants.
Cabinet minister Antonio Leitao Amaro said the new requirement would extend the current five-year rule to 10 years for most applicants, with a shorter seven-year threshold for those from Portuguese-speaking countries such as Brazil, Angola and Mozambique.
The stricter timeline is part of a wider set of changes to Portugal's immigration and naturalisation laws, which also include new criteria related to integration and public safety.
New rules on family reunification and crime
Leitao Amaro said the government would also revise rules around family reunification for legal immigrants and introduce provisions to strip naturalised Portuguese citizens of their citizenship if they commit serious crimes.
'We are significantly strengthening the requirements for access to citizenship, naturalisation, in line with the guidelines already included in the government's programme,' said Leitao Amaro during a press briefing.
To qualify under the new law, applicants must:
• Have resided legally in Portugal for 10 years (or 7 years if from a Portuguese-speaking country)
• Show knowledge of Portuguese culture, rights and duties of citizens
• Declare support for the fundamental principles of a democratic state
• Have no criminal convictions that resulted in an effective prison sentence
• Demonstrate knowledge of the Portuguese language
Under the current system, naturalisation applicants must reside in Portugal for five years, demonstrate language proficiency, have no sentence of more than three years in prison, and not be considered a threat to national security.
Push from far right influences citizenship debate
The planned decree is expected to pass with support from the far-right Chega party, now the main opposition bloc following the March 2025 election. The party has pushed for tougher immigration measures and made citizenship reform a key demand.
Portugal's population of around 10.5 million includes over 1.5 million legal foreign residents, according to AIMA, the migration and asylum agency. Brazilians form the largest group, with over 450,000 residents.
Economic data aggregator Pordata figures show that 141,300 people were naturalised in 2023—a 20% drop from the previous year. In January, the government said more than 400,000 applications were pending.
Tighter rules across Europe
Portugal is not alone in tightening citizenship and residency rules.
Germany ended its fast-track citizenship route in May 2025. All applicants must now reside in the country for five years, unless they are married to a German citizen, in which case they can apply after three years of residence and a two-year marriage.
Finland increased its general residency requirement from five to eight years in October 2024, and introduced stricter conditions for time spent outside the country during this period.
Italy narrowed its citizenship-by-descent rules in April 2025. Applicants must now have a parent or grandparent born in Italy to qualify, ending eligibility through more distant ancestry.
United Kingdom introduced new guidance that makes it 'extremely unlikely' for individuals who entered illegally—such as via small boats—to be granted British citizenship, even after 10 years of residence.