On January 5, 2024 local time, the Portuguese Parliament approved the amendment of the country's Nationality Law.
The new amendments take into account the fact that the Portuguese Immigration Service (AIMA) has a considerable backlog of residency applications. Under previous legislation, foreign residents of Portugal were only eligible to apply for citizenship after 5 years of obtaining Portuguese residency status.
Article 15 of the Nationality Act (now with a new paragraph 4) is amended: "For the purpose of calculating the period of legal residence under this Act, the time elapsed from the time of application for a temporary residence permit is also taken into account if granted. ”
In other words, after the amendment, foreign residents will be able to count towards 5 years from the date of application for residency!
Taking Portugal investment immigration as an example, the whole cycle from applying for a ** visa to obtaining a Portuguese passport is about 7 to 8 years. However, according to the revised nationality rules, it has become that if the applicant applies for residency in December 2021, he is still waiting for approval, but in December 2026, he can apply for citizenship.
However, the point is that the changes to the bill have not yet entered into force!
The proposal will have 5-7 days to be submitted for signature, and after receiving the proposal, there will be an 8-day deadline for publication, and it will take effect one month after the official announcement.
Once it comes into effect, for investors who have obtained a ** residence visa through investment, the application time delayed due to the backlog of AIMA in the past will be compensated, which will greatly improve the efficiency of residence transfer to naturalization.
History of the revision of the Portuguese Nationality Law
In July 2018, an amendment to the Portuguese Nationality Law reduced the period of naturalisation to five years after six years of legal status.
In July 2021, the Portuguese Nationality Law was amended to stipulate that a child born in Portugal can apply for Portuguese citizenship if either parent has legally resided in Portugal for one year.
Portugal Citizenship by Investment Method
On October 6, 2023, Portugal officially announced the closure of the channel for obtaining ** visas for house purchases and deposits, while the way to obtain ** visas through ** will still be retained.
Portuguese immigrants have entered the era of 500,000 euros**.
Compared with real estate investment, the advantages of ** immigration are: there are more financial supervision, the exit process is clear, and there is no cumbersome problem of real estate**.
Application Requirements:
1. Be at least 18 years old and have no criminal record.
2. The investment is not less than 500,000 euros to Portugal**, and the investment can be redeemed after 7 years.
3. Passport requirements for permanent residence: hold ** visa for 5 years, meet the requirements of residence + basic Portuguese A2
4. After naturalization or permanent residence, you can withdraw.
5. One person can apply with his or her spouse, parents, and children under the age of 18.
6. After the parents have held the ** residence permit for one year, their children born in Portugal can be directly naturalized.
Consultation application, add the author's name.