For that purpose, the foreign citizens must fulfil the following requirements: Being of age or emancipated under Portuguese law; Have lived legally in Portugal for at least five years; Have sufficient knowledge of the Portuguese language (A2 level); Have not been convicted, with a sentence in rem judicatum , of imprisonment of three years or more for a crime punishable under Portuguese law; Not being a danger or threat to national security or defence, by their involvement in activities related to the practice of terrorism, in accordance with the respective law.

Portuguese Citizenship by Residence

According to Portuguese law, all foreign citizens who have legally resided in Portugal for at least 5 years can acquire nationality by naturalization.

Applies to all foreign citizens who have been legal residents, under any of the titles, visas or authorizations foreseen in the regime of entry, stay, exit and removal of foreigners and in the regime of the right to asylum.

In this sense, for the purposes of establishing periods of legal residence, the sum of all periods of legal residence in Portugal, consecutive or interpolated, is considered, provided that they occurred within a maximum interval of 15 years.

However, unlike the original nationality, which produces effects from the date of birth and can be transmitted to descendants without limitations, nationality by naturalization only takes effect after registration of acquisition and can therefore only be transmitted to descendants born after registration.

General aspects

Requirements

For that purpose, the foreign citizens must fulfil the following requirements:

Being of age or emancipated under Portuguese law;
Have lived legally in Portugal for at least five years;
Have sufficient knowledge of the Portuguese language (A2 level);
Have not been convicted, with a sentence in rem judicatum, of imprisonment of three years or more for a crime punishable under Portuguese law;
Not being a danger or threat to national security or defence, by their involvement in activities related to the practice of terrorism, in accordance with the respective law.

Benefits of the Portuguese citizenship

With the acquisition of Portuguese nationality, citizens enjoy the following rights:

Reside in a safe country, with a very qualified and accessible education system and health system;
Benefit from the free movement of people and goods within the European Union, by being able to establish their residence in any of these countries;
Benefit from the excellent relations that Portugal has with all Portuguese-speaking countries (PALOP);
Hold a Portuguese passport, which allows (besides the free circulation within the Schengen Area) to enter 159 countries without a visa;
Maintain their original nationality, if their country of origin also allows it;
Apply for family reunification, allowing family members to have the right to reside with the Portuguese national wherever he lives, be it Portugal or another European Union country.

Why you should choose EES?

Thanks to the solid experience of our global mobility team, our clients can rely on expert advice and guidance in the preparation of their nationality by residence dossiers to ensure the success of the procedure. To achieve this, we offer:

The alternative of online submission of nationality applications, as well as their submission through professional associations that have signed an agreement with the Ministry of Justice.
Advice on the preparation of the nationality by residence dossier to ensure compliance with the requirements of the Ministry of Justice.
Guidance in the process of collecting documents, as well as providing support for the request of documents that are not available to the client.
Support and advice during all phases of the procedure until its resolution and subsequent obtaining of the Spanish identity documents.
Practical guidance on strategies aimed to impulse the process of decision from the Ministry of Justice.