Feb 16, 2026 — In Lisbon’s political corridors, the debate over Portugal’s nationality law is moving again, though slowly and mostly behind committee doors. After the Constitutional Court struck down several provisions late last year, the bill did not disappear; it was sent back to Parliament to be rewritten. Since then, parties have been working through the legal objections, consulting constitutional experts and negotiating possible revisions that could survive another review.
For now, there has been no announced date for a new vote. Lawmakers first need to complete a revised draft, and that process usually unfolds in stages: technical redrafting to address the court’s concerns, discussion in the relevant parliamentary committees, and negotiations among parties to secure enough support. Only after those steps are finished is a text scheduled for plenary debate and a vote.
People close to the process suggest that drafting and negotiations may take weeks rather than days. The political calendar, shifting priorities, and the need to avoid another constitutional challenge all tend to slow the pace. Even once a draft is ready, scheduling a vote depends on parliamentary agenda-setting, which can introduce further delay.
What has been done so far is mostly preparatory: the court’s ruling has been analyzed, alternative formulations have been circulated among parties, and discussions have begun on how to preserve policy goals while removing provisions the court found problematic. What remains is the hardest part—agreeing on final wording and building a majority around it.
So the moment is one of waiting, but not of silence. The law is being reshaped line by line, and when it returns to the chamber it will likely look different from the version that first sparked the constitutional challenge. Observers in Lisbon generally expect movement in the coming months rather than immediately, with a new vote most likely once a legally robust draft emerges and political consensus, even a narrow one, takes form.