Portugal News

Updated: 16 September 2026

Newly collected information offers a clearer picture of how Portuguese nationality applications are progressing at the Conservatória dos Registos Centrais in Lisbon and the Arquivo Central do Porto.

The figures combine anonymous reports of completed nationality processes with processing dates communicated through automatic email replies from Portugal’s Institute of Registries and Notary, known as the IRN.

On Wednesday, August 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse will sweep across parts of the Iberian Peninsula. Mainland Spain will experience its first widely visible total solar eclipse since August 30, 1905—ending a wait of 121 years.

Mainland Portugal last experienced totality in 1912, 114 years ago. This time, totality will touch only a very narrow area in northeastern Portugal, while the rest of the country will witness an exceptionally deep partial eclipse.

Lisbon August 04, 2026 — Holders of " golden visas " are experiencing delays in their residency applications. According to the agency, the goal is to resolve the processes of more than half of the 50,000 investors who are on the waiting list.

Lisbon, July 27, 2026 — A study by the Migration Observatory warns of inequalities in the social protection of foreign workers in Portugal. Communities originating from countries without bilateral agreements with the Portuguese Social Security system may not be able to secure the contributory rights accumulated in the country.

According to reports , many foreign workers, especially from countries in the Indian subcontinent, may face difficulties in ensuring that social security contributions made in Portugal are credited if they return to their country of origin.

July 23, 2026 — The Government will discuss today, in the Council of Ministers, a proposal for the reform of administrative and tax justice that foresees the creation of specialized courts for immigration and international protection.

According to details, this will end the concentration, in Lisbon, of legal proceedings against the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA). The measure stems from the National Plan for the Integration of Immigrants, which has been under preparation since the beginning of the year and should be presented by the end of the summer.

London, 21 July 2026 — A growing number of Labour MPs are urging the UK government to reconsider controversial proposals that would extend the standard route to Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) from five years to ten years for many migrants already living in the UK.

The Supreme Court upholds most of the Immigration Regulations, but introduces corrections on issues related to the protection of minors or family unity.

Madrid, July 18, 2026 — The Spanish Supreme Court issued a ruling on Monday modifying the assessment of criminal records for foreign nationals seeking to reside or work in Spain. The Administrative Chamber of the High Court resolved several amendments to the Immigration Regulations , which the government implemented through a royal decree last November.

These measures apply to those entering Portugal without a visa.

Lisbon July 17, 2026 — Two doors that allowed visa-free immigration were closed by Parliament this morning, July 17th: the possibility of regularization through a minor child in the territory and via a vocational training course. With the abstention of Chega, the ruling party obtained the necessary votes for the final approval of the text , in this last session before the recess.

Lisbon, July 17, 2026 — Portugal’s Parliament has approved changes to the TVDE law. Drivers will now need functional knowledge of Portuguese, at least 50 hours of training and a pass mark of 27 correct answers out of 30 in the final exam.

The maximum age of TVDE vehicles will increase from seven to 10 years, and to 12 years for electric vehicles. Vehicles must display a permanent anti-fraud identification sticker issued by the IMT.

The existing fence between the British colony and the Spanish city of La Línea de la Concepción will cease to exist. The historic agreement "opens a new era" between Europe and Gibraltar.

The agreement, reached this year, ten years after the referendum that approved Brexit (the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union), was signed in the early afternoon in Brussels.