Portugal News

The Nationality Law was approved this Friday in the Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Affairs, after a morning of intense debate between the parties.

The bill, which introduces new minimum residency periods for obtaining Portuguese nationality, will now be voted on in plenary on October 28.

According to the approved text, the minimum period of legal residence in Portugal will be seven years for citizens of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) and ten years for citizens of other origins.

The reform of Portugal’s nationality law now stands on shaky ground ahead of its final parliamentary vote, with the government still unable to guarantee the 116-vote qualified majority required for approval. Right-wing party Chega has declined to reach a full agreement with the PSD and CDS, while the Socialist Party (PS) has confirmed its opposition — leaving the proposal caught between divided blocs and fragile alliances.

The Socialist Party (PS) has submitted, for the second time, amendments to its own proposals for revising the nationality law, most notably changing a series of deadlines to bring them closer to those advocated by the PSD and CDS. These new PS proposals were announced by Pedro Delgado Alves, vice-president of the Socialist Party (PS), at the beginning of the Constitutional Affairs Committee meeting.

The discussion of the new proposed Nationality Law has been postponed until Friday morning at 9:00 a.m. This is the third time the discussion on the specific issue has been postponed.

The discussion of the new nationality law proposal in the Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Affairs was postponed until Friday morning.

Pressure mounts on Parliament: more than 12,000 people are demanding that the new Nationality Law not affect those already living in Portugal. 

The debate on the new Nationality Law has once again gained momentum in Parliament. After another postponement in the Constitutional Affairs Committee , signatories of a petition with 12,167 signatures are asking MPs to create a transitional regime to safeguard foreigners already residing in Portugal and awaiting access to citizenship.

Starting October 23, changes restricting the entry and stay of immigrants in Portugal will come into effect. Check out the main changes.

The new Foreigners Law, with the amendments approved in parliament and promulgated by President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, was published in the Official Gazette this Wednesday, October 22, and will come into effect the following day: October 23.

The discussion of the new nationality law proposal in the Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Affairs was postponed today, at the request of the PSD, until Thursday, due to the introduction of several amendments in the last few hours.

This is the second postponement of the discussion, after the PS did the same last week, to analyze the initial proposal (PSD and CDS), which had been submitted shortly before. 

Lisbon, 22 October 2025 – The Portuguese Parliament’s relevant committee begins discussions today on a new draft law on nationality, aiming to change how foreigners become Portuguese citizens. 

The proposed law is part of a broader reform, responding to concerns about fairness and integration. Under the new framework, the time a foreign resident must live legally in Portugal before applying for citizenship could be shortened for some, and rules on how that time is counted may change.

The Partido Socialista (PS) has submitted formal amendments to the Portuguese nationality bill, proposing five years of legal residence for citizens of the European Union and CPLP nations, and seven years for nationals of other countries — replacing the government’s earlier ten-year proposal. 

Lisbon, 20 October 2025 — The Partido Socialista (PS) has tabled a decisive amendment to Portugal’s proposed citizenship reform, introducing a seven-year pathway to nationality for most foreign residents, while maintaining five years for citizens of the European Union and the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP).