New 2025 Portuguese Nationality & Immigration Laws

The Portuguese Government is implementing major updates to the Nationality Law, Family Reunification, and Job-Seeking Visa policies. If you are an immigrant in Portugal or planning to move here soon — pay close attention! The new rules will affect thousands of applications.

Changes in Portuguese Nationality Law 2025

Starting from June 19, 2025, immigrants will need to live in Portugal longer before applying for Portuguese citizenship:

The minimum legal residency period will increase from 5 years to 10 years for most applicants.
For nationals from Portuguese-speaking countries (such as Brazil, Angola, Mozambique), it will now be 7 years.

Another key change: naturalised Portuguese citizens may now lose their nationality if they are convicted of serious crimes (a 5+ years prison sentence confirmed by a court).

For children born in Portugal, nationality will no longer be automatic. Parents must now prove 3 years of legal residence with a valid permit before requesting nationality for their child.

This move marks one of the most consequential changes to Portugal’s nationality law in decades.

During the parliamentary debate, Chega leader André Ventura pushed for even stricter controls, questioning whether Portugal would follow Austria’s example by suspending family reunification. However, Montenegro firmly rejected this, reaffirming its commitment to controlled and humane immigration policies.

New Family Reunification Rules

Family reunification requests can only be filed at Portuguese consular offices abroad, not from inside Portugal anymore.
The sponsor must already have a valid residence permit for 2 years to bring their spouse or partner to Portugal.
Reunification of minor children can still be requested inside Portugal, but will now follow a quota-based system.

Stricter Rules for Job-Seeking Visas

Job-Seeking Visas will now be available only to highly qualified professionals.
Citizens from CPLP countries (Portuguese-speaking) will no longer be able to enter Portugal with a tourist visa and request a residence permit based on an “Expression of Interest.”

This closes the previous “Expression of Interest 2.0 loophole” and aims to manage Portugal’s immigration flow better.