Portugal has half a million pending nationality applications (July 4, 2025 – 11:02 AM)
PORTUGAL
Who: António Leitão Amaro, Minister of the Presidency.
What: He revealed that 512,000 nationality applications are currently pending. Only about 15 % of these are cases of Portuguese nationals born abroad portugalresident.com+14theportugalnews.com+14reuters.com+14.
Details:
- In 2022, foreigner applications increased dramatically: 5× more than 2015, 3× more than 2021.
- In contrast, applications from children of Portuguese parents have decreased proportionally.
Minister’s message: Citizenship should reflect genuine belonging, not be “commercialised” or “a passport road‑trip” theport
Draft reforms announced at Council of Ministers (June 23, 2025)
Major update to the Portuguese Nationality Law (Law no. 37/81).
For children born on Portuguese territory:
- If at least one parent has maintained legal residence for at least 1 year (previously 2 years), the child now has the automatic right to acquire Portuguese nationality.
This reform greatly benefited thousands of immigrant families living in Portugal.
On June 23, Portugal’s government unveiled a package of nationality and immigration reforms
A. Naturalisation: extended residency & stricter tests
Declaration of support for democratic values
Residency period:
Europe‑wide: from 5 to 10 years.
CPLP (Portuguese‑speaking countries): from 5 to 7 years en.wikipedia.org+13reuters.com+13artoncapital.com+13.
Counting period: from issuance of first residence permit, not application date artoncapital.com+3getgoldenvisa.com+3lvpadvogados.com+3.
New requirements:
Portuguese language test (at least A2 level).
Civic knowledge (culture, rights, duties).
No criminal record for serious crimes.
B. Changes to child citizenship
Now requires a formal application plus 3 years of parental legal residence
Children born in Portugal to foreign parents:
Automatic citizenship removed.
C. End of Sephardic Jewish nationality route
The Sephardic Jewish ancestry channel is being abolished
D. Limiting ancestry claims
Citizenship by descent limited to up to great-grandchildren, plus proof of cultural ties .
E. Revocation of nationality
Within 10 years, citizenship may be revoked from naturalised individuals convicted of serious crimes (e.g. terrorism, espionage), via court decision
3. Immigration law & border control reforms
- Full revision of Immigration Law:
- Stricter family reunification: requires 2 years’ residence, proof of housing, income, Portuguese learning lvpadvogados.com.
- Job‑seeker visas only for high‑skilled professionals lvpadvogados.com.
- Creation of UNEF (National Unit for Foreigners and Borders) within PSP to manage borders and deportations iaservices.pt+10lvpadvogados.com+10globalresidenceindex.com+10.
- Residence permits automatically extended until 15 October 2025, with digital renewal portals launching 1 July 2025
4. Political backdrop & parliamentary path
- The centre‑right minority government led by Luís Montenegro is enacting policies influenced by Chega (far‑right) en.wikipedia.org+3cadenaser.com+3reuters.com+3.
- The proposed changes were approved by the Council of Ministers on June 23, but must pass Parliament—requiring an absolute majority of 116 seats iaservices.pt+7reuters.com+7lvpadvogados.com+7.
Portugal is proposing its strictest nationality and immigration reforms to date: extending residency for citizenship to 10 years (7 for CPLP), cancelling automatic birthright and Sephardic descent paths, strengthening integration tests, and increasing border control. Government and opposition influences, plus investor anxiety, are shaping the debate. Parliament will now decide. The process started June 23, 2025, and rapid changes are not yet law.