Portugal Citizenship For Bangladeshi Citizens

Step 1: Obtain a Visa and Residency Permit

Before applying for Portuguese citizenship by naturalisation, you will need to have legally lived in Portugal for at least 5 years. This may require a visa, such as:

• The D2 (Entrepreneur) visa for those who wish to start a business in Portugal
• The D7 (Passive Income) visa for those who have enough regular income to support themselves while in Portugal
• The Golden visa for those who will make at least 1 qualifying investment in Portugal
• The Student visa for those who wish to study for up to 5 years in Portugal
• The High-Quality Activity (HQA) visa for those making a minimum investment of at least €175,000 in their own scientific research project with a Portuguese university and business.

If granted a visa, you must then apply for a residence permit at the Immigration and Borders Service (SEF) within 4 months of entering Portugal.

Depending on your permit duration, this will need to be renewed every 1 to 2 years until you have lived in Portugal for 5 years.

Step 2: Live in Portugal for 5 Years

Once you have lived in Portugal for 5 years, you will be able to apply for citizenship and permanent residency.

Step 3: Gather Your Documents

During your 5 years of residency in Portugal, you should gather documentation that may help support your application for citizenship by naturalisation.

You should also consider how you can provide evidence of your Portuguese language proficiency and undertake the necessary courses or exams.

All documents should be in Portuguese or be translated and certified by an accredited translator.

If you need assistance in preparing your documents, you can call Total Law on +44 (0)333 305 9375 or contact us online for help.

Step 4: Apply for Your Portuguese Citizenship

Applications are handled by the Institute of Registration and Notary Affairs, also known as IRN.

There are three ways in which Bangladeshi nationals and residents can apply for citizenship.

These are:

• Online through NacionalidadeOnline. This can only be done through a lawyer who has a digital certificate and an active digital signature.
• In-person in one of the following places:
  • The National Support Centre for the Integration of Migrants (CNAIM) in Lisbon or Porto
  • The National Desk of the civil registry offices of Amadora, Aveiro, Braga, Coimbra, Évora, Faro, Guarda, Guimarães, Lisbon, Oliveira de Azeméis, Pombal, Santarém, Torres Vedras, Vila do Conde, Vila Nova de Gaia and Viseu
  • The Nationality Desk of the Porto Central Archive
  • The Central Registry Office in Lisbon
  • Civil registry offices
  • The Portuguese Consulate in your home country. In Bangladesh, the Honorary Consulate of Portugal is in Dhaka
• By mail by sending the application form and required documents to one of the Nationality Desks or the Conservatória dos Registos Centrais, Rua Rodrigo da Fonseca, 202, 1099-033 Lisbon.

Documents that you will need to provide to apply for citizenship by naturalisation include:

• Your completed Model 6.1 application form
• A letter addressed to the Portuguese Ministry of Justice requesting citizenship by naturalisation.
  • This letter should be in Portuguese and include:
    • Your full name, date of birth, and gender
    • Your address
    • Your marital status
    • Your nationality and the country or countries you have lived in since the age of 16
    • The names of your parents
    • Your profession
    • The full name and address of your legal representatives, if applicable
    • The number, date, and entity that issued your visa and/or residence permit
  • It must be signed in the presence of one of the Registry employees when you submit your application, or before someone with powers to recognize the signature if you submit your application by mail or at a National Counter.
• Your Portuguese residence permit showing you have lived in Portugal for at least 5 years.
• Your current valid passport or travel ID
• A criminal record certificate issued by your country of birth, nationality, and where you have lived since the age of 16

• Your birth certificate:
  • You should provide the original and a photocopy, if possible
  • You should have your birth certificate certified.
• Evidence to show you understand the Portuguese language at a minimum level of A2 on the Common European Framework of References for Languages (CEFR) scale
  • If you were born in a Portuguese-speaking country in which you have nationality, this is not required
  • If you are not able to read or write, the Portuguese language test must be adapted to demonstrate your ability
  • Examples of proof of Portuguese language proficiency include:
    • A certificate of qualification from a Portuguese public, private, or cooperative educational establishment
    • A certificate of passing a Portuguese language test such as the Proof of Knowledge of the Portuguese Language from the Acquisition of Nationality, known as PaN
    • A certificate of Portuguese as a foreign language from a Portuguese assessment centre recognised by the Ministry of Education, such as the Certificado Inicial de Português Língua Estrangeira (CIPLE). You will need to achieve a minimum overall score of 55%
• Your tax identification number (NIF) registration

Depending on your circumstances, you may be notified of additional documents you must provide to support your citizenship application. Further information about these documents for Portuguese citizenship can be found on the ePortugal website.

All documents must be translated into Portuguese by an accredited translator and certified at the Notario. You should provide both the translated document and the certified original document with your application.

If your application is successful

If the IRN decides you should be granted Portuguese citizenship, you will receive a letter confirming their decision.

You will be registered as a new Portuguese citizen in the Civil Registry of Portugal, and a citizenship card will be issued.

Once you have been granted Portuguese citizenship, your children under the age of 18 and your long-term partner or spouse may be eligible for Portuguese citizenship too.

You will also be able to apply for a Portuguese passport at:

• Insituo dos registos e do Notariado (IRN) offices
• Portuguese Citizens’ Shops
• Passport shops at the airports in Lisbon and Porto
• A Portuguese Embassy or Portuguese Consulate in your area of residence in another country
• Autonomous regional governments of the islands of Madeira and the Azores

You will be asked to present your citizenship card before having your photograph, fingerprints, and digital signature taken.

If your application is unsuccessful

If your application for citizenship is declined, you will be informed of the reason in writing. You will usually hear from the IRN within 20 days of your application if it is an outright rejection.

Some of the most common reasons for applications being rejected include:

• Criminal record
• Insufficient evidence was provided
• Lack of integration in the Portuguese community

Depending on the reason for rejection, you may reapply for Portuguese citizenship after you have corrected the reason your first application was refused.

While there is no formal appeals process for declined applications, you will be given 20 days to provide further information to support your application for citizenship. After this period, the decision is final, and you will need to start the application process again.

Citizenship by Birth or Descent

You will automatically be eligible to apply for citizenship by birth or descent if you meet at least one of the following conditions:

• At least one of your parents was a Portuguese national at the time of your birth, regardless of where you were born
• You have a grandparent who is a Portuguese citizen, and:
  • You have been living in Portugal for a minimum of 3 years
  • You understand the Portuguese language
  • You are connected to the Portuguese community
• You were born in Portugal to foreign national parents, and, at the time of your birth, at least one of them had been living in Portugal for at least:
  • 5 years since 1981
  • 2 years since 2018
  • 1 year since 2020
• You were born in Portugal to foreign national parents, and:
  • You are at least 18 years old
  • You have lived in Portugal for at least 5 years
• You are under the age of 18 years old or have a serious disability, and:
  • At least one of your parents became a Portuguese citizen after your birth
  • You have been living in Portugal for at least 5 years.

Citizenship by Sephardic Jewish Descent

You may be eligible to apply for Portuguese citizenship by Sephardic Jewish descent if:

• You are able to demonstrate Sephardic Jewish descent
• You have no prior criminal record

Citizenship by Marriage

If you are a Bangladeshi national or resident, you may apply for Portuguese citizenship by marriage if you are:

• Married to or in a de facto union with a Portuguese national for at least 3 years
• You have a connection to the Portuguese community, such as knowledge of the language

Citizenship by Adoption

Adopted foreign national children may apply for Portuguese citizenship through the adoption route if:

• They are under 18 years of age
• They have been legally adopted by a Portuguese citizen
• They have a connection to the Portuguese community, such as knowledge of the language, or are enrolled in a Portuguese school.