Portugal Citizenship

Citizenship Via Marriage

This is one of the fastest ways to become a Portuguese citizen. You can apply for Portugal citizenship as a foreign national if you are married to or in a relationship with a Portuguese national. According to Portuguese law, you do not necessarily need to be married to a Portuguese national to gain citizenship through this route; you can be in a de facto union with them.

To be eligible for this pathway, you must show that you have been married to a Portuguese national for at least 3 years. This is often easier to prove as you only need to present your government-issued marriage certificate.

If you are in a civil partnership or relationship, it is a bit trickier to prove. To prove you are in a de facto union, you must present a document showing you live at the same address. This could be a bank statement or a rental agreement between you and the landlord.

Know that if you apply for citizenship after you and the Portuguese national have ended your relationship, your application will be denied. It doesn’t matter if you were together for up to 3 years before the end of the relationship. The relationship or marriage has to be current.

You must not be living in Portugal at the time of your application, and you must show the authorities you have ties to Portugal. These ties could be a property you purchased in Portugal, admission to study in a Portuguese university or being able to understand, speak, read and write Portuguese sufficiently.

Note that before you present the marriage certificate, it has to be legalised by apostille.

Citizenship Via Investments

In 2012, the Portuguese government opened its doors to foreign nationals who wanted to invest in Portugal to gain citizenship. Since then, thousands of people have applied and have been accepted into the program.

The program is called the golden visa program, and it is one of the valid routes to settling permanently in Portugal. As a golden visa applicant, you have 5 years to live in Portugal and manage your investment. You can also come with your family who will be free to study, work and live.

The investment you will make to get this visa will cost you between €200,000 to €1,500,000. With this visa, you can stay in any country in the Schengen area for 90 days visa-free; you are exempt from taxes and are not required to remain in Portugal for more than 7 days yearly.

Below are some of the investment options you can look out for if you want to apply through the citizenship-by-investment route:

• Use between €200,000 to €400,000 to protect, refurbish or maintain a cultural or heritage piece of art.
• Start up a company in Portugal. The company must provide at least 10 new permanent jobs in Portugal.
• Invest in a business in Portugal. This business should create at least 8 new permanent jobs due to your investment.
• Invest in tech or scientific research that will be carried out in Portugal.

Citizenship by Birth or Origin

If you were born in Portugal or have Portuguese parents, you may not be a citizen automatically. There are other factors that will determine your status. They are:

• You have at least 1 parent who is a citizen at the time of your birth.
• You have at least one grandparent who has not given up their citizenship, and you can understand Portuguese and have lived in Portugal for 3 years.
• You are at least 18, born to foreign nationals in Portugal and have lived there for at least 5 years.
• You were born to foreign nationals in Portugal, and they had already lived in Portugal for at least 1 year before your birth.
• You have parents who became citizens after your birth, you have been in Portugal for 5 years, or you have a disability that prevents you from travelling out.

If your grandparents are Portuguese, you must show ties to Portugal by proving you can speak and understand Portuguese.

Citizenship by Adoption

Another valid route to Portuguese citizenship is via adoption. This route is only available for children under 18. Your adopted child can acquire Portuguese citizenship if you present the official adoption papers.

Before your child can get citizenship via this route, you will need to show they know how to speak Portuguese or have been enrolled to study in a Portuguese school.

Citizenship via the Naturalization Route

This is another pathway for people who want to gain Portuguese citizenship. Once you have stayed in Portugal for work or study for at least 5 years, you can apply for citizenship.

Citizenship Via the Former Colony Route

Citizens of former Portuguese colonies abroad are eligible for citizenship. Some of these former colonies are Sao Tome and Principe, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Timor, Portuguese India, Guinea Bissau and Macao. One thing these countries have in common is that they uphold the culture and traditions of Portugal.

If you are a resident of these countries but not a citizen, you will have to be:

• Emancipated by the laws of Portugal.
• At least 18 years.
• Offspring of parents or grandparents who are citizens.
• Spouse or partner of a citizen of these countries.

Citizenship Via the Sephardic Jewish Ancestry

If you have Sephardic Jewish ancestry, you can apply for Portugal citizenship. During the Inquisition period around the Iberian area, many Sephardic Jewish people were forced to flee the area in the 15th century. As a result, the current government of Portugal is trying to compensate the descendants of these Jewish people and make up for the wrong they meted out to them many centuries ago.

Proving Sephardic Jewish ancestry can be tedious, but you should be able to make a strong case if you can prove that:

• You or your family members can still speak Ladino language.
• You or your family members still use Sephardic last names.
• You have the certificate of residence issued by the Jewish community in Lisbon.
• You bought a property in Portugal.
• You visit Portugal periodically.
• You hold stock and shares in Portugal.

Citizenship Via Service

If you offered any form of service to a Portuguese community or government, such as military service, you could be rewarded with citizenship if you applied.

Regaining Citizenship if You Lost It

In 1981, Portugal revised their nationality act which previously did not permit citizens to hold dual citizenship and therefore stripped anyone who gained another nationality of citizenship. Now, the rules have changed. If you were affected by this law, you could regain citizenship if you apply.

Lost Citizenship and Without a Nationality

If you are yet to gain a new nationality after you lost or renounced Portuguese citizenship, you can regain it if you apply.

Lost Citizenship Due to Marriage

When Portugal outlawed dual citizenship, women who married outside Portugal and gained another nationality were stripped of their Portuguese nationality. However, since the rules changed in 1981, you can regain citizenship.

Lost Citizenship Because of the Will of a Representative

Suppose you were under the care and authority of a representative, perhaps a parent, lawful guardian or foster parents, and they decided to switch citizenship for you. In that case, you can regain it if you have come of age.

Letter of Request

It is mandatory that you submit a letter of request asking the Minister of Justice to bestow citizenship upon you. Your letter must be in Portuguese and signed in the presence of a Registry staff.

You must notarise this letter if you are not making your application online.

Here are the details your letter must contain:

• Your name.
• Your nationality.
• Your birth date.
• Your home address.
• Your job.
• Your lawyer’s address and name.
• Your travel history.
• Your marital status.
• Your parents.

Birth Certificate

You have to show the ministry your birth certificate. You must translate and legalise all your documents that are not in English or Portuguese.

Evidence of Connection to Portugal

Foreign nationals who wish to settle in Portugal as citizens must show they are connected to Portugal. This connection can be proven when you submit any of these:

• Proof you are proficient in Portuguese up to the A2 level. This is proven by presenting a test score from CIPLE.
• Letter from school showing you have secured a place for study or research.
• Rental agreement showing you have a place you stay in Portugal.
• Deed of agreement showing you bought a property in Portugal.

Criminal Record Certificate

The Ministry of Justice must see a criminal record certificate before approving your application. This certificate aims to prove you are not guilty of any criminal offence. You must show a criminal record certificate from the country you reside in, your home country(if it is different from the country of residence), any country you have lived in for at least 3 months and every country you have lived in for the past 5 years.

If your document is not in English or Portuguese, then you must translate and legalise it.

Marriage Certificate

When applying as the spouse of a Portuguese citizen, you must show you are legally married and have been together for at least 3 years. You prove this by submitting your marriage certificate. If you are in a de facto union, you will show you two live in the same apartment and share the bills.

Valid Passport

Your passport is an essential document, and it is needed for the citizenship application. You must ensure the passport you are submitting is still valid to avoid rejection.

Proof You Have Paid Visa Fees

Your application will be rejected if you do not attach a receipt showing you have paid the relevant visa fees.

Proof of Legal Residence in Portugal

You must show you have a legal residence status in Portugal. You must indicate to the ministry what visa you are on while applying for citizenship. Also, you must prove you have stayed in Portugal for at least 5 years. If you have changed visas within this period, you must also present them. Finally, you must show the address of where you have lived within that 5 years.

Proof of Exceptional Service to the Nation

If you have served the country or any community in Portugal, you can show proof of service and get your citizenship request approved.

Birth Certificates of Parents and Grandparents

If you are applying for citizenship via the origin or birth routes, you have to present the certificates of your parents or grandparents.

In Person

To make an application in person, you have to gather all your documents and submit them at the following application centres:

• Nationality desk.
• Portuguese embassy or consulate.
• Registry spaces in Lisbon.
• Lisbon Registry Central offices.
• Civic Registry Offices.
• Institute of Registration and Notary Affairs (IRN) at the National Support Centre for the Integration of Migrants (CNAIM). You can find their offices in Oporto and Lisbon.
• Odivelas citizens’ shop.

Online

One of the most typical ways to apply for citizenship is by making an online application. To do this, you must employ the services of a solicitor. They have to apply via an application portal.

The solicitor should have a digital certificate and signature to access the portal.

You can contact any of our solicitors at Total Law. They are well-versed in citizenship applications and have recorded several successes with several clients. To contact us, kindly call +44 (0)333 305 9375. You can also reach out to us online if you prefer that option.

By Post

The last option is to apply by post. All you need to do is put together your supporting documents and the application form and send them to Conservatória dos Registos Centrais, Rua Rodrigo da Fonseca, 202, 1099-033 Lisbon.

Right to Vote and be Voted for

If you become a Portuguese citizen, you can vote during elections. You can also run for any office you so wish.

Access to Schengen Areas

Since Portugal is a member country of the Schengen area, you can live, work and study in any Schengen country that you want without applying for a visa.

Access to Cheaper Education

Portugal is home to some of the world’s oldest and best universities, thus attracting numerous international students yearly. You and your family can access these schools while paying lower fees than foreign nationals.

Citizenship Passed Down to Children

As a Portuguese citizen, you can pass the citizenship to your children and grandchildren.

Portuguese Passport

After getting your citizenship, you can then apply for a Portuguese passport. With the passport, you can access over 180 countries worldwide without applying for a visa.

Dual Nationality

You do not need to renounce your former country if you gain Portuguese citizenship. This gives you the advantage of having the best of the 2 countries.