The president of Portugal, António José Seguro, promulgated on Sunday (3) the law that tightens the rules for obtaining Portuguese nationality. The changes to the Nationality Law were approved by Parliament in April and are expected to affect thousands of Brazilians living in the country.
Now, citizens of the European Union, Brazilians or nationals of other Portuguese-speaking countries who already live regularly in the country will need to wait at least seven years to apply for Portuguese citizenship. The new rules added two years to the period, which was five years.
Citizens from elsewhere will need to reside in Portugal for 10 years before being able to apply for citizenship. The period starts from the issuance of the residence permit by the immigration agency.
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Another important point changed was the granting of citizenship to children of immigrants born in Portugal. The new rule determines that a child born in the country will only have the right to citizenship if the parents have lived in a regular situation for at least five years. Until now, any baby born in Portuguese territory was automatically entitled to citizenship.
In an official statement, the president stated that he would like the changes to have been approved with “greater consensus around their essential lines, distancing themselves from any ‘ideological hallmarks of the moment’.” According to him, this would ensure that the Nationality Law would not be subject to successive changes.
“The reading that the more demanding criteria and the increase in deadlines for acquiring nationality do not impede the essential humanitarian protection and the desirable integration of children and minors born in Portugal contributed to the President of the Republic’s decision to promulgate it,” he explained in an official note.
See the other changes:
- Naturalized people can lose their citizenship as an additional penalty when they commit crimes. The sentence will be determined by a judge and can be applied to anyone sentenced to five years in prison or more for crimes such as terrorism, drug trafficking or crimes against the State;
- The rules for naturalization have also tightened. Now you will need to demonstrate knowledge of the Portuguese language and culture, among other requirements;
- Minors will also have more difficulty naturalizing and must prove school attendance;
- The possibility of naturalization for people in an irregular situation who have children of Portuguese nationality has been eliminated;
- The special route to obtaining citizenship for descendants of Portuguese Sephardic Jews was closed;
- The granting of citizenship through marriage remains valid, but it is now possible for the request to be denied in cases involving a risk to national security or due to a criminal record.
