Portuguese citizenship: amendments to the law suspended by the court

Portugal’s Constitutional Court reviewed a package of amendments to the citizenship law and blocked their adoption in the current version, sending the draft back to Parliament.

Context: the proposals discussed included increasing the minimum residence period for naturalization from 5 to 10 years, as well as introducing mechanisms to revoke acquired citizenship.

What matters right now

✅ The amendments are delayed
The Court found parts of the package unconstitutional. A new parliamentary review is unlikely before 2026, given the legislative timeline and the broader political cycle.

✅ Citizenship’s legal status was reaffirmed
The Court emphasized that citizenship is a fundamental right, not a revocable “privilege.”

🚫 The overall tightening trend remains
At the same time, the Constitutional Court:

• did not oppose increasing the residence period for naturalization (this is for Parliament to decide);
• did not require a lengthy transitional period for new rules;
• did not support counting eligibility time from the date of application submission.

Bottom line

The reform of Portugal’s citizenship rules is not cancelled, but its implementation is postponed. In practice, obtaining Portuguese citizenship may become more difficult and likely take longer—reflecting a broader EU-wide trend.

However, the most controversial and inconsistent provisions have been rejected at this stage. Portugal also remains an attractive destination for residence and relocation thanks to:

• a wide range of residency pathways for different budgets;
• residence permits available for the whole family;
• accessible options for extending the initial residence permit.

Visa Digital Nomad editorial note
The Visa Digital Nomad team continues to closely monitor developments and changes in Portugal’s migration and citizenship legislation. We will keep our website content updated and share verified guidance as new official decisions are published.