Portugal Citizenship in 2025: Application, Benefits, and Key Considerations

Portuguese citizenship is an attractive asset for high-net-worth individuals looking for greater mobility. From a strong passport to high-quality education and healthcare, you can enjoy various benefits of becoming a citizen.

The problem is, obtaining Portugal citizenship can be a considerable endeavor that often requires comprehensive guidance and support. This guide will give you a starting point by covering:

• Benefits of becoming a citizen
• Eligibility criteria for Portuguese citizenship
• Five approaches to citizenship
• Recent changes in citizenship laws you should know about

What Are the Main Portuguese Citizenship Benefits?

The most appealing benefit of Portuguese citizenship for non-EU/EEA citizens is Portugal’s strong passport. It offers visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 187 countries, which makes it rank #3 in the global passport index.

While Portuguese residents enjoy great mobility even without citizenship, it’s largely focused on EU countries and the Schengen Area. Portuguese citizenship lets you further extend your mobility, which makes it appealing for foreigners who wish to live, travel, or work globally with much fewer restrictions.

Other benefits of being a permanent Portuguese citizen include:

• Robust social security: Portuguese citizens can enter the country’s comprehensive social security system, which includes an abundant pension system, worker protection, and housing assistance programs
• Expanding economic activity: Portugal’s economy features a strong real estate market with significant investment potential, as well as a focus on attracting foreign capital and a favorable tax environment
• High educational standard: Portugal offers free public education and internationally recognized universities, many of which cater to foreign students. It also enables access to the EU’s many educational programs, opening numerous opportunities for a rich academic experience
• Quality healthcare: The Portuguese National Health Service provides universal healthcare to citizens, and medical care requires minimal out-of-pocket expenses. The healthcare system also integrates with the EU’s network and encompasses modern facilities and highly qualified medical professionals
• Dual citizenship opportunities: Portugal allows dual citizenship, so you don’t need to abandon your original nationality and can maintain the advantages of both citizenships

Who Is Eligible for Portuguese Citizenship?

Individuals who can apply for Portuguese citizenship include:

• Those with a Portuguese parent or grandparent
• Children born in Portugal to foreign parents (one of whom was born and resides in Portugal)
• Spouses of Portuguese citizens (including those in de facto partnerships)
• Foreign residents who have legally lived in Portugal for at least five years

Each of these categories is subject to additional eligibility criteria. More importantly, Portugal is undergoing a significant immigration law reform as of this writing, which further complicates the process of obtaining citizenship. Below, we’ll outline the current requirements for each path to citizenship, followed by a look at the most impactful changes.

How To Get Citizenship in Portugal: 5 Possible Approaches

Depending on your circumstances, you may choose one of the following pathways to Portuguese citizenship:

1. Citizenship by descent
2. Citizenship by naturalization (residency)
3. Citizenship by marriage
4. Citizenship by birth

Citizenship by Descent

Citizenship by descent is the most convenient way to become a Portuguese citizen. If either of your parents is a Portuguese citizen by birth or naturalization (or they were a citizen at the time of your birth), you can claim Portuguese citizenship as of right.

This approach has several advantages over other citizenship methods, most notably:

• It grants citizenship regardless of where you were born
• You don’t need to meet any residency requirements
• You don’t need to demonstrate Portuguese proficiency or undergo integration exams

Portugal even allows grandchildren of Portuguese citizens to claim citizenship, although with stricter rules:

• The grandparent was a citizen and has not lost their citizenship before your application
• You must formally declare your intention to become a resident
• You need to demonstrate an effective connection to the Portuguese community through familiarity with Portugal’s culture and sufficient language proficiency

If you meet the requirements, you can apply for citizenship at the Institute of Registries and Notaries (INR) website. In addition to the application form, you may need to submit various documents that depend on your ancestry’s specifics, including:

• Your birth certificate (with names of both parents)
• A copy of your parent’s or grandparent’s Portuguese ID document
• A copy of your grandparents’ marriage certificate

Citizenship by Naturalization (Residency)

For citizens outside of the EU, EEA, and Switzerland, naturalization after five years of residency is the most common pathway to Portuguese citizenship. Foreign nationals can become residents through several visas, such as study or work visas.

Still, an increasingly popular approach involves residency by investment through the Golden Visa program.

To obtain a Golden Visa, you must do any of the following:

• Invest in a qualifying Portuguese fund
• Start a business and/or create new jobs
• Make a donation to Portuguese research, arts, or heritage preservation initiatives

Once obtained, a residence permit lasts indefinitely (with periodic renewals), and you can convert residency into citizenship after five years.

Besides the Golden Visa Program, Portugal offers two additional visa schemes that have gained considerable attention:

Visa	Key Requirements
D2 (immigrant entrepreneur visa)	A viable business plan that highlights your business’s benefit to the Portuguese economyProof of business investment in PortugalProof of accommodation in PortugalA Portuguese bank account with the minimum amount necessary to sustain yourself for a year (€9,840)
D7 (passive income visa)	Passive income equal to at least the minimum wage in Portugal (€870 per month in 2025)Proof of accommodation in PortugalA Portuguese bank account with €9,840

Regardless of your approach to residency, the rules for obtaining citizenship are the same. Besides the five-year period, residents must meet several requirements to apply for citizenship, including:

• Clean criminal record
• A2 level Portuguese proficiency
• Integration into Portuguese society (which is often automatically achieved through the maintenance of a residence permit

Citizenship by Marriage

Marrying a Portuguese citizen or entering a de facto or civil partnership with them can make you eligible for citizenship, provided that the partnership has lasted for at least three years.

For this approach to grant you citizenship, the marriage or civil partnership must be officially registered with the Portuguese authorities. If you were married abroad, you will need to transcribe the marriage certificate and enter it into the Portuguese civil registry before applying for citizenship.

Considering that a de facto partnership isn’t official, it must be proven to the Portuguese authorities if you wish to pursue citizenship. The partnership is valid if it lasts at least two years and has demonstrated components of a union, such as:

• Cohabitation
• Shared finances
• Personal income tax statement submitted as a couple

Regardless of the nature of your partnership, citizenship is obtained through a declaration of acquisition of nationality instead of naturalization. While these are technically separate processes, the required documentation is largely the same and includes:

• Identity documents
• Marriage certificate (if applicable)
• Spouse’s Portuguese ID
• Criminal record certificate

A notable benefit of citizenship by marriage is that, unlike many other countries, Portugal doesn’t require residency to grant it. You can live with your spouse outside of the country and still apply, as long as you meet the above requirements.

Citizenship by Birth

A child born to foreign parents may acquire Portuguese citizenship if at least one parent has been a legal resident for a minimum of three years at the time of the child’s birth.

If your child qualifies for citizenship at birth, the next step is to formally request Portuguese citizenship for your child, which includes registering the birth with Portuguese authorities and providing sufficient proof of residency. The process is relatively straightforward, so you should not encounter any notable challenges.

Additionally, your child may also apply for Portuguese nationality later on if one of the following criteria is met:

• The child has no nationality
• Either parent completes the five-year residency period upon the child’s birth
• The child has completed primary education in Portugal

Portuguese Citizenship Changes in 2025 You Should Know About

In June 2025, the Portuguese Council of Ministers proposed numerous changes to immigration and citizenship laws. Some of them are already in effect (e.g., the revocation of the Sephardic ancestry regime), while others are being debated and might significantly impact the procedure of obtaining Portuguese citizenship. These include:

• Exclusion of applicants with prior prison sentences, regardless of the duration (compared to the current allowances of sentences lasting up to three years)
• Extension of the residence period for all naturalizations from five to 10 years for most foreigners and seven years for nationals from Portuguese-speaking countries
• Counting of the residence period from the date a residence card is obtained (instead of the first application date)

There are also specific changes impacting those who wish to obtain citizenship through some of the established methods, as outlined in this table:

Method	Current Rules	Proposed Rules
De facto partnership	A foreigner in a de facto partnership may obtain citizenship after an action for partnership recognition	A foreigner can only obtain citizenship if the competent court issues a judicial recognition decision regarding their partnership
Birth	A child can claim Portuguese citizenship if at least one parent has resided in Portugal for at least a year prior to the child’s birth	Citizenship can be granted to the child only if either parent has resided in Portugal for at least three years prior to the child’s birth
Marriage	A foreign national can obtain Portuguese citizenship after three years without additional conditions	A foreigner must be married for at least three years and not have been convicted of a crime or constituted a threat or danger to Portuguese national security

Due to the volatility of the current citizenship regulations, it can be difficult to keep track of all the changes and ensure an effective application process. You should consider obtaining expert support from Nomad Capitalist to navigate the complexities.

Enjoy a Stress-Free Citizenship Application With Nomad Capitalist 

Nomad Capitalist has helped over 1,500 high-net-worth clients in 100+ countries ensure seamless citizenship application, tax optimization, and asset protection.

We develop and execute personalized step-by-step strategies for meeting your relocation goals without legal and administrative complications. Here is how our Action Plan works:

1. You complete a quick application form to determine if we’re the right fit
2. We complete an onboarding call to fully understand your circumstances and goals
3. We develop and execute a comprehensive plan according to your needs while completing the related administrative work
4. You get ongoing support from our experts for any questions, concerns, or Action Plan updates

If you wish to pursue citizenship by descent specifically, we can take over all the laborious work through the following steps:

1. Researching your ancestry to determine citizenship eligibility
2. Gathering all the necessary documents
3. Conducting the application process and working with immigration officials to expedite it

By partnering with Nomad Capitalist, you can navigate Portugal’s regulatory landscape more effortlessly, keep up with citizenship law changes, and complete the application process without obstacles.