The Portuguese Parliament approved yesterday the new version of the Nationality Law
Among the most significant changes are:
- The increase in the required period of legal residence period from 5 to 10 years for obtaining nationality, except for citizens from Portuguese-speaking countries and European Union Member States, who will now require 7 years of legal residence to obtain nationality.
- The counting of the residence period will now only begin with the issuance of the first residence permit – unlike the current system, where the residence period begins at the time of submission of the residence permit application.
- The following will become requirements for obtaining nationality, which were not previously required:
- Knowledge of Portuguese culture, as well as history and national symbols;
- Knowledge of the fundamental rights and duties inherent to the Portuguese nationality, as well as the political organization of the Portuguese State; and
- A formal declaration of adherence to the fundamental principles of the democratic rule of law.
No transitional regime has been approved for resident citizens who are currently completing the 5-year period of legal residence required to obtain nationality.
The amendments to the Nationality Law will now be sent for consideration by the President of the Republic, who may either veto them politically or refer them to the Constitutional Court for review of their constitutionality.
Until the amendments to the Nationality Law are published in the Official Gazette (“Diário da República”), the current requirements for obtaining nationality remain in force.
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[Photo by: José Martín Ramírez Carrasco, available at unsplash.com]