Citizenship in Portugal: How to Get in 2026

You can apply for a Portuguese passport after living in the country for five years — one of the fastest naturalisations in the EU.

Portuguese citizenship gives non-EU residents the right to live, work and study in any country in the European Union. Unlike a residence permit, citizenship gives political rights — the right to vote and stand for election. It also gives access to all the benefits of Portuguese education, health and social security. A Portuguese passport allows residents to travel to 188 countries around the world without a visa or with a visa on arrival.

Advantages of citizenship in Portugal

• Freedom of movement and residence in the countries of the European Union.
• Access to high-quality education and health services in EU countries.
• The right to work without restrictions in any EU country.
• The full range of social rights available to Portuguese citizens, including the right to vote.
• Foreigners will have to pass a Portuguese language test, but only the most basic level A2 is required.
• Possibility of applying for citizenship after five years of legal residence, while retaining other nationality(ies).
• Tax benefits. Exemption from IMT for young homebuyers under the age of 35, IFICI regime for scientists, teachers, employees of research centres and start-ups with innovative activities.
• High quality of life, local cuisine and wines, rich culture, mild climate and high level of security.

Citizenship for investment in Portugal

In 2012, the Portuguese government introduced a scheme to obtain a residence permit for investment purposes. This scheme is often referred to as the Golden Visa. However, this name is not entirely accurate. It is not just obtaining a visa, but a residence permit and actual immigration to Portugal. Nevertheless, this visa (or rather residence permit) is called «golden» because it offers a number of advantages over the usual naturalisation procedure. The most important benefit is the fast and guaranteed granting of a residence permit if all the conditions of the programme are met.

How to obtain citizenship through investment

There are several ways to obtain citizenship through investment. They have a different minimum investment requirement.

Stages of citizenship registration for investments

1. The investor’s reliability is checked (no criminal record, authenticity of documents).
2. The main applicant visits Portugal to start the legal process (obtaining a NIF tax number, opening a bank account).
3. Realisation of the investment project and preparing documents.
4. The application is received by the AIMA immigration agency.
5. The applicant provides biometric data.
6. The application is approved. A two-year residence permit is issued, renewable for two further periods of two years each. The investor can then apply for citizenship.

Once the residence permit is granted, the client must provide biometric data and updated original documents for each renewal

Costs of investment citizenship

In addition to the investment itself, a candidate will need to consider the cost of legal services, notarisation, health insurance, government fees and taxes.

The application fee for Portuguese citizenship is 250 euros. Applicants who receive a passport for special services to the country, refugees and minor children are exempt from this fee.

Foreign investors can take advantage of the residency programmes available. Leave a request with Tranio specialists to receive offers for Golden Visa in Portugal.

Send a request

Portuguese citizenship for a child at birth

Portuguese citizenship can be granted to children depending on the citizenship of their parents.

Citizenship of Portuguese parents

If at least one of the parents is Portuguese, the child automatically acquires citizenship, regardless of the place of birth. Parentage can be confirmed by a birth certificate. Adopted children can also obtain citizenship.

A child is entitled to citizenship even if only his or her grandparents are Portuguese citizens. It does not matter whether the child was born in Portugal or abroad. If the child was born abroad, the only requirement is to apply for Portuguese citizenship.

Citizenship of foreign parents

If foreigners have obtained citizenship by naturalisation, their minor children are also entitled to Portuguese citizenship. However, adult children must go through the naturalisation process on their own, i.e. they must prove that they have lived in the country for the last five years and that they know Portuguese.

Citizenship is also granted to children born in Portugal to foreign parents who have a valid residence permit and have lived in the country for more than one year.

Documents required to obtain Portuguese citizenship by birth

To obtain Portuguese nationality, a child needs:

• birth certificate;
• documents confirming the nationality and status of the parents;
• completed application form.

Portuguese citizenship by naturalisation

Any foreigner who has resided legally in Portugal for more than 5 years with a residence permit can obtain Portuguese citizenship by naturalisation.

Main conditions for naturalisation in Portugal

• being over 18 years of age;
• being a permanent and legal resident in Portugal for at least 5 years;
• not leaving Portugal for more than 183 days per year;
• knowing Portuguese at a basic level (A2);
• having sufficient resources to live in the country;
• not having been convicted of an offence punishable by more than 3 years imprisonment under Portuguese law.

This also applies to those living in Portugal on a Digital Nomad Visa. If you are in the country legally, even working remotely for another country, you can apply for citizenship by naturalisation after 5 years of residence. The Digital Nomad Visa is one of the most popular and convenient ways to apply for residency in Portugal. It is enough to confirm a remote job outside Portugal and an income of at least 3,480 euros per month.

Kseniia Nass Head of Migration Department at Tranio

Processing time

After submitting your documents, you will have to wait 3–6 months for a decision from the Portuguese authorities, sometimes even longer.

Portuguese citizenship through marriage

A spouse of a Portuguese citizen receives a passport after 3 years of marriage. A foreigner does not have to reside permanently in Portugal during this period. However, it is important that the spouses have lived together during the marriage and can prove this.

An applicant for a passport through family reunification must demonstrate knowledge of Portuguese at A2 level and links with the Portuguese community. It must be confirmed that the applicant has not committed an offence punishable by more than 3 years’ imprisonment under local law. The spouse of a Portuguese person applying for citizenship cannot be a foreign civil servant.

Portuguese citizenship by repatriation

For those with Portuguese roots, there is the possibility of obtaining citizenship by repatriation.

Parents are Portuguese

If one or both parents are Portuguese, foreign nationals over the age of 18 can claim citizenship by descent. A birth certificate can be used to prove the parents’ origins.

Grandparents are Portuguese

Having Portuguese roots through grandparents also opens the way to citizenship if the family connection can be proven.

Portuguese citizenship for Sephardic Jews

Portugal offers a path to citizenship for descendants of Sephardic Jews who were expelled from the country. This allows many people to regain their rights and obtain citizenship without lengthy procedures.

The conditions include a requirement to reside in the country for 3 years before applying for citizenship.

In order to apply, one must have time to pass a pre-check. Candidates must provide a family tree with details of grandparents, as well as passport and birth certificate photographs.

Portugal’s second citizenship

Portugal allows its citizens to hold a second citizenship.

It is important to distinguish between dual citizenship and second citizenship. Dual citizenship occurs when two countries have entered into agreements. In this case, both states recognise a person as a citizen of the country where he or she currently resides and take into account his or her status in relation to each other.

On the other hand, second citizenship implies that each country ignores the citizenship of the other. In this case, the passport holder is only considered in the context of the system of the country in which he or she is currently residing.

Is there dual citizenship in Portugal

Portugal is one of the countries in the European Union that recognises dual citizenship, so foreigners do not have to give up their passports.