Portuguese Passport 2025: New Citizenship Law Proposal

In June 2025, the Portuguese party unveiled a draft bill (Projeto de Lei n.º 20/XVII/1.ª) that would dramatically tighten the rules for obtaining Portuguese nationality and a passport

What the New Citizenship Law Means for Expats and Foreign Residents for the Portuguese Passport

The proposal argues that becoming a citizen is not just a legal step but something deeper, a connection based on culture, history, and shared values. It says that Portuguese citizenship should come after a true process of integration and not just be given as a prize.

The main changes are:

• Stricter Residency for Children of Immigrants:  Under current law, a child born in Portugal to foreign parents can automatically claim Portuguese citizenship after a very short time (currently about 1–2 years) of parental legal residence. This bill would raise this to at least 6 years if the parents are from Portuguese-speaking countries, or 10 years for all others. In other words, babies of immigrants would lose the automatic “jus soli” path to a passport and face a much longer wait.

• Longer Residency for Naturalization: Likewise, foreign adults seeking naturalization would face 6–10 years of legal residence (up from the current 5 years), depending on their nationality.

  
  

• In addition, applicants must meet new integration requirements:

  demonstrate sufficient Portuguese language skills and pass a new “National Integration and Citizenship Test”, and prove an “effective link to the national community,” including being able to support themselves financially.

• New Citizenship Test: The proposal introduces a formal citizenship test on Portuguese history, culture, and democratic values. The test will be multiple-choice and cover topics like Portugal’s history and fundamental Institutions. Passing this exam (and having basic language ability) would be required for anyone applying for citizenship.

• Possibility of Losing Citizenship: The bill revives a clause allowing revocation of Portuguese nationality from naturalized citizens in certain cases. Naturalized citizens could lose their citizenship if convicted of serious crimes (e.g., an effective prison sentence over 3 years, terrorism, or crimes against the state) or if they “ostentatiously” promote hatred or humiliation of the nation or its symbols. In practice, this means anyone who attacks Portugal’s national symbols or public security in a grave way could be stripped of their passport.

Taken together, these changes would extend the wait and raise the bar for thousands of expats, long-term residents, and foreign nationals.

For example, a child born to immigrant parents would no longer automatically become Portuguese at age 1–2 as before – instead, the parents must have lived legally in Portugal for 6 or 10 years first.

Likewise, someone who planned to apply for naturalization after the usual five years would face at least six years (and a test) under the new rules. The citizenship test itself could be a major hurdle, especially for older immigrants or those without formal education, and critics warn it adds a new barrier to integration.

In practical terms, if this law passes, current and future applicants for Portuguese passports (2025) will need to prepare for a longer, more demanding process. Residency beyond the minimum will be key, and brushing up on Portuguese history and language will become essential. At the same time, naturalized citizens would have to be careful not to run afoul of the new rules on national loyalty.

Overall, this proposed law – still under debate in the Assembly – represents a major shift in Portugal’s immigration rules. It is part of a broader trend: the new center-right coalition has signaled a review of the nationality code and family reunification rules, and the bill is a concrete example of that tougher stance.

For expats, the advice is to stay informed and plan accordingly. Any current naturalization candidates should watch the parliamentary process closely, because if approved, the bill would take effect the day after its publication in the official journal.

In the meantime, expat communities are bracing for what this means for their road to a Portuguese passport in 2025 and beyond.