The Portuguese Parliament
has approved relevant changes to the general Law of Nationality easing up the
requirements for obtaining the Portuguese nationality. These changes have been
published in the Official Gazette on 5th July 2018 and are now in
full force.
Some of the most
relevant changes to the law, include the reduction from 6 to 5 years only for the
minimum period of residency required to obtain nationality and also the automatic
nationality for individuals born in Portugal with parents that have been residents
for at least 2 years.
Regarding the
reduction of the time of citizenship, article 6, number 1, paragraph b),
establishes that the Portuguese Government will grant citizenship for foreigners
that have been resident for a minimum of 5 years.
As to children
born in Portugal, article 1st, number 1, paragraph f), grants nationality
to individuals born in Portugal, children of foreign parents, when at the time
of birth one of the parents has legal residency for at least 2 years.
The Government
will now implement the necessary changes to the Regulation of Nationality. The changes should be decided within 30 days
from the approval of the changes to the Law of Nationality.
