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Portugal’s 2026 nationality law: ten years, not five
Under Organic Law 1/2026, in force since 19 May 2026, naturalisation in Portugal now takes ten years of residence — or seven for nationals of EU and Portuguese-speaking countries — with a civic test and A2 Portuguese. The widely quoted five-year path no longer applies to new applicants. The golden-visa residence permit itself continues; what changed is the distance from residence to a passport.
The change is legislative, not administrative: it sits in an organic law, the highest tier of Portuguese statute below the constitution, which makes it durable rather than a policy that shifts with each government. The clock also matters — reporting often glosses over when the residence period is counted from, and that detail can move a target date by years. Confirm the counting rule for your specific permit, not a general summary.
What has not changed is worth stating plainly, because alarmist coverage blurs it. The investment residence permit under Article 90-A continues to exist; holders keep their residence, their Schengen access and their right to live in Portugal. Naturalisation was always a separate, later step with its own conditions. The 2026 law lengthens that step; it does not close the door to residence.
For anyone weighing Portugal now, the honest framing is a longer commitment for the same eventual prize. If EU residence and lifestyle are the goal, little changes. If a passport on a fixed near-term date was the plan, that plan needs new numbers — and possibly a comparison with programmes on a different timeline. Verify the current requirements with AIMA and the published law before acting on any second-hand figure.
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