What the new Nationality Law means for Golden Visa applicants

Register for this webinar here.

The session comes as the programme enters a new phase. A revised Nationality Law, Lei Orgânica n.º 1/2026, entered into force on 19 May 2026, extending the standard naturalisation residency requirement from five years to ten years for most non-EU applicants, and to seven years for citizens of EU member states and the Community of Portuguese Language Countries.

The change has generated considerable confusion among applicants and holders, not least because it affects eligibility for citizenship rather than the residency permit itself, which remains a separate legal status.

Alongside the citizenship discussion, the panel will set out the qualifying investment routes available to applicants today.

Since real estate was removed from the programme in October 2023, the qualifying routes have centred on a €500,000 subscription into a regulated investment fund, €500,000 in support of scientific research, donations from €250,000 towards artistic production or cultural heritage, and job-creation or company-investment routes.

The webinar will also address realistic processing timelines through AIMA, where a substantial backlog means published estimates vary considerably depending on the source, and where current applicant capital is concentrated among the routes still open.

"There's a lot of noise around what has and hasn't changed with the Golden Visa this year, and some of it is simply wrong," said Paul Stannard, chairman and founder of Portugal Pathways and the Portugal Investment Owners Club. "This session is about giving investors and their advisers a clear, current picture, rather than guidance that's a year or two out of date."

The webinar is aimed at investors, entrepreneurs, family offices and internationally mobile individuals evaluating residency-by-investment options in Portugal, whether they are just beginning to explore the programme or already have an application under way. It will close with a live Q&A, giving attendees the chance to put questions on their own circumstances directly to the panel.

This webinar, titled ‘Portugal's Golden Visa in 2026, How the Programme is Evolving’, takes place on 15 September 2026, from 16:00 to 17:00 UK and Lisbon time.

Register here to secure a place.