The number of applications increased by more than 230% in the years following the Brexit referendum, as uncertainty over the UK's departure from the European Union led many Portuguese residents to look for greater security.

As reported by Público, the increase became particularly noticeable after 2016, when the UK voted to leave the EU.

Before Brexit, the number of Portuguese citizens acquiring British nationality generally remained between 300 and 700 a year. However, this began to change after the referendum.

By 2017, the figure had passed 1,000, before exceeding 2,000 in 2019. More than 3,000 Portuguese citizens acquired British nationality in 2021.

The numbers remain high several years after the UK's formal departure from the EU.

In 2024, 3,550 Portuguese citizens acquired British nationality, representing an increase of 32.6% compared with the previous year.

The UK is now the country where the largest number of Portuguese emigrants acquire the nationality of their country of residence.

Civic rights

The rise has been linked to concerns surrounding Brexit and the loss of rights previously enjoyed by EU citizens living in the UK. Obtaining British nationality can provide Portuguese residents with greater long-term security as well as civic and political rights.

Brexit also brought changes for British people living in Portugal, with many having to sort out their residency status after the UK left the European Union.

Brexit also coincided with changes in the amount of money being sent back to Portugal by Portuguese emigrants living in the UK.

According to Público, remittances reached a peak of around €700 million in 2024.

Despite the initial uncertainty surrounding Brexit having passed, the number of Portuguese citizens acquiring British nationality remains significantly higher than it was before the 2016 referendum.

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