The decree-law was approved by the Council of Ministers on Thursday, 29 October, and sets out how applicants will be assessed on their knowledge of the Portuguese language, history, culture and institutions.

It also establishes procedures for demonstrating financial means, declaring adherence to Portugal's democratic constitutional principles along with collecting biometric information.

The decision follows changes to nationality legislation approved by parliament earlier this year, including longer residence requirements for people seeking citizenship through naturalisation.

Longer wait for Portuguese citizenship

Under the revised framework, the qualifying period increases to seven years of legal residence for certain groups of applicants and ten years for others.

The government has identified citizens of Portuguese-speaking African countries and EU member states as eligible for the seven-year period, while applicants from other countries generally face a ten-year requirement.

The distinction could have significant consequences for foreign residents who had planned their citizenship applications around Portugal's previous five-year residence requirement.

However, the government has not yet published all the practical details of the newly approved regulations.

Questions about how the rules will apply to individual cases, including applications already underway, will need to be assessed against the final published legal provisions.

Presidency Minister António Leitão Amaro described the changes as part of an effort to require a stronger connection between applicants and Portugal.

Speaking after the Council of Ministers meeting, he said the revised legislation places greater emphasis on integration and knowledge of the country.

New tests and financial requirements

The newly approved regulations establish the framework for assessing applicants' knowledge of the Portuguese language, history, culture and public institutions.

They also address the requirement for applicants to demonstrate sufficient means of subsistence, although the precise financial thresholds and supporting documentation have not yet been fully disclosed.

Another requirement involves a formal declaration accepting the principles of Portugal's democratic rule of law.

The government has also approved procedures for collecting biometric information as part of nationality applications.

For prospective applicants, the distinction between the law's general requirements and the regulations governing their practical application is important.

The Council of Ministers has approved the implementing decree-law, but the full text and its commencement provisions must be checked in the Diário da República before determining precisely when individual requirements become enforceable.

Government promises faster processing

Alongside the stricter eligibility criteria, the government says it intends to make nationality applications less bureaucratic.

The regulations introduce measures to simplify and digitise administrative procedures, including improved information-sharing between public services.

This could reduce the need for applicants to obtain documents already held by Portuguese authorities.

The government says the changes are intended to accelerate decisions and reduce delays, although no specific processing-time guarantee has been announced.

For foreign residents who have experienced lengthy administrative procedures, the effectiveness of these measures will depend on how they are implemented.

New leadership for AIMA

The government also announced the appointment of César Teixeira as president of the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA), following the departure of Pedro Portugal Gaspar.

The appointment comes as AIMA marks three years since its creation, following the restructuring of Portugal's former immigration service, SEF.

According to government figures, the agency recorded a 60% increase in appointments during 2026 compared with the previous year.

It also reported assisting 185,000 people and handling approximately 500,000 telephone contacts during the year.

Leitão Amaro said the agency was entering a new phase focused on digital transformation, stronger public-facing services and immigrant integration.

However, the Migration Technicians' Union warned that appointing a new president would not, by itself, resolve longstanding problems involving staffing, planning and administrative procedures.

The union welcomed Teixeira's appointment while calling for more substantial improvements to the agency's operations.

For foreign residents in Portugal, the two announcements signal changes both to the requirements for obtaining citizenship and to the public administration responsible for immigration matters.

The next important development will be publication of the detailed nationality regulations, allowing applicants and legal advisers to establish exactly how the new procedures will operate.

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