An update on Portuguese immigration rules

Law Amendments

According to the latest available data, there are approximately 1.5 million immigrants residing in Portugal. Considering that the estimated total population in Portugal is of around 10.5 million, the number of immigrants represents a relevant part of the population residing in the country.

While we can conclude that during the last 6 to 8 years the Portuguese immigration rules were not so demanding, making Portugal a prime destination for various types of immigration we can now see a reposition towards less permissive procedures.  

This year marked the official end of the immigration routes that would allow for the residency request to be made solemnly in Portuguese territory, excluding the requirement for a prior residency visa to Portugal.

The applicants that used these routes - Expression of Interest and CPLP nationals (Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries) - were the main backlog of applications pending at the Portuguese Immigration Office ( AIMA). This led the Portuguese government to create a special task force back in late 2024 focused on dealing with the backlog. Having functioned for a year and several months, this Task Force officially closed on December 2025 under the justification that the backlog of these applicants had been cleared out.

It is important to note that the Portuguese Government has made immigration and citizenship policies one of the keys subjects of their administration upon the 2025 snap elections.

Through a long legislative process, the changes introduced new rules with the purpose of creating more demanding requirements for certain types of residence permits and revoked others.

The new policies emphasise the need to attract a higher number of qualified employees and applicants with specialised technical skills. This is highlighted by the fact that the job-seeker visa is now only applicable to professionals with high technical skills, with the elimination of this possibility for other professionals all together. We can also add the fact that the residency under highly qualified activity in Portugal is now the only work residency regime that allows for the applicant to request said residency in Portugal without a prior visa – even though AIMA has yet to provide means for applicants to do so.

As regards family reunification, the new rules reflect more demanding requirements and eligibility criteria. The current general rule determines that the residence permit holder should have a minimum period of residence of two years before requesting family reunification.

However, exceptions to this general rule apply - minors and dependent children, spouses, as well as holders of specific residence permits (highly qualified workers, teachers, Golden Visa applicants, or EU Blue Card holders) – evidencing some concern on the maintenance of the family ties and the intent to keep and attract highly qualified workers.

Furthermore, there is an increased scrutiny to the authenticity of family relationships, to the applicant’s ability to ensure adequate accommodation and financial means and on assessing the sponsor’s compliance with legal obligations, including tax and social security duties.

Procedures

Considering the operational challenges AIMA has continued to face, in part due to the large increase on the number of immigrants, the amendments to the immigration law also set out that the office can take up to 9 months to issue decisions on residence permit applications, with a single possible extension in cases of exceptional complexity.

This measure was taken because the Administrative Courts are still facing a substantial backlog of lawsuits being filled against AIMA. To resolve this matter, a task force with 28 judges allocated specifically for these lawsuits started working in May 2026 with a timeframe of three-months to clear the backlog.

With a backlog of permits to renew that some outlets reported as being as much as three hundred and seventy-four thousand, AIMA created an online platform on to which the applicants could proceed with the renewal in a fully online manner, without the requirement of an in-person appointment.

This platform is indeed a very positive measure as it reduces significantly the need to schedule in person appointments and makes the renewal procedure much more straightforward.

Citizenship

Another evidence of a shift as regards immigration and citizenship policies is the recent approved amendment to the Portuguese citizenship law.

The Portuguese Parliament approved amendments which implement more demanding rules for those who intend to apply based on residency in Portugal.

According to those, there are different rules depending on the citizenship of the individual applying, replacing the previous general rule of 5 years of residency.

Those who are nationals of Portuguese speaking countries and the European Union Citizens are eligible to apply from the moment they complete 7 years of residency in Portugal.

On the contrary, citizens of the remaining countries can only apply once they complete 10 years of residency.

Even though the Government acknowledges that applicants were harmed by the constant delays in procedures, the provision that stated that the years spent in Portugal to complete the residency requirement for naturalization would be counted from the date of the initial application was revoked. The relevant date now is the issuance of the first residency card. This has been a highly unpopular decision, since many other parties petitioned for a grandfathering of applicants that were affected by the administrative delays faced for several years.

The new framework also places greater emphasis on effective integration into Portuguese society, including knowledge of the Portuguese language and stable residence in the country, while reinforcing the assessment of criminal records.

Overall, the reform seeks to ensure that intending to acquire Portuguese citizenship reflects a genuine and sustained connection to Portugal.

As of 19^th May 2026, these new rules are now in force.

About the author

Raquel Cuba Martins. Partner at SRS Advogados. In charge of the Immigration and Golden Visa department, Raquel is held in high regard within the Corporate Immigration sector. She frequently advises clients on corporate, immigration and nationality matters.