How to Get Portuguese Citizenship in 2025 (Personal Experience)

This guide to Portuguese citizenship will show you exactly what’s needed to qualify for citizenship and submit your application, based on my own experience of this process in spring 2025.

I’m a British national who’s been living in Portugal since 2020, first in Lisbon and later in Funchal, Madeira. In March 2025, I submitted my Portuguese citizenship application after completing the required five years of legal residency. 

I originally planned to submit my application in person at the main IRN office in Lisbon. But after learning that people were queueing at 4am (in stormy winter weather, no less), I decided to take the more efficient route and submit my application via a lawyer.

This allowed me to avoid the chaos, submit the application electronically, and benefit from having a professional track its progress – especially useful if the authorities request additional documents along the way.

Although I’m still waiting for my application to be approved (current processing times are around 18–24 months), this guide walks you through every step I took to get it submitted – from language tests and paperwork to how I navigated the more confusing parts of the process.

If you’re preparing to apply for Portuguese citizenship by naturalisation, I hope this guide gives you the clarity and confidence to move forward.

📌 Not sure if you qualify yet? Jump to the eligibility section

⚠️ Important Update: Proposed Changes to the Citizenship Law

At the time of writing, the Portuguese government is actively discussing proposals to change the minimum residency requirement for citizenship – increasing it from the current five years to ten years.

These changes are still under debate and haven’t yet been passed into law. However, it’s unclear what the final outcome will be, or how quickly it might take effect once approved.

If you’re already eligible for citizenship this year, I’d strongly urge you to submit your application as soon as possible. Delaying could mean getting caught out by a rule change – and potentially doubling the time it takes to secure your Portuguese passport.

As always, we’ll keep this guide updated with the latest confirmed developments.

Benefits of Portuguese Citizenship 🇵🇹🇪🇺

Becoming a Portuguese citizen comes with a wide range of benefits both practical and political, especially if you’re from a non-EU country like the UK or US.

• Visa-free travel to 187 countries: The Portuguese passport is consistently ranked among the world’s most powerful, offering broad global mobility.
• Full EU citizenship: You’ll gain the right to live, work, study, and retire across all 27 EU countries, plus the EEA nations and Switzerland, no more residency permits or bureaucratic headaches.
• Political rights: As a Portuguese citizen, you can vote in national and local elections,  and even stand for office if you choose. You’ll also be eligible to vote and run in European Parliament elections.
• Post-Brexit restoration: For British nationals, Portuguese citizenship restores the EU rights lost after Brexit, reopening the door to the freedom of movement that was once taken for granted.

If your goal is long-term security in Europe, dual citizenship with Portugal is one of the most powerful tools you can have.

📌 Not sure if you qualify yet? Jump to the eligibility section

The Application Process (Step-by-Step)

In this section, I’ll walk you through the documents submitted and the steps I personally took to apply for Portuguese citizenship in March 2025. Everything here is based on my own experience preparing and submitting the application via a lawyer after five years of full-time legal residency.

1. Documents You’ll Need

These are the required documents for citizenship by naturalisation. I followed the current guidance carefully to make sure everything was in order before submitting.

Proof of Legal Residency in Portugal

• Your official residence card, showing the date you became legally resident (Note: if you’re already an EU citizen or a British national resident under the withdrawal agreement, you should use your original CRUE document instead). If applying by post, include a certified copy. Any Portuguese lawyer can certify it.

Proof of Portuguese Language Proficiency

You need to show knowledge of Portuguese to at least A2 level. There are two ways to meet this requirement:

1. Completing a Portuguese language course at a government-approved institution
2. Passing the CIPLE exam. I chose this option and took the exam before applying.

Apostilled Birth Certificate

• UK-born applicants can get this from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). If you were born in the US, you’ll need to request it by contacting the vital records office of your birth state.
• Apply online, then post your documents with the official cover sheet.
• The UK FCDO currently charges £30 per document (or £60 if you want expedited processing). Third-party apostille services exist but are more expensive (Note: I wanted fast processing and didn’t want to wait for the FCDO, so I used 2E Apostille Services for mine)

Official Translation of Your Birth Certificate

• Must be done by a certified translator or translation bureau (Note: I used DeepL to cut out hours of manual translation, then hired a Portuguese lawyer to double-check the translation and certify the document)
• The translated document must be accompanied by a certification statement (the lawyer can provide this)
• Typically, expect to pay around €70–€100 per document for a full translation (I paid €25 per document for mine, thanks to DeepL).

Acceptable certifiers include:

• A lawyer or solicitor in Portugal (this is likely the easiest option if they’re already handling your application)
• A Portuguese notary
• A registry official 
• A Portuguese consulate abroad
• A foreign consulate in Portugal

Note: The translator must certify the translation under oath before one of the above entities. Hiring a lawyer to do the translation cuts out this step altogether, making it the most efficient translation route by far.

Apostilled Proof of Name Change (if applicable)

This could be a marriage certificate, deed poll, or statutory declaration. Again, you’ll need a certified translation into Portuguese with the covering certification statement, plus an apostille. I recommend getting the apostille first in the country where your document is issued, then getting the translation done once it arrives in Portugal.

Certified Copy of Current Valid Passport

No apostille is required for this, but you’ll need to get it certified by a lawyer in Portugal.

Criminal Record Certificate (Police Check Certificate) 

• You need one from your country of citizenship (and any other countries where you’ve held legal residency since age 16).
• They must be issued within three months of your application date (so be aware of timing when preparing your application)

If you’re a UK national, you can request this via the ACRO Police Certificates website. The certificate is issued by post and they can send it to your Portuguese address, Mine arrived in about two weeks. At the time of writing, ACRO charges £68 for standard processing (up to 20 working days) and £121 for expedited processing (up to 2 working days).

Note: Some other accounts of the citizenship application process state that the ACRO document doesn’t require an apostille. But my lawyer advised me to do so to avoid delays to my application.

Completed Application Form

Download this from the IRN website. Make sure you print it double-sided, fill it out in block capitals, and sign it in front of an authorised person if not applying in person. Again, if you’re applying online through a lawyer, they can handle this on your behalf.

€250 Application Fee

Payment methods vary depending on how you apply:

• In person: Multibanco card for your Portuguese bank account
• By post: Certified cheque or bank draft
• Via your lawyer: Usually handled on your behalf ( I paid mine to my lawyer along with his legal fees)

2. Choose How to Submit Your Application

There are two main ways to submit your citizenship application:

Apply in Person

You can apply at a Balcão da Nacionalidade, Conservatória do Registo Civil, or other IRN office. Some locations require appointments, and queues can be long – especially in Lisbon. I originally planned to apply in person at the IRN office in central Lisbon, but after learning that people were queueing from 4am (sometimes in stormy weather), I decided it wasn’t the best use of my time.

Apply Online With a Lawyer

A lawyer can submit your application electronically through the official system. All applications are digitised in the end, so this method can be more efficient (although not necessarily faster), and you avoid standing in line. I chose this option and submitted mine through a lawyer in March 2025. It also meant I had someone to track my application status and follow up with me if any issues arise.

Apply by Post

By post 

You also have the option of submitting your application by post. The application form states that applications must be posted to the Central Registry (address below). It may also be possible to post it to your local nationality desk (Balcão de Nacionalidade), but best to check with them before doing so.

Here’s a list of all local Balcãos around Portugal:

Abrantes, Alcobaça, Amadora, Aveiro, Braga, Castelo Branco, Chaves, Coimbra, Évora, Elvas, Faro, Figueira da Foz, Fundão, Guarda, Guimarães, Lamego, Leiria, Lisbon, Maia , Mangualde, Marco de Canaveses, Marinha Grande, Matosinhos, Moita, Monção, Oliveira de Azeméis, Ovar, Pombal, Ponta Delgada, Ponte de Lima, Santarém, Santo Tirso, São João da Madeira, Setúbal, Torres Vedras, Viana do Castelo, Via do Conde, Vila Nova de Gaia, Vila Real, Vila Verde, and Viseu.

Here’s the Central Registry office address:

Conservatória dos Registos Centrais
Rua Rodrigo da Fonseca, 200
1099-003 Lisboa

3. Completing the Application Form

The Modelo 6.1 application form is available to download on the IRN website. If you’re applying by post or in person, it must be printed double-sided and filled out in black ink and in block capitals. If you’re applying through a lawyer, they’ll complete it for you based on the documents you’ve provided.

Be prepared to include:

• Your personal information
• Your residency and nationality history
• Your supporting documents
• A signed declaration that you meet all eligibility criteria

Note: The form is only in Portuguese but it’s fairly simple to complete. If you need any help translating it into English, try using DeepL or ChatGPT to guide you through.

4. Paying the Fee

The application fee is €250, and how you pay depends on how you submit your application. It could be any of the following:

• In person: Multibanco via your Portuguese bank account at the IRN office
• By post: Certified cheque or bank draft
• Via your lawyer: They will typically handle payment and include it in your invoice (this was my experience)

What Happens After You Submit Your Application

Once your application has been submitted the waiting game begins. Portuguese citizenship applications go through several official stages, and it can take a long time to reach the finish line. As of 2025, most applications will take 18–24 months to be fully processed.

Tracking Your Application

Shortly after submission, you’ll receive a tracking code (chave de acesso) by email. This is your unique access key to check your application status online at the official platform.

If you applied via a lawyer (as I did), they’ll also receive this code and can monitor progress on your behalf (although I still recommend being proactive and checking from time to time yourself).

Application Status: The 7 Stages

Here are the seven stages of a Portuguese citizenship application:

1. Recebido (Received) – Your application has been received by the authorities
2. Registado (Registered) – Your case is now logged in the system
3. A aguardar diligências (Awaiting enquiries) – Background checks are underway (e.g. criminal records, tax status)
4. Verificação de documentos (Document verification) – The authorities are reviewing your supporting documents
5. Apreciação (Assessment) – Your application is under formal consideration
6. Despacho (Decision) – A decision has been made
7. Concluído (Completion) – Citizenship has been granted, and the authorities will register you as a Portuguese citizen

What to Expect with Timelines

Application processing is slow, and timelines are unpredictable. As of mid-2025, most applications take 18 to 24 months to reach completion. In some cases, people see movement through the early stages fairly quickly, followed by long stretches of silence. In others, nothing seems to happen for months, and then several stages are completed at once.

Note: Although the system is designed to send you email updates when your application moves stages, these emails don’t always arrive. That’s why it’s worth checking your status manually every few weeks using your tracking code. 

What Happens Once You’re Approved

When your application reaches Stage 7 (Concluído), you’ll receive a letter by post confirming that your application has been successful. The letter comes from the Conservatória dos Registos Centrais and instructs you to visit any Registo Civil office in Portugal to request your Cartão de Cidadão (citizen card).

Only after receiving this card can you apply for a Portuguese passport. I’ll update this section with more first-hand detail once I complete the post-approval steps myself.

Getting Your Passport

Once your citizenship is approved, you’re not automatically issued a passport. Instead, there are a few more steps to complete before you can travel as a Portuguese national.

Step 1: Get Your Cartão de Cidadão (Citizen Card)

You’ll receive a letter in the post confirming that your application was successful. This letter will instruct you to visit any Conservatória do Registo Civil in Portugal to apply for your Cartão de Cidadão, the official Portuguese ID card.

You’ll need this card before you can apply for your passport.

Step 2: Apply for Your Passport

After you receive your citizen card, you can apply for a Portuguese passport at:

• A Loja do Cidadão
• A passport office
• Or a Portuguese consulate, if you’re abroad

The process is typically fast and efficient. The cost is €65 if you apply in-country, and the passport is usually issued within 5 business days.

Your Portuguese passport will be valid for five years. And as you’re now an EU citizen, you have full freedom of movement rights. That means you can live, work, study, retire, and do business anywhere in Europe without restrictions. No more visas! You can also use the e-gates for EU/EEA nationals when going through immigration at European airports.

Proving Your Language Skills (A2 CIPLE Exam & Alternatives)

To apply for Portuguese citizenship by naturalisation, you need to prove that you have a basic knowledge of Portuguese – specifically, A2 level on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

This is a legal requirement and applies to most people, including those applying via residency, marriage, or partnership.

How to Prove Your Language Level

There are two accepted ways to meet this requirement:

1. Take the CIPLE Exam

This is the most common route. The CIPLE (Certificado Inicial de Português Língua Estrangeira) is a certified A2-level language exam run by CAPLE (Centro de Avaliação de Português Língua Estrangeira).

The exam is offered multiple times a year and can be taken at various accredited testing centres in Portugal and abroad. Many people choose this option because it’s straightforward, widely accepted, and relatively affordable (I paid €75 for mine).

I took the CIPLE exam myself in June 2024. It was manageable overall (I spent 6 months prepping), but I found the listening section the most challenging due to fast speech and background noise – something to prepare for if you’re studying independently.

The exam is structured in four parts, covering all the basic skills: speaking, listening, reading comprehension, and writing. The reading comprehension part makes up the biggest portion of your overall mark.

Fortunately, it’s also the easiest part, as the questions are all multiple-choice. The most difficult part for me (and many others), was the listening. There’s a lot of background noise and they speak quite fast, so be prepared.

2. Complete a Certified Portuguese Language Course

You can also meet the language requirement by completing a Portuguese course at a government-approved institution, which issues an exemption certificate equivalent to A2 level or higher. 

This might be a better option if you’re more comfortable learning in a structured classroom setting or want extra support before taking an exam. 

But be careful, not every Portuguese course is approved by the government (and some charge ridiculous fees because they know people will pay them to avoid the stressful exam environment). Here are two approved providers to get you started:

• EdPro: in-person or online
• NIALP (Intercultural Association of Lisbon): in-person or online

Portuguese Study Resources

Here are the exact resources that got me through my own CIPLE exam: 

• Practice Portuguese – Great for casual listening and vocabulary building. I used the app every day during my six months of preparing for the exam, and completed the entire A2 section (plus some of the B1) 
• Preply –  I found a 1:1 tutor here to help me prep for the speaking and listening parts of the exam. I worked with my tutor once a week for the first couple of months, and then 2 to 3 times a week in the run-up to the exam. 
• Podcasts –  these are a good way to practice your listening skills. Aim for once spoken at native speaker pace. I used “Portugueses No Mundo.”
• Talk the Streets on YouTube – Liz Sharma’s channel is beginner-friendly and practical
• Learn Portuguese Online – Offers dedicated CIPLE prep classes

Tip: Book the CIPLE Early

CIPLE exam dates open each year around mid-January and fill up fast, especially in major cities. If you’re planning to apply for citizenship soon and haven’t yet passed the CIPLE, you might not be able to get a slot if it’s already midway through the year. As time is now of the essence, you may need to take a Portuguese intensive course instead.  

Alternatively, if your language skills are strong, you might want to look at taking the B1 exam instead, as this can still be used as proof for the citizenship application (and has far fewer participants).You can view the official schedule and register at the CAPLE website.

Eligibility for Portuguese Citizenship

There are several different routes to becoming a Portuguese citizen. You may be eligible if any of the following apply to you:

Citizenship by Residency

• You’ve been legally resident in Portugal for at least five years, as in my case ⚠️ Note: A proposed June 2025 citizenship law amendment would increase this requirement to 10 years. At the time of writing, this change is still under debate.
• This includes time spent on qualifying residency visas such as the D7, D8 (digital nomad), D2 (entrepreneur), Golden Visa, or HQA Visa

Citizenship by Birth

• You were born in Portugal to Portuguese parents
• You were born in Portugal to foreign parents, depending on circumstances
• You were born abroad to at least one Portuguese parent

Citizenship by Marriage or Partnership

• You’re married to, or in a long-term partnership with, a Portuguese citizen
• You can show at least three years of marriage or partnership, supported by evidence of the relationship

Other Possible Routes

• You’re a descendant of Portuguese Sephardic Jews ⚠️ Note: This route may soon be removed under the June 2025 amendment – the law is still under review.
• You’re the child of someone who became a naturalised Portuguese citizen
• You have links to a former Portuguese colony

Who Will Be Refused

Even if you meet the basic requirements, applications can still be rejected in certain cases. These include:

• A criminal conviction that would be punishable in Portugal by three or more years in prison
  ⚠️ Note: A proposed June 2025 citizenship law amendment would make this condition more strict. Final details are still under review.
• Involvement in terrorism-related activities
• Service in a foreign military, unless it was mandatory national service (conscription), according to nationality law Chapter 4, Article 9.1.c, which reads as follows: “O exercício de funções públicas sem caráter predominantemente técnico ou a prestação de serviço militar não obrigatório a Estado estrangeiro“)

If your background includes any of these situations, or if you’re unsure how your history might be viewed, it’s strongly recommended that you speak to an immigration lawyer before applying.

Portuguese Citizenship vs Other EU Countries

⚠️ Important Note: As of June 2025, the Portuguese government is actively discussing a proposal to change the minimum residency requirement for citizenship – increasing it from the current five years to ten years.

Country	Timeline	Dual citizenship ok?	Physical stay	Tax residency required?	Language level
French citizenship	5 years	Yes	183 days per year	Yes	B1 French
Italian citizenship	10 years	Yes	183 days per year	Yes	B1 Italian
German citizenship	6-8 years	No	183 days per year	Yes	B1-B2 German
Portuguese citizenship	5 years	Yes	7 days per year with Golden Visa	No	A2 Portuguese
Spanish citizenship	10 years	No	183 days per year	Yes	A2 Spanish
Irish citizenship	5 years	Yes	183 days per year, 365 in final year	Yes	English only
Luxembourg citizenship	5 years	Yes	183 days per year	Yes	B1 French or Luxembourgish
Cyprus citizenship	7 years (5 in some cases)	Yes	183 days per year, 365 in final year	Yes	English only
Swedish citizenship	5 years	Yes	183 days per year	Yes	Fluency in either Swedish or English

Don’t Qualify Yet? Here’s How to Start Building Your Residency Timeline

If you’re considering Portuguese citizenship in future but haven’t made the move yet, here are several residency visa options that can put you on the path to citizenship.

⚠️ Note: As of June 2025, a proposed law may increase the minimum residency period for citizenship from five to ten years. If you’re considering Portugal for the future, this will be a significant factor in your decision.

• D7 Visa – For those with passive income (e.g. pensions, rentals, dividends). Requires living in Portugal full-time.
• D8 Visa (Digital Nomad) – For remote workers with foreign employers. Also requires full-time presence.
• D2 Visa: For entrepreneurs setting up a business in Portugal. Requires full-time presence. 
• HQA (Highly Qualified Activity) Visa – For startup founders investing €175,000 and partnering with a Portuguese university. No physical stay requirement.
• Golden Visa – For investors. Requires only seven days per year in Portugal, but still counts toward the five-year timeline. Note:  investors are encountering significant delays in processing residency permits on this pathway. We suggest doing your research carefully before deciding to invest. 

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to get Portuguese citizenship?

As of 2025, processing times typically range from 18 to 24 months after submitting your application.

How much does it cost to apply?

The government fee is €250. Additional costs include document translations, apostilles, and language exam fees.

Can I apply online?

Yes, but only via a Portuguese lawyer. Individual applicants must apply in person or by post.

Can I keep my current citizenship?

Yes, Portugal allows dual citizenship. Check whether your home country does as well (the US and UK both allow it).

Do I have to speak Portuguese?

Yes. You must prove A2-level Portuguese by passing the CIPLE exam or attending a certified language course.

Next Steps

As of June 2025, the Portuguese government is actively debating a proposal to increase the residency requirement for citizenship from five years to ten. While this change has not yet been signed into law, it could significantly affect future applicants.

If you’re already eligible for Portuguese citizenship under the current five-year rule, we strongly recommend submitting your application as soon as possible. Delaying could mean missing out on a more accessible route — and facing a much longer wait in future.

Now is the time to act.