Portuguese citizenship for Brits: the residence rules

For years the pitch was simple: five years in Portugal, a basic Portuguese test, and an EU passport. Since 19 May 2026, Brits need 10 years, and the clock starts later than it used to.

The short version

Portugal's new nationality law, Lei Orgânica n.º 1/2026, came into force on 19 May 2026 [1].
Brits now need at least 10 years of legal residence to naturalise; EU and Portuguese-speaking (CPLP) nationals need seven [1].
The old rule letting the clock run from the date you applied for your residence permit has been repealed [1].
Applications already pending on 19 May 2026 are decided under the old law [1].
Portugal accepts dual nationality, so you can keep your British passport [2].

What changed in 2026

Portugal's nationality law, Law 37/81, has been amended many times. The 2026 version was approved by parliament on 1 April 2026, promulgated on 3 May and published on 18 May, taking effect the next day [1]. Here's how the residence route compares for a Brit:

	Before 19 May 2026	From 19 May 2026
Residence needed	5 years	10 years (7 for EU and CPLP nationals) [1]
When the clock starts	Could run from your residence permit application, if granted	Generally from when your residence title is granted [1]
Language	Sufficient Portuguese	Portuguese language and culture, history and national symbols, shown by test or certificate [1]
Civic knowledge	Not required	Rights and duties of citizenship and the political organisation of the state [1]
Declaration	None	Solemn declaration of adherence to the democratic rule of law [1]
Means	Not required	Ability to support yourself [1]

Britain isn't in the EU or the CPLP, so Brits fall into the 10-year group. A French or Brazilian neighbour in Graça would qualify three years sooner.

Why the start date matters

Under a 2024 change, time could count from the date you applied for your residence permit, which mattered hugely while AIMA's backlog stretched waits out. The 2026 law repeals that paragraph [1]. The Constitutional Court reviewed an earlier version of the bill in late 2025 and struck out some provisions, but the repeal survived in the final text.

So if you applied for a D7 in 2024 and only got your card in 2025, your 10 years now generally run from the card, not the application. Breaks don't wipe the slate clean, though. The law adds up separate periods of legal residence as long as they fall within a 12-year window for nationals like Brits [1].

Who's protected by the old rules

The transitional rule is short: procedures pending when the law came into force are decided under the previous version of the law [1]. If you submitted a complete naturalisation application before 19 May 2026, you should be assessed on the five-year rules.

If you had five years under your belt but hadn't applied by 18 May 2026, the transitional rule doesn't obviously help, because there was no pending procedure. This is the most painful gap in the new law, and if it's you, a Portuguese nationality lawyer can tell you whether anything can be done.

Withdrawal Agreement Brits

If you've lived in Portugal since before 1 January 2021, you have secure residence rights under the Withdrawal Agreement and should hold a Withdrawal Agreement residence card [2]. Your citizenship clock still runs at the 10-year rate for non-EU nationals, but you may well have a long run of legal residence behind you already. The law also keeps "special regimes" of legal residence that come from binding international agreements, "notably within the European Union" [1]; whether that helps your own count is a question to put to IRN, the registry office that handles nationality, with your old registration certificate in hand.

Keep your residence unbroken. AIMA says absences of up to six months a year don't break Withdrawal Agreement residence, and permanent residence is only lost after five consecutive years away [4].

The requirements, one by one

Under the amended Article 6, the government grants nationality to adults who, at the time of applying, meet all of these [1]:

Ten years of legal residence in Portugal (for Brits).
Portuguese language and culture, history and national symbols, proved by a test or certificate.
Knowledge of the fundamental rights and duties of a Portuguese citizen and how the state is organised.
A solemn declaration of adherence to the principles of the democratic rule of law.
No final conviction carrying an effective prison sentence of more than three years for terrorism, violent or highly organised crime, crimes against state security or helping illegal immigration.
No threat to national security, and no UN or EU sanctions against you.
The means to support yourself.

The language and culture test

Under the old regulation, Brits usually proved their Portuguese with an A2 certificate, and A2 remains the level AIMA asks for permanent residence [3]. The new law gave the government 90 days to update the Nationality Regulation with the new tests [1]. That deadline passed in August 2026. The Council of Ministers approved a decree-law regulating the new law on 29 October 2026 [5], but when we checked on 8 November 2026 we hadn't found it published in the Diário da República. Until it is, nobody can tell you exactly what the culture and civic test looks like, so check IRN's pages before you book anything.

Our advice is to get your Portuguese up to at least A2 early. It makes the AIMA renewals, the GP and the câmara easier long before citizenship comes into it.

Other routes to a Portuguese passport

Residence isn't the only way in:

Marriage or civil partnership: spouses of Portuguese citizens can apply after more than three years of marriage, and partners in a de facto union of more than three years can apply once a court has recognised the union [1].
Children born in Portugal: a child born in Portugal can be Portuguese if a parent has lived there legally for at least five years [1].
Descent: children of Portuguese citizens, and in some cases grandchildren, have their own routes.

If you have a Portuguese parent or grandparent, look at the descent rules before you start counting years of residence.

Keeping both passports

Portugal recognises dual citizenship with the UK, so you don't have to give up your British citizenship [2]. The UK doesn't make you choose either.

Once you're dual, the FCDO's advice changes slightly [2][6]:

Enter and leave Portugal and the Schengen area on your Portuguese passport.
Register as a resident under your Portuguese, and therefore EU, nationality.
Travel to the UK on your British passport or with a certificate of entitlement, because you can't use a Portuguese passport to show you have the right of abode.

Your British passport still needs renewing from abroad (see renewing a British passport from abroad), and any children born in Lisbon may be British by descent. You keep your UK vote for life as well.

What to do now

Work out your start date: find the issue date on your first residence card, and any earlier registration certificate.
Keep every card and renewal in a folder. You'll need to prove continuous legal residence.
Learn Portuguese and get an A2 certificate sooner rather than later [3].
Keep your record clean and your tax and social security up to date.
Watch for the new regulation on IRN's pages and in the Diário da República.

Citizenship is the long game, and the goalposts have just moved. For moral support and swaps on who's had what back from IRN, our community group for Brits in Portugal is a good place to start.

Sources

Diário da República: Lei Orgânica n.º 1/2026, de 18 de maio (read 8 November 2026)
GOV.UK (FCDO): Living in Portugal (last updated 10 July 2026)
AIMA: Permanent residence permit – Art. 80.º
AIMA: Absences under the Withdrawal Agreement
Government of Portugal: Comunicado do Conselho de Ministros de 29 de outubro de 2026 (29 October 2026)
GOV.UK (FCDO): Portugal travel advice – entry requirements (updated 11 August 2026)

Portuguese citizenship for Brits: the new 10-year rule, the tests and keeping both passports