Portugal's government has proposed significant changes to immigration and citizenship laws that could affect expats planning to move or already living in the country.

Immigration lawyer Ana Teresa Pereira joins us to explain what these proposals mean and the timeline for potential implementation.

The key proposed changes include extending citizenship eligibility from 5 to 10 years of residency for most countries (7 years for Portuguese-speaking nations), adding cultural and historical knowledge requirements beyond basic language skills, and new restrictions on family reunification processes.

However, these are still proposals requiring parliamentary approval and presidential sign-off, with a realistic timeline extending into autumn 2025.

Takeaways

Government proposed increasing citizenship residency requirement from 5 to 10 years (7 for CPLP countries)

Additional cultural and historical knowledge tests proposed beyond current A2 Portuguese requirement

Family reunification changes include 2-year residency requirement before bringing spouses

Job seeker visas proposed to be limited to highly qualified professionals only

Proposed retroactive application date of June 19th, 2025 creating uncertainty for current applicants

Laws still require parliamentary discussion, presidential approval - timeline likely autumn 2025

D7 "accompanying visa" strategy may offer alternative to family reunification challenges

Current citizenship applications taking 1-2 years to process with significant backlogs

People eligible now considering rushing applications before potential changes take effect

Citizenship for children born in Portugal would require parents to have 3 years residency

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Immigration Changes

01:57 Key Changes in Citizenship Requirements

04:49 Execution and Timeline of New Laws

09:41 Challenges in Citizenship Application Process

14:50 Impact on Family Reunification19:58 Job Seeker Visa and Other Changes

23:55 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

➣CONTACT US for relocation assistance including legal support Get on a free discovery call and we can outline how we can work with you. https://www.algarveaddicts.com/contact

Check out my Instagram on https://www.instagram.com/algarveaddicts/ - I enjoy a little bit of Insta!

#PortugalImmigration #PortugalCitizenship #PortugalVisa #ExpatsInPortugal #PortugalLaw #ImmigrationProposals #PortugalLawyer #MovingToPortugal #D7Visa #FamilyReunification #JobSeekerVisa #PortugalResidency #CitizenshipLaw #PortugalExpats #ImmigrationLawyer #PortugalLiving #ExpatLaw #PortugalLegal #ResidencyPortugal #PortugalUpdates #ImmigrationNews #PortugalPolicy #ExpatRights #LegalAdvicePortugal #PortugalGovernment