Golden Visa
How have the 2026 changes to Portuguese nationality law affected the path to citizenship for Golden Visa investors?
At a glance
May 2026
Portugal amended its Nationality Law.
10 years
Legal residence for most US applicants.
7 years
For EU and Portuguese-speaking nationals.
Unchanged
The core residency benefits of the Golden Visa.
The full answer
Understand the requirements. Review your circumstances with qualified advisors.
Portugal amended its Nationality Law in May 2026. For new naturalisation applications, the general legal-residence requirement is now seven years for nationals of EU Member States and Portuguese-speaking countries, and ten years for nationals of other countries, including most US applicants.
The law also introduced additional requirements relating to Portuguese language and culture, knowledge of civic rights and duties and the organisation of the Portuguese State, together with the other statutory eligibility conditions. Importantly, nationality procedures that were already pending when the new law entered into force continue to be assessed under the previous version of the law.
For someone starting a Golden Visa journey today, citizenship should therefore be viewed as a longer-term possibility. The change affects the nationality timeline, not the core residency benefits of the Golden Visa itself.
General information only, not legal, tax or investment advice.
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