Portugal Golden Visa to Citizenship in 2026: The New 10-Year Rule Explained
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Portugal Golden Visa to Citizenship in 2026: The New 10-Year Rule Explained
How to get Portuguese citizenship as a golden visa holder: you naturalise on legal residence. Since Organic Law 1/2026 came into force on 19 May 2026, that takes 10 years of legal residence (7 for EU and CPLP nationals), counted from the issue of your first residence card. Portugal does not sell citizenship.
Many investors bought in when the target was five years. This guide sets out what changed, who is still assessed under the old rule, and how to keep your permit valid for a full decade.
On this page
- Can a Portugal golden visa lead to citizenship?
- The new 10-year rule: what Organic Law 1/2026 changed
- Three worked timelines
- Keeping your golden visa valid for ten years
- Your family on the path to citizenship
- Other naturalisation conditions
- Dual citizenship: check your home country first
- Portugal vs other European routes to citizenship
- Frequently asked questions
This guide is general information about Portuguese nationality law and the Portugal golden visa, and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. The nationality rules changed in 2026 and parts of their application are still being settled. Your position depends on your own dates and filing history. Obtain independent advice from qualified Portuguese counsel before you rely on any timeline or make an application or investment decision.
Can a Portugal golden visa lead to citizenship?
Yes, indirectly. The golden visa, formally the Autorização de Residência para Investimento (ARI), is a residence permit issued by AIMA, Portugal’s migration agency. It gives you legal residence. Once you have held legal residence for the period the Nationality Law requires, you can apply to naturalise. The permit starts the clock. Naturalisation is where it ends.
Is there Portuguese citizenship by investment?
No. Portugal has no citizenship-by-investment programme, and no investment amount buys Portuguese nationality.
What an investment buys is the ARI. AIMA’s page for the permit lists routes that include a EUR 500,000 subscription into non-real-estate collective investment undertakings under Portuguese law, EUR 500,000 in scientific research, and EUR 500,000 into a company plus five jobs. Years of legal residence under that permit are what can lead to citizenship.
The new 10-year rule: what Organic Law 1/2026 changed
Organic Law 1/2026 (Lei Orgânica n.º 1/2026) amended the Portuguese Nationality Law. It was published in the Diário da República on 18 May 2026 and came into force on 19 May 2026.
10 years, or 7 for EU and CPLP nationals
Naturalisation now requires 10 years of legal residence. Nationals of EU member states and of countries where Portuguese is an official language (the CPLP states, the Community of Portuguese Language Countries) need 7 (Nationality Law, article 6(1)(b)).
When the clock starts: the issue of your first residence card
Legal residence means living in Portugal under a residence title, visa or permit (article 15(1)). Organic Law 1/2026 repealed article 15(4), the rule that since April 2024 had let the time from a residence application count once the permit was granted. So the time between filing for the golden visa and receiving your first card no longer counts toward the ten years. In practice your start date is the issue date on your first card, not the date on your application.
The years do not have to be unbroken. Separate periods of legal residence can be added together, as long as they all fall within a 12-year window, or a 9-year window for EU and CPLP nationals (article 15(3)).
Who keeps the old 5-year rule
Article 7(2) of Organic Law 1/2026 is the only transitional rule. It applies the previous version of the Nationality Law to administrative procedures already pending when the law came into force on 19 May 2026. Portugal’s Ministry of Justice puts it the same way: the new rules apply only to applications submitted after that date. In practice, a nationality application filed by 18 May 2026 is decided under the old law, including the five-year residence period.
The rule does not cover golden visa holders who had not yet applied for nationality. Holding an ARI on 19 May 2026, or having applied for one earlier, does not keep the five-year rule for you. If you file for nationality now, the 10-year period (or 7) applies. The years you have already held your ARI still count toward it. Proposals to widen the transition have gone to Parliament, but none had been adopted when this guide was checked in September 2026.
Why the 7-year tier is a CPLP tier for golden visa holders
According to AIMA, the ARI regime does not apply to Portuguese nationals or to nationals of the EU, the EEA, Andorra or Switzerland. EU citizens live in Portugal on a different legal basis and never hold a golden visa. So among golden visa holders, the shorter seven-year tier in practice helps one group: CPLP nationals.
Three worked timelines
The arithmetic is simple once you know which rule applies to you. These three profiles show how the dates fall.
| Investor | Situation | First ARI card issued | Rule that applies | Residence period met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Filed a nationality application before 19 May 2026, still pending on that date | Before 2021 | Previous law, including the five-year rule (Organic Law 1/2026, article 7(2)) | Assessed under the previous rule |
| B | Non-CPLP national, held an ARI but had not applied for nationality by 19 May 2026 | March 2024 | 10 years from the first card. The transitional rule does not cover B | March 2034 |
| C | CPLP national who applied for the ARI after 19 May 2026 | October 2026 | 7 years from the first card | October 2033 |
Illustrative only. The dates assume unbroken legal residence. Your dates depend on your card and filing history, and meeting the residence period is one condition among several. Confirm your position with Portuguese counsel.
Investor B is the profile to watch, because B is the investor most likely to have planned on five years. The transitional rule protects only procedures already pending on 19 May 2026, so B’s ARI years count toward ten, not five, and B can first meet the residence period in March 2034. If B’s residence has a gap, the periods can still be added together, provided they all fall within 12 years.
Keeping your golden visa valid for ten years
A decade is a long time to keep a permit in good order. Three things decide whether you do.
The minimum stay: 7 days in the first year, 14 days in each later period
AIMA requires ARI holders to spend at least 7 days in Portugal in the first year and at least 14 days in each subsequent period. It is a light requirement, and it is also the easiest one to miss in a busy year. Keep proof of your days in Portugal alongside your permit records.
Renewals are online only since 16 February 2026
Since 16 February 2026, ARI renewal requests are processed exclusively online, through AIMA’s renewals portal (Portal de Renovações). Diarise every renewal date and file through the portal in good time, because the ten-year count depends on your residence staying legal throughout.
Your investment against a 10-year clock
On the fund route, AIMA and the statute set three conditions: the fund must have a maturity of at least five years at the time of investment, at least 60% of it must be invested in companies seated in Portugal, and funds aimed directly or indirectly at real estate are excluded.
The five-year maturity is the point to read again. A fund chosen when citizenship looked five years away can reach its term well before year ten. Settle how your investment position will stand at each renewal, with counsel and your fund manager, before you subscribe or before your fund’s exit window arrives. For choosing a fund, see our guide to Portugal golden visa investment funds. US citizens should also read our note on Portugal golden visa funds for US citizens.
Your family on the path to citizenship
Family reunification without the new 2-year wait
Law 61/2025, dated 22 October 2025 and in force the next day, amended Portugal’s foreigners law (Law 23/2007). The new article 98(1) makes most residents wait two years of valid residence before family reunification, or 15 months for a spouse who lived with the resident for 18 months before entry (article 98(2)).
Golden visa families are exempt. Under article 98(3)(c), the waiting period does not apply to family members of holders of permits under articles 90 and 90-A (the ARI) or 121-A. Whether and when each family member can naturalise is a separate question under the Nationality Law, so plan it with counsel alongside your own timeline.
The new integration duties: not yet settled for golden visa families
Law 61/2025 also added article 101(3) and (4). Reunified family members must follow training in the Portuguese language and in constitutional values, and minors must attend compulsory schooling, under a regulatory decree. Permit renewal depends on compliance. The text shows no carve-out for ARI families, and the decree is still pending. Whether these duties apply to golden visa families is not yet settled, so treat it as an open question and check the position with counsel before your family’s next renewal.
Other naturalisation conditions
Residence is the headline condition, not the only one. Article 6(1) of the Nationality Law, as amended in 2026, also requires applicants, at the time of the application, to:
- be adults under Portuguese law;
- prove, by a test or a certificate, sufficient knowledge of the Portuguese language and culture, history and national symbols (nationals of countries where Portuguese is an official language are presumed to meet the language part, article 6(10));
- know the fundamental rights and duties of Portuguese nationality and how the Portuguese state is organised;
- make a solemn declaration of adherence to the principles of the democratic rule of law;
- have no final conviction with an effective prison sentence of more than 3 years for the serious crimes the law lists;
- pose no danger or threat to national security or defence, and not be subject to UN or EU restrictive measures;
- be able to support themselves.
The implementing regulation (Regulamento da Nacionalidade) was due to be updated after the 2026 amendment, so check how each condition is proved with Portuguese counsel before you file.
Dual citizenship: check your home country before you count the years
Portugal’s rules decide when you can become Portuguese. Your home country’s rules decide what happens to your original nationality when you do. For three major source markets, that answer is strict.
- India. Under section 9(1) of the Citizenship Act 1955, an Indian citizen who voluntarily acquires another country’s citizenship ceases to be an Indian citizen on acquisition. Holding a Portuguese golden visa is residence, not citizenship, so the permit alone does not trigger this. Naturalising would. The Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) is not dual citizenship.
- China. The PRC does not recognise dual nationality (Nationality Law 1980, article 3). A Chinese citizen settled abroad who voluntarily acquires a foreign nationality automatically loses Chinese nationality (article 9).
- Pakistan. A Pakistani who is also a citizen of another country ceases to be Pakistani unless the other nationality is renounced (Citizenship Act 1951, section 14(1)), except for countries on the official dual-nationality list. The Directorate General of Immigration and Passports list of 22 countries, last modified 9 January 2026, does not include Portugal.
For every other nationality, the same logic holds: check your home country’s law before you count the years, because a ten-year plan that ends in losing your original passport is a different plan. Take that question to counsel in your home country. We do not advise on renouncing a nationality.
Portugal vs other European routes to citizenship
If the passport is the goal, Portugal is now one of several long routes rather than a short one. None of the programmes below sells citizenship.
| Country | Route to citizenship for investors |
|---|---|
| Portugal | Naturalisation after 10 years of legal residence (7 for EU and CPLP nationals), counted from the first residence card |
| Cyprus | Naturalisation under Law 149(I)/2023: 12 continuous months plus 7 cumulative years within the preceding 10, about 8 years in practice |
| Malta | The MPRP grants permanent residence, not citizenship. Malta’s citizenship by investment closed after the ECJ ruling in C-181/23 (29 April 2025) |
| Hungary | No citizenship by investment. The golden visa is a residence permit |
For the detail behind each row, see our guides to Cyprus golden visa citizenship, Malta golden visa vs citizenship and how to get Hungarian citizenship. For the programme-level comparison, read Hungary vs Portugal golden visa, and for entry costs across Europe, how much a golden visa costs.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get Portuguese citizenship through the golden visa?
Not directly. The golden visa (ARI) is a residence permit. Holders can apply to naturalise once they meet the residence period, which since 19 May 2026 is 10 years (7 for EU and CPLP nationals) under Organic Law 1/2026.
Does Portugal offer citizenship by investment?
No. Portugal has no citizenship-by-investment programme. Citizenship comes through naturalisation on legal residence.
When does the 10-year clock start?
From the issue of your first residence card, not from the date you applied for the golden visa.
I applied before May 2026. Which rule applies to me?
It depends on what you applied for. A nationality application pending on 19 May 2026 is decided under the previous law, including the five-year rule (Organic Law 1/2026, article 7(2)). A golden visa application or ARI held before that date does not keep the old rule: if you file for nationality now, the 10-year period (or 7) applies, and your ARI years count toward it.
How many days a year do I need to spend in Portugal?
AIMA requires at least 7 days in the first year and 14 days in each subsequent period to keep the ARI.
Can my family join me without waiting two years?
Yes. Law 61/2025 introduced a 2-year wait for family reunification, but it does not apply to family members of ARI holders.
I am an EU citizen. Can I use the golden visa and the 7-year rule?
Not through the golden visa. The ARI does not apply to nationals of the EU, the EEA, Andorra or Switzerland, so among golden visa holders the 7-year tier applies in practice to CPLP nationals.
The bottom line
The Portugal golden visa still leads to citizenship. For most investors it now takes 10 years, and the clock starts on the day your first card is issued. Only a nationality application already pending on 19 May 2026 keeps the old five-year rule. If you held a permit but had not applied, count ten years (seven for CPLP nationals) from your first card. Then protect the decade: the days in Portugal, the online renewals, a fund term that fits the new clock, and your home country’s view of dual nationality. For fund selection, start with our guide to Portugal golden visa investment funds. We help investors and their families recalculate their timeline and plan the decade ahead, and advisory fees are quoted per engagement.
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