Short answer: under Portugal’s new nationality law from May 2026, most applicants need ten years of legal residence before applying for citizenship, counted from the date the residence card is issued. Golden Visa holders can still apply for permanent residence after five years, but citizenship takes longer.
Timeline at a glance
| Stage | Approximate timing |
|---|---|
| Filing to residence card | Usually 18–24 months or more |
| Apply for permanent residence | After five years of residence |
| Apply for citizenship | After ten years of legal residence (new law) |
Key points of the new law
- The path to citizenship is extended to ten years for most applicants.
- The clock generally starts on the issue date of the residence card.
- The path to permanent residence is unchanged: still after five years.
- Stay requirements remain very low: 7 days in year one, then 14 every two years.
Impact on applicants
- Citizenship as the main goal: accept a longer timeline, or compare other routes that lead to citizenship sooner.
- Residence and Schengen travel as the main goal: limited impact — PR after five years, low stay requirement.
- Already filed or approved: confirm any transition rules and how your start date is counted.
Planning tips
- Be clear whether the goal is residence/PR or citizenship.
- If citizenship matters, compare other countries’ naturalisation periods and real stay requirements.
- Fund investments have term and holding rules — check the effect on status before exiting.
Based on public information as of September 2026; citizenship still requires language, clean record and other conditions.