Longer Path to Portuguese Citizenship Raises Stakes for Foreign Workers

Foreign professionals weighing a future in Portugal woke up this month to a nagging question: will the country that has marketed itself as Europe’s most open door suddenly become a harder place to call home? Lawmakers in Lisbon are finalising a sweeping overhaul of the Lei da Nacionalidade that doubles the waiting time for most foreigners to seek a Portuguese passport and attaches fresh strings to the process. Union leaders warn that the reform could tilt workplace power further away from migrant labour at the very moment the economy depends on it.

A rule-book rewritten while nobody was looking

Cabinet approval of the draft in late June drew little notice outside specialist legal circles. Only when the text reached Parliament this month did the headline changes catch the wider community’s eye. The bill pushes the required period of legal residence from 5 to 10 years for the vast majority of applicants, trims the automatic citizenship pathway for children born in Portugal, and obliges would-be Portuguese to sit language and civic-knowledge exams whose format is still being designed. Critics say the extra hoops risk creating a two-tier labour market where newcomers spend longer in an immigration limbo, without the civic voice or political rights that come with a passport.

Why the government says change was inevitable

The Ministry of Justice insists the revamp merely modernises a statute first written in 1981. Officials argue the older text left room for what they call “instrumental citizenship”—cases where people applied for nationality after only a brief stint in the country or without genuine ties. Pointing to record applications in 2023—more than 140,000, almost triple 2019 levels—the government claims a tougher framework will protect the passport’s value and ease pressure on the over-stretched registry office, the Instituto dos Registos e Notariado (IRN).

The workplace ripple: more time in limbo, less bargaining power

Portugal’s largest union confederation, the CGTP, frames the story differently. In sectors already reliant on overseas labour—construction, hospitality, agriculture—foreign workers earn €601 a month on average versus the national payslip of €1,411, according to 2024 Social Security data. By elongating the road to nationality, the reform risks leaving migrants stuck on temporary permits that encourage short-term contracts, lower wages and weak union coverage. Roughly 35.8% of foreign employees held temporary jobs in 2024, more than double the rate for Portuguese citizens. Union officials fear the new nationality clock will extend that precarious chapter by at least five extra years.

Legal fine print that could catch expats off guard

One clause drawing particular anxiety recalibrates how residence time is counted. Under the new rules, the clock begins only when a physical residence card is issued, not when a manifestação de interesse is filed. Given current backlogs—some applications sit 12-18 months before the first card arrives—many foreigners could discover their timeline effectively moved backwards. Separately, any criminal conviction carrying prison time may now halt, or even reverse, a naturalisation bid. The revised statute also narrows the once-popular visto de procura de trabalho, limiting it to highly-qualified roles.

Children’s futures no longer automatic

Perhaps the most emotive change concerns kids born on Portuguese soil. Parents must now prove 3 years of legal residence and submit a formal declaration for their child to become Portuguese. Community organisations working with Brazilian and Nepalese families—two of the fastest-growing groups—fear the rule will produce a cohort of toddlers who are neither foreigners in law nor nationals in fact, complicating access to healthcare and later education grants.

Political crossfire and constitutional questions

Opposition parties on the left accuse the minority government of chasing populist votes with a “security-framed narrative around immigration”. Liberal MPs counter that a passport should never be handed out, in their words, “like a loyalty card at the supermarket.” Constitutional scholars have already flagged the bill’s retroactivity clause—applying new requirements to applications filed after 19 June 2025—as potentially unlawful. A challenge in the Tribunal Constitucional looks likely.

What this means for current and future residents

Law firms are fielding a surge of calls from clients who hoped to qualify under the 5-year rule. Their advice: submit any pending paperwork quickly, but brace for the possibility that Parliament’s final version will still reach back in time. Would-be arrivals eyeing Portugal’s sun-and-remote-work promise should budget for a decade of residency before gaining full citizenship rights. That does not bar them from living or working here—EU and national labour laws remain unchanged—but it does postpone voting rights, easier mortgage terms and the ability to move freely across the Schengen area without a separate visa.

A checklist for navigating the transition

For those already in Portugal, immigration attorneys recommend three immediate steps: confirm the validity and renewal date of your residence card, gather documented proof of language proficiency (from recognised A2 courses), and keep tax and Social Security contributions fully up to date. Small oversights today could add months—or years—to tomorrow’s nationality timetable.

The long view: demographic need versus political mood

Portugal still faces a demographic crunch. The labour force shrank by 145,000 people between 2011 and 2021, even as the tourism and tech sectors expanded. Economists warn that without foreign workers the country cannot sustain its pension system or meet housing-construction targets tied to EU recovery funds. Whether the new law ultimately balances national cohesion with economic necessity will depend on execution: efficient processing, clear testing standards and, perhaps above all, a commitment by employers to treat migrants as long-term partners rather than disposable labour.

Expats already here—and those packing bags for Lisbon, Porto or the Algarve—would be wise to monitor the legislative calendar, but also the job contracts in front of them. A Portuguese passport may be moving further out of reach, yet fair pay and secure work should never be.