Can you buy citizenship in Portugal?

People use "buy citizenship" for three different things. Portugal offers only the weakest of them, and it is slower than it used to be.

What the Nationality Law requires

Article 6 of Lei 37/81, as amended by Lei Orgânica 1/2026, lists the conditions for naturalisation. None of them is a payment.

1. Legal residence in Portugal for at least ten years, or seven for nationals of Portuguese speaking countries and EU member states.
2. Proof, by test or certificate, of sufficient knowledge of the Portuguese language and culture, history and national symbols.
3. Knowledge of the fundamental rights and duties of citizens and of the political organisation of the state, and a solemn declaration of adherence to democratic principles.
4. No final prison sentence of more than three years for the listed serious crimes, no threat to national security, and no UN or EU restrictive measures against you.
5. The ability to support yourself.

The only way around the residence period that the law keeps for outsiders is a grant to foreigners who have rendered relevant services to the Portuguese state, which is a decision of the government, not a product.

What an investment does buy

The golden visa survives through fund subscriptions of 500,000 euros, research funding of 500,000 euros, a 250,000 euro donation to arts and culture, company capitalisation with job creation, or ten new jobs. Real estate was removed by Lei 56/2023. Global Citizen Solutions describes the stay rule as seven days in the first year and fourteen in each later two year period.

So how long until a passport?

A golden visa holder is a legal resident, so the ten year clock runs, but it is the same clock as for someone on a D7 or a D8 who invested nothing. The investor still has to pass the language and culture requirement. The old pitch of a passport in five years ended on 19 May 2026, when Lei Orgânica 1/2026 came into force.

Routes that are not for sale

Marriage to a Portuguese citizen for more than three years, or a de facto union of the same length recognised by a court, and descent from a Portuguese parent or grandparent, are the faster routes. See citizenship through parents or grandparents.

The golden visa routes and fees are in our visa options guide, and the residence ladder in the permanent residence and citizenship guide. Anyone selling a Portuguese passport outright is selling something the law does not contain; take any offer to a lawyer registered with the Ordem dos Advogados.