How many years do I need to live in Portugal to get citizenship now?

The five year rule that made Portugal famous among movers is gone. Lei Organica 1/2026 was published on 18 May 2026 and took effect on 19 May 2026. Since then naturalisation by residence asks for:

1. Seven years of legal residence for citizens of EU member states and of CPLP countries (Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Sao Tome and Principe, East Timor, Equatorial Guinea).
2. Ten years of legal residence for everyone else, which covers most American, British, Canadian, Australian and South African applicants.

The law had a rocky path to force

The reform survived a Constitutional Court review that struck down other parts of the same bill, and the periods above are the ones that came out the other side, not a proposal still in play. If you already hold a residence permit, or you already filed before the change, the date your file counts from is the detail that decides everything: our post on the 18 May 2026 cutoff has the full timeline, the Constitutional Court ruling and what counts as your submission date.

What else changed at the same time

Naturalisation now also requires A2 Portuguese (the CIPLE exam or an equivalent), proof of knowledge of Portuguese culture, history, national symbols, rights and duties, and a formal commitment to democratic principles. Children born in Portugal to foreign parents need at least one parent with five completed years of legal residence at the time of birth, up from one year. The Sephardic ancestry route is closed to new applicants.

What did not change

Permanent residence still arrives after five years of legal residence, with A2 Portuguese and a fee of about 250 euros. The marriage route is also untouched: three years of marriage to a Portuguese citizen, with no residence requirement of its own. The nationality application fee is 250 euros, and advisers report processing taking three to four years once filed.

Plan the sequence with the residence permit renewal and citizenship guide, and check the start date question below before you count your own years.