The diploma, “generally proposes the application of the new nationality regime only for the future, with one important exception: the procedures of the naturalisation rule regime pending on the date of the future publication of the law, but which were initiated after 19 June 2025, the date on which the Programme of the 25th Constitutional Government was made viable”.

According to the text of the diploma itself, the Government considers that, “since the election period, it was known that the intention of the winning Coalition was to impose greater demands on the Portuguese nationality regime, in order to ensure that it always has an effective and genuine link to the national community”.

At the time, “it was clear to everyone – citizens and immigrants – that, among other significant changes, the temporal and material requirements for naturalisation would be increased in density and expanded in number”, which is why, after the parliamentary approval of the executive’s programme, “a massive movement of applications for acquisition of nationality through naturalisation was generated”, states the proposed law.

The Government considers that these applications “represent rather a last-minute attempt to benefit from the highly permissive requirements of the outgoing legal regime”, which provided for a period of residence in Portugal of five years to access citizenship.

The new legislation provides for a minimum period of seven years for the authorisation of regular residence in the case of citizens of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) and ten years for others, imposing much stricter rules.

“This abusive and late appeal” is prevented by the legislation by considering the “viability of the Government Programme” as the basis.

The program, says the proposal, constitutes “an eminently political document, which benefits from wide publicity and to which the Constitution associates important legal consequences, starting with the Government taking full office”.