Under the new law approved last Wednesday in Portugal, the minimum legal residence for naturalization has been extended from five to 10 years for most applicants. 

Citizens of Portuguese-speaking countries -- Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe and East Timor -- and EU citizens can now apply for citizenship after seven years while applicants from all other countries must wait 10 years.

In addition, children born in Portugal to foreign parents will only be eligible for nationality if at least one parent has legally resided in the country for a minimum of five years, up from one.

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New requirements for those applying to become Portuguese citizens

Foreigners applying for citizenship must prove they are able to support themselves and that they know the language, as well as the culture, political system and democratic values of Portugal, and sign a "solemn declaration adhering to the principles of the Republic".

Moreover, "behaviors ostensibly refusing to adhere to the national community, its institutions and its national symbols" can become issues supporting the refusal to grant citizenship.

With the new law, the special judicial system introduced in 2013 for descendants of Portuguese Sephardic Jews expelled over the past centuries has been terminated.

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Changes to the criminal code also approved

In order to prevent the Constitutional Court from blocking all provisions in the law, a change to the criminal code promoted by the far-right Chega party was approved separately.

Under the change, the Portuguese citizenship of foreigners with dual passports who have been sentenced to a minimum of five years in prison can be revoked. However, the measure will not be automatic but will be decided by a judge as additional punishment.

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