Portugal Golden Visa 2026: What the Nationality Law Reform Means for Investors

What did Portugal's nationality law reform change?

Portugal's nationality law reform, Lei Orgânica 1/2026, raised the legal residence needed for citizenship by naturalisation from a uniform 5 years to 10 years for most nationalities, and to 7 years for nationals of Portuguese-speaking countries and EU citizens. The law has applied since 19 May 2026 and amends only the Nationality Law, Law 37/81.

The new periods are set in article 6(1)(b) of the Nationality Law as amended. The shorter period covers nationals of countries where Portuguese is an official language, the members of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) such as Brazil, Angola and Mozambique, and citizens of EU Member States. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens are not eligible for the Golden Visa, so for Golden Visa investors the 7-year period is relevant only to CPLP nationals. Every other Golden Visa holder now plans around 10 years.

The law followed a defined legislative path, recorded in the official text published in the Diário da República (Lei Orgânica n.º 1/2026, 18 May 2026):

Does the nationality law reform change the Portugal Golden Visa?

The Portugal Golden Visa is not changed by the nationality law reform. Lei Orgânica 1/2026 amends only Law 37/81 on nationality, while the Golden Visa, formally the Autorização de Residência para Atividade de Investimento (ARI), is governed by the immigration law, Law 23/2007. Investment routes, thresholds, family rules and the stay requirement all continue as before.

• The permit is unchanged. The ARI is a temporary residence permit valid for 2 years from issue and renewable while the investment is maintained.
• The thresholds are unchanged. The cultural route starts at €250,000, and the fund, scientific research and company routes start at €500,000.
• The stay rule is unchanged. According to AIMA's official Golden Visa FAQ, holders must spend 7 days in Portugal in the first year and 14 days in each subsequent two-year period to keep the permit.
• Schengen travel is unchanged. Holders may travel visa-free for short stays, up to 90 days in any 180, across the 29 Schengen countries.

What changes is the citizenship horizon. A Golden Visa holder who wants a Portuguese passport now needs 10 years of legal residence, or 7 years as a CPLP national, and must also meet the other naturalisation conditions set out below.

What is the Portugal Golden Visa and which investment routes qualify in 2026?

The Portugal Golden Visa is Portugal's residency-by-investment programme, launched in 2012, which grants a temporary residence permit to nationals of countries outside the EU, EEA, Switzerland and Andorra who make a qualifying investment. Real estate has not qualified since October 2023, and the investment routes now start from €250,000 for cultural support.

One investment covers the whole family: a spouse or registered partner, children under 18, unmarried dependent children aged 18 to 25 who are studying, dependent parents of the applicant or spouse, and minor siblings under the applicant's guardianship. Government fees are charged per person: €842.80 for the application analysis and €8,418.90 for the permit grant, with renewals at €4,210.30 and digital-channel rates 25% lower. Route details are published by AIMA, Portugal's immigration and asylum agency, and our guides to Portugal Golden Visa investment funds and the cultural investment route cover each option in depth.

How is residence counted towards Portuguese citizenship under the new law?

Residence counts towards Portuguese citizenship while a person is in Portugal with a regularised status under any residence title, visa or permit, including the Golden Visa. Under article 15 of the amended Nationality Law, separate periods of legal residence, continuous or interrupted, are added together, provided they fall within 12 years for most nationalities.

For CPLP nationals and EU citizens the window is 9 years. In practice, a Golden Visa holder from outside the CPLP needs 10 years of legal residence in total, and those years must fall within a 12-year span; the law adds up interrupted periods rather than requiring one unbroken stretch.

The reform also repealed the former article 15(4), which had allowed residence to be counted from the date the residence permit was applied for. On the text of the amended law, residence now counts while a valid residence title is held, so the time spent waiting for a first permit decision no longer counts towards naturalisation.

The Golden Visa stay rule and the residence test for citizenship are separate questions. The 7-day and 14-day minimums keep the permit valid; whether a residence history satisfies the nationality law is assessed when the naturalisation application is filed. Mirabello Consultancy reviews each client's residence history individually.

Who is protected by the transitional rule?

The transitional rule in Lei Orgânica 1/2026 protects only nationality applications already pending on 19 May 2026, which continue under the previous version of the Nationality Law. Every naturalisation application filed from 19 May 2026 follows the new 7-year or 10-year periods, whenever the applicant's residence permit was applied for or granted.

Article 7 of the law sets this rule: the law takes effect on its entry into force, and administrative procedures pending at that date are governed by the previous wording. Paying AIMA fees or filing a Golden Visa application before 19 May 2026 does not, on the text of the law, preserve the 5-year period. If you filed a naturalisation application before that date, your adviser can confirm its status with the registry authority, the Instituto dos Registos e do Notariado (IRN).

What else does Portuguese naturalisation require under the new law?

Portuguese naturalisation under the amended article 6 requires, besides the residence period, legal adulthood, proof of sufficient knowledge of the Portuguese language and culture, history and national symbols, knowledge of citizens' rights and duties and of the State's political organisation, a solemn declaration of adherence to democratic principles, no disqualifying criminal conviction and the means to support oneself.

• Language and culture. Proof is by test or certificate, and CPLP nationals are presumed to meet the language part unless a lack of Portuguese is manifest. The level is set in the Nationality Regulation (Regulamento da Nacionalidade Portuguesa), which article 4 of the law instructs the Government to amend within 90 days of publication. The level under the amended regulation is not yet officially confirmed in the sources we have reviewed; the previous regulation referred to A2.
• Criminal record. Applicants must not have a final conviction with an effective prison sentence of more than 3 years for terrorism, violent or highly organised crime, crimes against State security or aiding illegal immigration.
• Security and sanctions. Applicants must not pose a threat to national security or defence, and must not be subject to restrictive measures adopted by the United Nations or the European Union.
• Means of subsistence. Applicants must be able to support themselves.

What does the reform mean if you already hold a Portugal Golden Visa?

Existing Portugal Golden Visa holders keep their residence permits, investment status, family members' permits and Schengen travel rights. The nationality law reform changes only when they can apply for citizenship: after 10 years of legal residence for most nationalities, or 7 years for CPLP nationals, unless a naturalisation application was already pending on 19 May 2026.

For most holders, the practical steps are to keep the investment in place for at least 5 years, meet the stay rule at each renewal, and keep a clear record of every residence title held, because the count now depends on the periods those titles cover. Permanent residence is a separate status under article 80 of Law 23/2007: it can be requested after 5 years of legal residence, subject to its own conditions, including basic (A2) Portuguese, and the nationality reform does not change it.

Would you like your own citizenship timeline modelled against the new rules? Book a complimentary consultation with Mirabello Consultancy, and our advisers will map your residence titles, renewals and earliest naturalisation date.

How does Portugal compare with other residence programmes after the reform?

Portugal remains competitive after the nationality law reform because its Golden Visa combines EU residence, Schengen travel, a 7-day first-year stay rule and investment routes from €250,000. Other residence programmes differ on entry cost, travel rights and stay rules, and each country applies its own, separate naturalisation law. The EU programmes below are open to non-EU nationals only.

Citizenship rules differ as much as the permits do. Cyprus requires 8 years of legal residence in total, including 12 months of continuous residence immediately before applying, with Greek at B1 level. The Malta MPRP grants permanent residence only, and Maltese naturalisation is a separate, discretionary process. The UAE Golden Visa offers no formal path to citizenship, but no personal income tax and processing of 2-3 months on the investor route. For a wider view, see our comparison of the best golden visa programmes.

What should new Portugal Golden Visa applicants consider in 2026?

New Portugal Golden Visa applicants in 2026 should treat citizenship as a 10-year objective, or 7 years for CPLP nationals, and judge the programme first on its residence value: Schengen travel from the first permit, a light stay rule, family inclusion and an investment held for at least 5 years. Processing typically takes 12-18 months in our practice.

1. Schengen travel starts with the permit. From the moment the residence permit is issued, you and your family can travel across the Schengen Area for short stays.
2. The investment is held for at least 5 years. Fund units and other qualifying investments must be maintained; fund investments are illiquid and returns are not guaranteed.
3. Processing takes time. AIMA publishes no official processing time for the Golden Visa; 12-18 months is our practice range, longer when AIMA's caseload is heavy.
4. Citizenship requires more than time. Language and culture, civic knowledge, a clean record for the listed offences and means of subsistence are all assessed at naturalisation.
5. Living in Portugal is a different route. If you plan to relocate rather than invest, the D7 residence visa for retirees and passive-income earners requires means of at least the national minimum wage, €920 a month in 2026, and genuine residence; it leads to the same 7-year or 10-year naturalisation periods. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens need neither route, as free movement applies.

Demand has held up through the reform debate: a record 4,987 Golden Visas were approved in 2024, and €125.5 million was invested in qualifying funds in 2025, a 45.5% increase on the previous year.

How does Mirabello Consultancy advise clients on the reform?

Mirabello Consultancy advises clients to plan Portuguese citizenship on the enacted timeline, 10 years of legal residence or 7 for CPLP nationals, and to choose the Golden Visa for its residence value rather than for speed to a passport. Where a different outcome matters more, our advisers compare programmes across the full portfolio and recommend only what genuinely fits.

• Timeline modelling. We map your residence titles, renewals, stay days and the 12-year counting window, so your earliest naturalisation date is clear from the start.
• Route selection. We compare the fund, cultural, research and business routes against your liquidity, risk appetite and family profile.
• Honest alternatives. For clients whose priority is a second citizenship sooner, Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programmes are a separate category with their own trade-offs; our CBI programme comparison sets them out.
• Ongoing compliance. We track stay days, renewals and documentation so that your residence history supports a future naturalisation application.

As an IMC member firm with ACAMS-certified compliance professionals, Mirabello Consultancy brings Swiss precision and boutique care to every Portugal Golden Visa case, from offices in Zurich, Dubai and Hong Kong. Learn more about Mirabello Consultancy, or speak to an adviser for a confidential review of your plans.