22/05/2026
Following the amendment to the Portuguese Nationality Law, which entered into force on 19 May, considerable expectations arose regarding the possibility for great-grandchildren of Portuguese citizens to obtain nationality directly through descent.
In practice, the new law brought a different — but still meaningful — answer.
What has existed until now
Until this amendment, Portuguese nationality by descent in the direct line only covered descendants up to the second degree: children and grandchildren of Portuguese citizens. Great-grandchildren fell outside this regime.
What has changed
The new wording of the law does not extend automatic nationality to great-grandchildren. What it introduces is a facilitated naturalisation regime: great-grandchildren of original Portuguese citizens now benefit from more favourable conditions to obtain Portuguese nationality through naturalisation.
Specifically, the law now provides that the Government may grant nationality to third-degree descendants in the direct line of original Portuguese citizens, waiving the general residence requirement, provided they have been legally residing in Portuguese territory for at least 5 years.
What this means in practice
As a general rule, naturalisation requires a period of legal residence in Portugal of:
- 7 years for nationals of CPLP countries and EU Member States
- 10 years for nationals of other countries
Under this amendment, great-grandchildren of original Portuguese citizens may apply for nationality after only 5 years of legal residence — a significantly shorter period.
In short:
- Portuguese nationality has not become automatically transmissible to great-grandchildren
- However, great-grandchildren now benefit from a reduced residence requirement for naturalisation purposes
What about great-grandchildren who do not reside in Portugal?
It is important to note that a great-grandchild of a Portuguese citizen can still obtain nationality without residing in Portugal. In that case, however, the child or grandchild of the Portuguese citizen must first acquire nationality through descent — only then may the great-grandchild initiate their own nationality process.
How VCA can help
The Nationalities team at VCA closely follows legislative developments in nationality and immigration, and is available to assess each individual situation in light of the most recent amendments to the Portuguese Nationality Law.
Nationality Department
Ana Santos Fontes | Maria Moura Fonseca | Ana Luíza Fronczak
