Portugal approves the decree regulating its new nationality law; rules not yet in force

Portugal's government has approved the decree that regulates the 2026 nationality law, but it is not in force until it is promulgated and published.

What changed

On 29 October 2026 the Council of Ministers approved a Decreto-Lei regulating Lei Organica 1/2026, which has been in force since 19 May 2026. According to the official communique, the decree gives effect to the new requirements for both attribution and acquisition of Portuguese nationality.

• Conditions for the tests of knowledge of the Portuguese language, culture, history and institutions.

• The framework for the subsistence (stable means) requirement.

• How the declaration of adherence to the principles of the democratic rule of law is made.

• The procedure for collecting biometric data.

Why it matters for descendants

Since May 2026 the grandchild route (art. 1(1)(d)) has had to meet several of the naturalisation conditions in art. 6, and the culture and history knowledge requirement could not be fully applied without this regulation. Children of a Portuguese parent (art. 1(1)(c)) are not affected. The great-grandchild route under art. 6(8) remains a discretionary naturalisation that requires 5 years of legal residence.

What is still unknown

The decree text has not been published. It now needs promulgation by the President and publication in the Diario da Republica, and there is no fixed date for either. Applications filed before 19 May 2026 remain under the previous rules. Wait for the published text before relying on any specific test format or document list.