How do we get permanent residence and citizenship?

After 5 years on temporary residence permits you can apply for permanent residence, or for EU long-term resident status. Since 19 May 2026, Portuguese citizenship needs 10 years of legal residence for Britons, but Portugal and the UK both allow you to keep both nationalities.

Two kinds of long-term status

Many people hold permanent residence first and add the EU status later, but take advice on which suits you. If you lived in Portugal before 2021 under the Withdrawal Agreement, after 5 years you can get a permanent card valid for 10 years instead. See GOV.UK’s Living in Portugal guide.

Time abroad

• Temporary permit: AIMA can cancel it if you are away, without good reason, for 6 months in a row or 8 months in total during the permit’s validity. Ask AIMA before you leave if you need longer; work abroad is a recognised reason
• EU long-term residence (qualifying): absences must be under 6 months in a row and no more than 10 months in total over the 5 years. Work postings abroad don’t break the period
• Permanent residence (once held): can be cancelled after 24 months in a row away, or 30 months in total in any 3 years
• EU status (once held): lost after 12 months in a row outside the EU, or 6 years away from Portugal, unless there are specific reasons such as work
• Keep boarding passes and a simple list of every trip

How to apply

1. Apply to AIMA (Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo) when you reach 5 years. AIMA rejects files with missing documents, so check its list carefully
2. Prove basic Portuguese. AIMA accepts evidence such as a recognised A2 certificate (for example the CAPLE exams from the University of Lisbon) or a completed IEFP course
3. Bring proof of income, housing, health insurance for the EU status, and your criminal record certificates
4. Expect waits: AIMA has carried large backlogs since it replaced SEF in 2023. Keep every receipt. Check AIMA’s current fee and document list

Portuguese citizenship: the 2026 law

Organic Law 1/2026 was published on 18 May 2026 and came into force on 19 May. For naturalisation you now need:

• Residence: 10 years of legal residence for nationals of countries such as the UK; 7 years for EU and Portuguese-speaking (CPLP) countries. Reports on the new law say time now counts from the issue of your first residence permit, not from when you applied. Periods can be added together, with or without breaks, if they fall within a 12-year window
• Language and civics: enough knowledge of Portuguese (at least A2), and of the culture, history, national symbols, citizens’ rights and duties and the political system, shown by a test or certificate
• Declaration: a solemn declaration of adherence to democratic principles
• Means and record: enough to support yourself, and no prison sentence of more than 3 years for serious crimes
• Fee: reported as €250 (about £212). Confirm with the IRN (Instituto dos Registos e do Notariado)

Transitional rules: applications filed at the IRN before the law came into force are decided under the old rules, with 5 years’ residence. The government had 90 days to update the nationality regulation, which sets out the test; reports in September 2026 said it still wasn’t published, so the new test couldn’t yet be booked. Check the IRN before you plan your application.

Dual nationality

GOV.UK says Portugal recognises dual citizenship with the UK, so you don’t have to give up British citizenship to become Portuguese. The UK also allows dual nationality. One point to know: as a dual national you can’t get help from the British government while you are in Portugal.

Children

• A child born in Portugal to foreign parents is only Portuguese at birth if a parent has lived there legally for at least 5 years
• Children born in Portugal can also be naturalised later if a parent has 5 years’ legal residence and the child attends school
• A child born abroad to a British parent may be British by descent. Check on GOV.UK