I read here that the Portugese authorities have committed to provide citizenship after 5-years of applying for GV, regardless of how long it takes to process the GV. Is my understanding correct? I am seriously considering applying for GV and want to be sure.
I also read here that many who applied as far back as 2022 are yet to have their GV processed. Under such circumstances, how many of you believe the 5-year commitment?
That’s the theory. AFAIK, it hasn’t materialized for anyone yet…
This is why everyone who submitted their GV applications in 2019, 2020, and even 2021 (if residency card in hand and the expiration date is later than the 5-year mark) should be getting a CdT well ahead of submitting the citizenship application.
Whether you line up in person at 5am outside AIMA, or pay your lawyer EUR100 to send an email + go during an appointment, there is zero downside from getting the CdT.:
I’ll be getting a CdT as soon as I receive my first residency card.
my lawyer sent an email to AIMA earlier this week to get one. they are only charging me the AIMA fee, around EUR30 or so…
Your lawyer requested a CdT via email? Or they scheduled an appointment via email to appear in person?
correction, not email, she requested online.
How? All I find searching is this guide which says to fill in a PDF and email it? Nuno Pinto Silva - Solicitor Immigration
I’ll ask my lawyer again how she contacted AIMA.
I read that the commitment was made during an online event. Does anyone have a link to the recording?
A commitment was made during the same online event to assign everyone who refreshes documents a biometrics appointment in 1H2025. So you can watch the next 3 months and see what happens to “commitments.”
Also, this happened AFTER the January online event:
Link in this forum, The Private Lounge, under the thread “AIMA’s plan for catching up with the backlog…”
Therefore only accessible to nomadgate insiders.
Not at all sure the promises or intent have been kept.
You misunderstand somewhat. You may apply for citizenship IF you have an approved GV at the end of 5 years after your application and you have met the residency requirement after you receive your residency. You cannot apply if you do not yet have approved residency. There are also several other requirements which you must meet.
Additionally the citizenship application process is currently taking about two years for approval.
I don’t believe this matters for a citizenship application. My understanding was the time spent in PT only matters for renewing your visa, not citizenship
Clearly there is still a great deal of misinformation being spread about the GV process and obtaining Portguese citizenship.
Once and for all, you will not obtain Portuguese Citizenship 5 years after you apply for a Golden Visa. FULL STOP.
Here is the process:
Due to recent changes to the law which recognize the impact of long delays in the GV approval process, the 5 year clock to be able to apply for citizenship begins with the filing for the GV, paying the application fee and receipt of the payment. This assumes that your GV application is eventually approved, you have paid the fee, and you finally obtained your first residence card.
Once you have your card and legal residence, and you continue to meet all of the requirements of that residence, and it has been 5 years since you first applied for your visa and received preliminary approval, you may APPLY for citizenship.
When applying for citizenship ,
You must have AND MAINTAIN legal residency. You must retain that legal residency during the citizenship application process. Maintaining legal residency means meeting the time in country requirements that went into effect once you obtained your first residence card.
You must maintain your Golden Visa Investment or switch to a similar approved investment throughout the application process until citizenship is awarded.
Additionally you must demonstrate A-2 level proficiency in the Portuguese language.
You must be able to demonstrate a connection to Portugal. This can involve living legally in Portugal, frequent travel to Portugal, owning or renting property in Portugal for more than 3 years, ties with a Portuguese community abroad or a Portuguese club in your country of residence.
In 2025 the citizen application process is taking about 2 years from filing the application to receipt of citizenship and a Portuguese passport.
So please, do not be fooled. You will not have a Portuguese passport 5 years after applying for a Golden Visa.
Forget passport, at the current pace of AIMA working, you will not even have golden visa 5 years after applying for golden visa.
If u value self-esteem, don’t even bother applying for Portugal golden visa. But if you still end up doing so, prepare yourself for the long haul, a lot of emotional and monetary bruising. Even worse, because of a few bad actors, you may end up hating an entire country. Such is the trauma of applying for this visa.
I’d raise a minor quibble with a couple of points here:
Once you have your card and legal residence, and you continue to meet all of the requirements of that residence, and it has been 5 years since you first applied for your visa and received preliminary approval, you may APPLY for citizenship.
This has been debated, but the consensus seems to be that it’s five years from application and payment of the analysis fee, not five years from preliminary approval (which for many of us was a couple of years after application)
When applying for citizenship, you must have AND MAINTAIN legal residency. You must retain that legal residency during the citizenship application process. Maintaining legal residency means meeting the time in country requirements that went into effect once you obtained your first residence card.
Technically, the physical stay requirements are only tested on renewal of the ARI. During the citizenship process, when the IRN asks AIMA if you have valid residence, no-one checks at that point if you’ve been doing your 7/14 days. Obviously if your ARI will expire during the citizenship process you’ll want to fulfill the physical presence tests.
You must be able to demonstrate a connection to Portugal. This can involve living legally in Portugal, frequent travel to Portugal, owning or renting property in Portugal for more than 3 years, ties with a Portuguese community abroad or a Portuguese club in your country of residence.
Children seeking naturalisation must demonstrate ties - adults don’t need to. The requirement for adults to demonstrate ties was removed from the law several years ago. You need the ARI itself, A2 language and a clean criminal record.
So does it mean i technically need to have lived in Portugal at any point during or before my citizenship application? I remember reading having a Golden visa itself counts as legal residence?
Yes, you’d need to live there 7/14 days within each 1/2 years…
But that’s for renewal when i already have the card right?