Applying for citizenship while waiting for card renewal

Residencies & citizenships Portugal Golden Visa 🇵🇹
1

Hello everyone,
Has anyone been through the following scenario?
Language certificate done. 4 years golden visa done, waiting for renewal (no appointments). In a few months five years will be complete. Can candidate apply for citizenship at 5 year mark without having had the opportunity to renew their GV?
Thank you for sharing any experience.

2

Legally within Portugal your card is valid until June 30 2025, and it’s very likely they will extend it further.

Provided they extend it further I think you should be fine to apply

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3

It has been discussed here a few times before and a few members advised that IRN performs a check for the possession of a valid unexpired card (not extended by decree), and if the check returns negative they put the process on hold until such time a new card is obtained and evidence supplied.

So it appears you can apply with an expired card but your citizenship application will not be completed until you have the renewed card.

4

Right but given potential negative changes in the citizenship law I think applying ASAP is advisable, since applying should lock you in under the current law.

Delays after applying are less legally impactful than delays before applying.

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5

That’s a good point, and I don’t disagree.

6

Sorry but this is not how it works
During analysis the conservator checks if the applicant has lived in the country for at least 5 years AT THE TIME OF APPLICATION (surely with valid cards) amd not if they have valid cards at the time of analyzing ( no sens)
Otherwise no one can get his nationality in the actual context (difficult to renew, extension of expired cards,…)

7

I believe many people are in the same situation. If it helps here is what I know;

  • you can apply after 5 years of the issue date of your first residency card
  • “contagem de tempo” is a document that proves that someone has been a legal resident for 5 years, extensions granted during and post-covid count towards this time linw
  • my third card has also expired and I’m still waiting for my nationality application to finalize. My lawyers are telling me that as long as the card’s validity is extended by a decree, I should be fine even if I am not able to renew.
  • if I recall right, right now cards expired on November 2024 are being renewed, this is what I see on FB forums.
  • the expectation is somewhere around last week of june there will be another extension on the previous cards’ validity till end of 2025.

Hope this helps
All the best

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8

Has anyone applied for citizenship under the new rules, where the 5 years start counting since initial application submission? How does one prove initial application date?