# What's the potential impact of the 2025 Portuguese election on the Golden Visa program and pathway to citizenship? **URL:** \ **Category:** Portugal Golden Visa\ **Tags:** malta, portugal, golden-visa, legal-q-and-a\ **Created:** [June 3, 2025, 8:08pm UTC](https://community.nomadgate.com/t/whats-the-potential-impact-of-the-2025-portuguese-election-on-the-golden-visa-program-and-pathway-to-citizenship/71816 "2025-06-03T20:08:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 89
**Author:** ![kgoff74](https://community.nomadgate.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kgoff74](https://community.nomadgate.com/u/kgoff74)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2025, 10:40pm UTC](https://community.nomadgate.com/t/whats-the-potential-impact-of-the-2025-portuguese-election-on-the-golden-visa-program-and-pathway-to-citizenship/71816/1828 "2025-11-28T22:40:10Z")
Other firms are Fieldfisher and Ana Bruno (the other one on the webinar) ---
**Author:** ![ohbee](https://community.nomadgate.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/977dab/32.png) [@ohbee](https://community.nomadgate.com/u/ohbee)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2025, 10:51pm UTC](https://community.nomadgate.com/t/whats-the-potential-impact-of-the-2025-portuguese-election-on-the-golden-visa-program-and-pathway-to-citizenship/71816/1829 "2025-11-28T22:51:48Z")
lol at giving lawyers in PT more money. sup lawsuits that went nowhere. ---
**Author:** ![tommigun](https://community.nomadgate.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/898d66/32.png) [@tommigun](https://community.nomadgate.com/u/tommigun)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2025, 11:13pm UTC](https://community.nomadgate.com/t/whats-the-potential-impact-of-the-2025-portuguese-election-on-the-golden-visa-program-and-pathway-to-citizenship/71816/1830 "2025-11-28T23:13:01Z")
I think we should run an urgent poll here to see if we can get enough subscribers to justify the cost per person. I am not feeling particularly keen to depart with €5k for a letter to the court, especially knowing I can write one myself for free. ---
**Author:** ![michaeljmuller](https://community.nomadgate.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/bbce88/32.png) [@michaeljmuller](https://community.nomadgate.com/u/michaeljmuller)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2025, 12:19am UTC](https://community.nomadgate.com/t/whats-the-potential-impact-of-the-2025-portuguese-election-on-the-golden-visa-program-and-pathway-to-citizenship/71816/1831 "2025-11-29T00:19:11Z")
I, too, am uncomfortable advocating to the courts. Instead, I think we should be prepared to advocate for ourselves should some aspects of this law be found unconstitutional. For example, the TC may find that retroactively moving the start date is unconstitutional but uphold the extension from 5 years to 10. If this is the case, I would like to see the start date used to calculate eligibility for the permanent residence move to be the application date (and not the date of issue of the first residency card). That way, yes, we have to wait 5 more years, but at least there’s a clear mechanism to maintain residency. Otherwise, there’s a mess of questions about holding the investment, dependents becoming eligible much later than the main applicant (and maybe not even be dependents anymore), what to do in the gap between the time you’ve invested for 5 years and are eligible to apply for a PR, etc. Maybe there’s no chance in hell that could happen, but shouldn’t we be preparing for this sort of thing and proposing a solution rather than just complaining about it after the fact? ---
**Author:** ![momo](https://community.nomadgate.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/f4b2a3/32.png) [@momo](https://community.nomadgate.com/u/momo)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2025, 6:07am UTC](https://community.nomadgate.com/t/whats-the-potential-impact-of-the-2025-portuguese-election-on-the-golden-visa-program-and-pathway-to-citizenship/71816/1832 "2025-11-29T06:07:02Z")
I’d also be down for 500€. anyone with a [Wise](https://nomadgate.com/go/wise)/[Revolut](https://nomadgate.com/go/revolut)/modern EU bank could do an instant IBAN transfer ---
**Author:** ![momo](https://community.nomadgate.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/f4b2a3/32.png) [@momo](https://community.nomadgate.com/u/momo)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2025, 6:11am UTC](https://community.nomadgate.com/t/whats-the-potential-impact-of-the-2025-portuguese-election-on-the-golden-visa-program-and-pathway-to-citizenship/71816/1833 "2025-11-29T06:11:59Z")
I also strongly agree that should the law pass, the next best thing would be to advocate to PSD, which historically has been in favor of the GV in my understanding, to make the Permanent Residency happen 5 years after application/holding the investment. They don’t give two shits about fairness obviously, but we could argue they should do it to keep the GV attractive. But i suppose that’s not the pressing matter at the moment and we should probably wait on that topic, just excited to find someone that’s had the same thought:) ---
**Author:** ![momo](https://community.nomadgate.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/f4b2a3/32.png) [@momo](https://community.nomadgate.com/u/momo)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2025, 6:19am UTC](https://community.nomadgate.com/t/whats-the-potential-impact-of-the-2025-portuguese-election-on-the-golden-visa-program-and-pathway-to-citizenship/71816/1834 "2025-11-29T06:19:47Z")
> [@kgoff74](#): > > I’ve been talking to the lawyers who did the Webinar for us a few days ago. They think we have a shot at getting our specific concerns in front of the court. Basically, the thinking goes, if the Governo gets to submit a brief (not a normal thing) then anyone can. But, the brief needs to be focused on our issues and we only have a few days (until December 2, realistically) to get a brief in front of them. The grouping of 3 law firms that would submit the brief is looking to charge us E10k for their work (including associated media work). I’m not willing to pay that much by myself. But I’d be willing to contribute towards it if there are enough others willing to do so. What does everyone else think? I’m genuinely on the fence here. I do think we can make arguments that no one else has made (specifically about investment-backed expectations tying the law on foreigners and the law on nationality together and putting us to the bottom of the line for issuance of permits). But also, E10k is a lot! _Poll ([view on site](https://community.nomadgate.com/t/whats-the-potential-impact-of-the-2025-portuguese-election-on-the-golden-visa-program-and-pathway-to-citizenship/71816/1834))_ ---
**Author:** ![cj807](https://community.nomadgate.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/fbc32d/32.png) [@cj807](https://community.nomadgate.com/u/cj807)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2025, 7:39am UTC](https://community.nomadgate.com/t/whats-the-potential-impact-of-the-2025-portuguese-election-on-the-golden-visa-program-and-pathway-to-citizenship/71816/1835 "2025-11-29T07:39:24Z")
I’d welcome any comments from @madalenamonteiro whether this is a realistic idea, and whether it has any prospect of influencing the TC ruling in our favour? ---
**Author:** ![kgoff74](https://community.nomadgate.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kgoff74](https://community.nomadgate.com/u/kgoff74)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2025, 7:53am UTC](https://community.nomadgate.com/t/whats-the-potential-impact-of-the-2025-portuguese-election-on-the-golden-visa-program-and-pathway-to-citizenship/71816/1836 "2025-11-29T07:53:54Z")
This is who I have been talking to. If she’s on here she can speak for herself, but in the meantime, yes, she thinks this is a good idea and has a prospect of influencing the TC (favorably). ---
**Author:** ![melodyh203](https://community.nomadgate.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/6bbea6/32.png) [@melodyh203](https://community.nomadgate.com/u/melodyh203)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2025, 10:15am UTC](https://community.nomadgate.com/t/whats-the-potential-impact-of-the-2025-portuguese-election-on-the-golden-visa-program-and-pathway-to-citizenship/71816/1837 "2025-11-29T10:15:12Z")
The TC may not be the problem as it is highly likely it will find both Decrees rejectable. Recent press repots have indicated that the AD (PSD + CSD) and Chega are considered to **override the TC ruling** as it has the 157 vote super majority. This strategy could literally ignore the TC ruling based on “policy needs”. That will be the least favorable outcome for ARI investors. ---
**Author:** ![tommigun](https://community.nomadgate.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/898d66/32.png) [@tommigun](https://community.nomadgate.com/u/tommigun)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2025, 10:20am UTC](https://community.nomadgate.com/t/whats-the-potential-impact-of-the-2025-portuguese-election-on-the-golden-visa-program-and-pathway-to-citizenship/71816/1838 "2025-11-29T10:20:11Z")
> [@melodyh203](#): > > Recent press repots have indicated that the AD (PSD + CSD) and Chega are considered to **override the TC ruling** Do you have any link to such reports? I do not think they would want to ‘override’ it and thus cause long-term political damage to themselves, especially the PSD. As we already know they chose not to override the Foreigners Law in the same situation just a few months ago. ---
**Author:** ![melodyh203](https://community.nomadgate.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/6bbea6/32.png) [@melodyh203](https://community.nomadgate.com/u/melodyh203)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2025, 11:10am UTC](https://community.nomadgate.com/t/whats-the-potential-impact-of-the-2025-portuguese-election-on-the-golden-visa-program-and-pathway-to-citizenship/71816/1839 "2025-11-29T11:10:34Z")
> **[Whether Parliament Truly Holds the Power to Override Parts of the Law Even If...](https://portugalimmigrationnews.com/articles/whether-parliament-truly-holds-power-override-parts-law-even-if-they-are-found#google_vignette)** > > Portugal’s Nationality Law Reform: Super-Majority, Constitutional Review, and the Battle AheadPortugal’s sweeping nationality-law reform has stepped into a defining moment. Backed by a large parliamentary majority, the legislation is now under... ---
**Author:** ![cj807](https://community.nomadgate.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/fbc32d/32.png) [@cj807](https://community.nomadgate.com/u/cj807)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2025, 11:19am UTC](https://community.nomadgate.com/t/whats-the-potential-impact-of-the-2025-portuguese-election-on-the-golden-visa-program-and-pathway-to-citizenship/71816/1840 "2025-11-29T11:19:17Z")
That article says that they _could_, which we already knew. There’s no indication that they _would_. ---
**Author:** ![goner00brained](https://community.nomadgate.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/7bcc69/32.png) [@goner00brained](https://community.nomadgate.com/u/goner00brained)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2025, 11:41am UTC](https://community.nomadgate.com/t/whats-the-potential-impact-of-the-2025-portuguese-election-on-the-golden-visa-program-and-pathway-to-citizenship/71816/1841 "2025-11-29T11:41:10Z")
They really should be doing without charge as a business development expense. This isn’t just a rant, they make a lot of money from this industry and they stand to lose a lot when people pull out. ---
**Author:** ![mdusanic](https://community.nomadgate.com/user_avatar/community.nomadgate.com/mdusanic/32/10052_2.png) [@mdusanic](https://community.nomadgate.com/u/mdusanic)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2025, 1:14pm UTC](https://community.nomadgate.com/t/whats-the-potential-impact-of-the-2025-portuguese-election-on-the-golden-visa-program-and-pathway-to-citizenship/71816/1842 "2025-11-29T13:14:04Z")
I’d love to hear from a lawyer on this because I dove into this topic a while ago and Article 288 of the Constitution carves out a bunch of entrenched/unamendable Provisions that cannot be overridden - and these include a set of core fundamental rights that, as I understand it, support many/most of the 8 PS issues, like reasonable expectations and non-retroactivity. So 2/3 of the legislature can’t do anything about a ruling against them. ---
**Author:** ![melodyh203](https://community.nomadgate.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/6bbea6/32.png) [@melodyh203](https://community.nomadgate.com/u/melodyh203)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2025, 2:05pm UTC](https://community.nomadgate.com/t/whats-the-potential-impact-of-the-2025-portuguese-election-on-the-golden-visa-program-and-pathway-to-citizenship/71816/1843 "2025-11-29T14:05:51Z")
That makes a lot of sense. If the TC’s ruling spells out Article 288 violations, the override will be invalid. The AD may be hoping that the TC judges would not directly put the Artilce 288 violations in the rulings. Then it is possible that the AD and Chega can force an override quickly and ask the President to approve the bill. Apparently it is possible to have the “Fiscalização Sucessiva” as the subsequent review by the TC to challenge the bill even after the bill has been enacted. That will be really terrible… ---
**Author:** ![sj-to-pt](https://community.nomadgate.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/5e9695/32.png) [@sj-to-pt](https://community.nomadgate.com/u/sj-to-pt)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2025, 3:00pm UTC](https://community.nomadgate.com/t/whats-the-potential-impact-of-the-2025-portuguese-election-on-the-golden-visa-program-and-pathway-to-citizenship/71816/1844 "2025-11-29T15:00:04Z")
Unless I’m mistaken, the TC has never before been overridden by Parliament, in the history of post-democracy Portugal. So, while possible, it would be a sort of political crossing of the Rubicon, so to speak; and I am not sure that PSD necessarily has the appetite for it. After all, using this power for the first and only time in history, to overrule a hypothetical TC ruling which defends the human rights of immigrants, is not how one probably wants to go down in the history books. ---
**Author:** ![momo](https://community.nomadgate.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/f4b2a3/32.png) [@momo](https://community.nomadgate.com/u/momo)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2025, 3:04pm UTC](https://community.nomadgate.com/t/whats-the-potential-impact-of-the-2025-portuguese-election-on-the-golden-visa-program-and-pathway-to-citizenship/71816/1845 "2025-11-29T15:04:05Z")
I’ve also reached out to [Mercan](https://nomadgate.com/go/mercan-properties?source=forum) see if they would willing to contribute. Maybe others could reach out to big GV industry players they are connected to and see if they would contribute? ---
**Author:** ![kgoff74](https://community.nomadgate.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kgoff74](https://community.nomadgate.com/u/kgoff74)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2025, 3:28pm UTC](https://community.nomadgate.com/t/whats-the-potential-impact-of-the-2025-portuguese-election-on-the-golden-visa-program-and-pathway-to-citizenship/71816/1847 "2025-11-29T15:28:23Z")
I’m unclear what happens if they are “overridden” by a supermajority and the law gets published. I would think the law is still just as unconstitutional and would still be just as vulnerable to attack in individual cases. It isn’t a constitutional amendment after all and also can’t change EU law inasmuch as that’s at play. There’s a whole separate process for constitutional amendments in the Portugal constitution. So, other than delaying the inevitable nullification of the law, I don’t see what the publication over the objection of the TC would achieve for the government. ---
**Author:** ![sj-to-pt](https://community.nomadgate.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/5e9695/32.png) [@sj-to-pt](https://community.nomadgate.com/u/sj-to-pt)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2025, 4:57pm UTC](https://community.nomadgate.com/t/whats-the-potential-impact-of-the-2025-portuguese-election-on-the-golden-visa-program-and-pathway-to-citizenship/71816/1848 "2025-11-29T16:57:50Z")
I’m still not all that optimistic that the TC will even rule in our favour. There’s a good chance they just allow it to be promulgated as is. [Previous page](https://community.nomadgate.com/t/whats-the-potential-impact-of-the-2025-portuguese-election-on-the-golden-visa-program-and-pathway-to-citizenship/71816.md?page=88) [Next page](https://community.nomadgate.com/t/whats-the-potential-impact-of-the-2025-portuguese-election-on-the-golden-visa-program-and-pathway-to-citizenship/71816.md?page=90)