really? surely you can just submit and they might just reject. you can do a paper application maybe?
I’m pretty sure the law does not go into affect until 5 days after being published in the Diario de republica. That would mean that it needs to be presented 2-3 times,debated, Sent to President for approval/veto, and then published in the Diario de Republica at which time it goes into force.
I would assume that we could still submit our applications under old regime until it gets formally promulgated…but any legal minds feel free to chime in.
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Do you have the email addresses or some links for contacting them?
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They might take up to two years just to reject the application. And if you hit the five-year mark during that time, you won’t be able to start a new nationality process because you’re already stuck in one. Honestly, this whole suggested route is built on guesswork and frustration. Portuguese nationality laws don’t bend to what we hope or expect. Even if the lawmakers seem out of touch, the folks at IRN and the Ministry of Justice know exactly what they’re doing—they’re trained for this stuff.
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you could just withdraw your application and start again. Yes, its guesswork, but you might as well roll the dice IMO, literally nothing to lose except money and your lawyers time. It’s a gamble at a casino, that’s all.
For those of us who don’t have our first card because of the delayed AIMA process, is there any recourse for something out of our control? The proposed change doesn’t seem to account for how it affects applicants.
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For now, write a demand letter to the Asssembly, Government and the President.
Later (hopefully it does not come to that though) - a legal action including a class action.
Yes, search my earlier posts or just find it yourself on the Assembly website like I did in the first place.
@elorimerlogin
I think this is text of the original proposal in june, not the revised version.
Yes, anything goes is the only correct answer when it comes to Portuguese government!
Do you think a group letter from this community can be more effective? Combining the survey results?
Could be, but then we’d need someone to pull together all signatories with real names and addresses and all. Which is challenging in the best of times 
Not the normal format, but the updated proposed law by each clause (I hope the link works): https://www.parlamento.pt/ActividadeParlamentar/Paginas/IniciativasLegislativas.aspx
Article 15 (which counts residence from the time of application, rather than residence card) is to be revoked. And as mentioned by the links already provided by others, EU/CPLP countries as 7 years, all others 10 years.
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Do you understand that to be retrospectively?
When I go there and search for the ‘nacionalidade’ ones, all I find are the ‘v1’ ones from June. What’s the magic to find the latest October v2 ones?
e.g. page 39
Nationality Bill now being split into 2 tracks?
…and, erm, how is starting the nationality clock according to AIMA’s random approval timelines any less constitutionally dubious?
PSD splits Nationality Law into two and isolates most controversial measure
A discussion on changes to the Nationality Law was scheduled for this Wednesday in the Constitutional Affairs Committee, but the PSD and CDS parties requested that the debate be postponed until next week.
The PSD and CDS parties have split the bill that aims to amend the Nationality Law into two parts, isolating the provision that provides for the loss of nationality for those who commit crimes considered very serious. The most problematic measure of the set of amendments proposed by the Government is thus isolated from the other proposals, allowing the two texts to advance at different speeds and, in the government’s view, facilitating the approval of most of the amendments to the Nationality Law. The idea is that a possible declaration of unconstitutionality—or, at least, a referral to the Constitutional Court (TC)—will not delay the implementation of the remaining amendments.
UPDATE from DN on the same:
- The new versions of the texts feature modifications based on opinions received, primarily from constitutional scholars [but what about this one???
]. "After careful analysis of the many contributions submitted, the quality of which is worth highlighting, the proposing parties decided to exclude from the Nationality Law’s text the proposal that, by far, generated the greatest disagreement—the sanction of loss of nationality
- The retroactive effect on the application for nationality for immigrants was also removed. Initially, the proposal set the effective date as June 18th
- It remains the case that citizens of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) will need five years of residence with a residence permit. For other immigrants, the period is ten years, double the current time.
- But these may not yet be the final texts. The Socialist Party (PS) announced that it will also present proposals, while welcoming the amendments from the PSD and CDS-PP.
Another try:
Under https://www.parlamento.pt/ActividadeParlamentar/Paginas/IniciativasLegislativas.aspx
OR in the parlamento.pt website go to
Actividades Parlementar, choose Iniciativas
Fill in the information as in this picture and then Pesquisar:
And click on the bottom under Titulo which gets the pdf
If you mean this, that’s still the v1 from 23-June I believe (see page 39)? There’s other discussion and opinion papers from July/etc under that too, but not seeing the latest v2 from October (yet).
@elorimerlogin - “Lei n.º 37/81, de 3 de outubro” is the original from 3-October 1981
I think the comparison table annexed is the easiest to follow the proposed changes. I am disappointed that there is still no transition period for current residents.
But from what i saw, in the latest proposal by government the text that was excluding the time from application to issuance of the card for residency (artigo 5) is deleted. I am not a lawyer, but does that mean time count will not change?
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07b4e237-7c88-40f3-9360-26b9ae46701d.pdf (907.9 KB)
Take 3. It will be there until Friday 17th Oct.
Its actually there, but now the link is under Quadro comparativo, all the way at the bottom - just before the Processo de urgência.
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