A common question among Golden Visa investors is: “When does my five-year residency period begin for Portuguese nationality?”
The residency clock starts on the date your Golden Visa (GV) electronic application is considered submitted—meaning the application has been uploaded and the analysis fees have been paid—provided that the residency is ultimately approved.
Key Points to Keep in Mind:
You must hold valid legal residency both at the time of submitting your nationality application and at the time the Institute of Registries and Notaries (IRN) verifies your eligibility for nationality. This eligibility check typically happens before the final approval of the application.
The minimum stay requirement (7 days in the first year, 14 days in each subsequent two-year period) is counted from the issuance date of your residence card.
If your residence permit was automatically extended due to a COVID-related measure, it is considered valid for legal purposes.
After five years from the date your GV electronic application is submitted, you can apply for Portuguese citizenship without needing permanent residency—provided you meet other requirements, such as A2-level Portuguese proficiency and maintaining valid residency.
Understanding this timeline and its requirements allows investors to plan ahead, ensuring they meet all conditions for a smooth path to Portuguese nationality.
If you have additional questions on this topic, feel free to post them below or reach out directly.
What would be the equivalent for D Visa → Residency Card holders?
Our VFS appointment?
When VFS sent our docs to the Consulate?
When the Consulate notified us we were approved?
First day of validity of D Visa?
Entry date to Portugal?
SEF appointment date?
Date that is printed on our Residency Cards?
Thank you Vanessa, very helpful. To follow-up on your last statement:
After five years from the date your GV electronic application is submitted, you can apply for Portuguese citizenship without needing permanent residency—provided you meet other requirements, such as A2-level Portuguese proficiency and maintaining valid residency.
Does “maintaining valid residency” mean extending the residency card until citizenship is granted (I understand it is a 2-year process at present between application for citizenship and final approval)? Is the path to citizenship this way quicker, or is it faster to secure permanent residency first then apply for citizenship?
Thanks again
I apologize if this is a repeat question. Can you clarify if date of ‘GV electronic application submission’ is the original submission (for us Dec '22) or the resubmittion we are all being asked to do now with a new batch of apotilled docs (for us will be Feb '25). Thank you!
As you know, residence card renewals can be significantly delayed. If your residence card expires after you have applied for citizenship and you are waiting for renewal, does that prevent your being issued citizenship once your application is reviewed? If the government temporarily extends expired residence cards as they have done in the past, will that qualify for having legal residency for the purpose of achieving citizenship?
If I may add to the question: How is one week residency year-1 and two week residence requirement for subsequent two years counted when for the first 2 years most of us are waiting for boimetrics call and have not visited portugal in the interim?
I am sure that a fairly large cohort of GV applicants are in the same situation as I am: application in 2021. If AIMA comes through and solves the backlog for us by July 2025, we will be issued a residency card for 2 years. If we apply for citizenship as soon as our 5 year anniversary, our cards will expire while our citizenship application is being considered. If renewal of our cards is delayed, we could once more be left in limbo and our application either denied or delayed while waiting for renewal unless a blanket extension of expired cards is approved and recognized as valid residency.
The answer is yes. My understanding is that IRN will ask AIMA if the GV applicant has a legal residency at the time of processing. Even without a renewed card, an extension of residency is legal.
Also retirees are being denied NISS numbers because they do not work; but the health service has been denying permanent numero de udentes unless you have an NISS number. “
Portuguese healthcare system is based on a social security model, meaning that individuals need a Social Security number to access public healthcare servicesJan 14, 2025
Also, as part of the citizenship application arent you required to prove you do not owe money to segura sociadade? How do you do that if you can’t get a social security number?
My lawyers (who don’t by default request social security numbers for their GV clients) say that a letter from the social security people confirming you have no number, suffices as proof of lack of social security debt.
