Portugal Moves To Enforce Tougher Citizenship Rules, Nigerians Face 10-Year Wait

Portugal has approved regulations to implement its revised citizenship law, which doubles the residency requirement for Nigerians and other nationals outside the European Union and Portuguese-speaking countries.

The Council of Ministers approved the measures on October 29, setting out how officials will assess applications, including language, cultural knowledge and financial independence requirements.

Under the amended law, Nigerians, Indians, Pakistanis, Nepalis and Bangladeshis must complete 10 years of legal residence before applying for citizenship. EU nationals and citizens of Portuguese-speaking countries have a seven-year pathway.

The regulations had yet to be confirmed as published in Portugal’s official gazette as of November 2, leaving some administrative details pending.

The changes come as Portugal faces a major citizenship backlog. Justice Ministry figures cited by local media showed 690,480 applications awaiting decisions at the end of June, up 38 per cent year-on-year.

The revised legislation was approved by parliament in April, signed by President António José Seguro in May and came into force on May 19.

Minister of the Presidency António Leitão Amaro said the regulations would support implementation and streamline procedures, including through expanded digital processing and data-sharing between public agencies.