The new Portuguese government plans to increase the naturalisation period for citizenship from 5 to 10 years

What is happening and how can we influence it?

The new government formed after the May 2025 elections has already sent a draft amendment to the Citizenship Law to the Assembleia da República. The main change is to increase the naturalisation period from the current 5 years to 10 years. This would severely affect the plans of thousands of people who already live, work and integrate in Portugal, counting on the current 5-year rule.

But until the amendment is adopted, we have a CHANCE to act. We propose a simple and fair solution – a transition regime: keep the current 5-year period for everyone who is legally in the country on the date the future law comes into force. That is exactly what official petition No. 5005 demands. It was prepared by Ilya Bobin together with lawyers and is published on the Assembleia da República portal.

Without public pressure, the MPs will simply pass the draft “as is” and make our lives much harder. But rights can and must be defended — and in democratic Portugal, this is possible even without Portuguese citizenship. A petition is a tool that legally obliges the parliament to respond. According to the rules, if 7,500 signatures are collected, the petition must be discussed in a plenary session.

Our goal is to collect at least 12,500 signatures. The sooner we collect them, the better our chances! Every vote matters! Sign now and share the link with friends!

How to sign? It’s very easy – just 5 minutes of your time!

1. If you aren’t registered on the portal yet

Open the registration page: https://participacao.parlamento.pt/register. The registration form will appear.

2. Fill in the registration form

Enter your real data – otherwise your signature may be rejected. After filling in, click «Registar».

• E-mail* – the email address where confirmation will be sent.
• Password* / Confirmação* – choose and repeat a password.
• Tick the box “Autorizo a utilização dos dados fornecidos nos termos aqui definidos e para os fins expostos” to consent to data processing.
• Nome completo* – your full name in Latin characters.
• Morada / Contacto telefónico – your address and phone number in Portugal (preferably fill in).
• Fotografia – upload a photo of your Portuguese residence card or passport.
• Data de nascimento – your date of birth.
• Nacionalidade – select your nationality from the dropdown list.
• Tipo de documento de identificação – choose the document type: for a residence card select “Outro tipo de documento de identificação”, or for a passport select “Passaporte”. Prefer your Portuguese document if you have one.
• Número do documento de identificação* – the number of the document selected above.
• Data de validade do documento de identificação – the expiry date of the document (if it isn’t permanent).

3. Confirm your e-mail

You will receive an email with the subject Confirmação. Click the «Aqui» link to confirm. If you don’t see the email, check your spam folder.

4. After registering, or if you were already registered

Log in with your credentials and return to the petition via the link official petition No. 5005. Click the small green “Assinar” button.

Then click “Confirmar”.

5. Check the confirmation

You should receive a second email confirming your signature. If you got it, your signature is counted. Thank you for participating!

It’s safe and legal!

Signing on the portal is a right expressly guaranteed by Article 52 of the Portuguese Constitution. Exercising this right cannot become a negative factor in future residence-permit or citizenship applications. Your personal data is seen only by the parliamentary service; the public record shows only your first name and the initial of your surname.