Portuguese Citizenship with a Lawyer in Portugal

Grandchildren, children and spouses of Portuguese citizens are entitled to obtain Portuguese citizenship, as well as legal residents who have lived in the country for more than five years. Descendants of living children or grandchildren of Portuguese citizens can also obtain Portuguese citizenship after their ascendants obtain it, which in many cases allows great-grandchildren to obtain Portuguese citizenship and eventually even great-great-grandchildren.

Obtaining Portuguese citizenship involves the following costs and the total varies according to each case:

Notary services in Brazil and Portugal:

• Issuance of the documents required to prepare the applications;
• Apostilles according to the Hague Convention;
• Genealogical research, when the person wishing to obtain Portuguese citizenship does not have the minimum information to locate the certificates in Portugal.

Civil Registry Fees:

• Minor Child: exempt
• Adult Child: 175€
• Minor Grandchild: exempt
• Adult Grandchild: 175€
• Spouse: 250€
• Residence Time: 250€

Legal Fees:

• For those who choose legal assistance from a lawyer specialized in Portuguese citizenship.

Document Shipping to Portugal

• For those who choose to obtain Portuguese citizenship in Portugal and benefit from faster completion times than at consulates.

Other Costs According to Each Case:

• Marriage Transcription
• Foreign Sentence Recognition (divorce, adoptions, etc.)
• Document Corrections

There is a stipulated deadline of up to 90 days for the Civil Registry Offices to analyze the process, but this is not what has been happening in practice for some years. Therefore, I present below estimated timeframes, according to what is currently observed. In some situations, such as serious health cases, it is possible to try an urgent request. It is also possible to try the legal route, due to non-compliance with the deadline.

In any case, filing the citizenship process directly in Portugal is the fastest way to obtain Portuguese citizenship. The online Portuguese citizenship process is available to lawyers registered with the Portuguese Bar Association, allowing your process to be filed immediately and avoiding the long wait for an appointment at a consulate.

Estimated Timeframes:

• Citizenship for Minor Children – 4 to 8 months
• Citizenship for Minor Grandchildren – 4 to 8 months
• Citizenship for Adult Children – 12 to 26 months
• Citizenship for Adult Grandchildren – 44 to 48 months
• Citizenship for Spouses – 44 to 48 months
• Citizenship by Legal Residence Time – 44 to 48 months

You can obtain Portuguese citizenship under these conditions and be considered Portuguese from birth if you:

• Were born abroad;
• Have a Portuguese mother or father.

You can obtain Portuguese citizenship under these conditions and be considered Portuguese from birth if you:

• Were born abroad;
• Have a Portuguese grandmother or grandfather who has not lost Portuguese nationality.

Descendants of living children or grandchildren of Portuguese citizens can also obtain Portuguese nationality after their ascendants obtain it, which in many cases allows great-grandchildren to obtain Portuguese citizenship and eventually even great-great-grandchildren.

In practice, if your grandfather or grandmother is alive and is the child of a Portuguese citizen, or if your father or mother is alive and is the grandchild of a Portuguese citizen, it is possible to obtain Portuguese citizenship for one of these generations of living ascendants first and then obtain yours as the grandchild or child of a Portuguese citizen.

The wish to become Portuguese must be declared while the marriage or civil union lasts.

You can obtain Portuguese citizenship after 3 years of marriage or civil union if you present documents proving a connection to the Portuguese community, or after 6 years if you have no connection to the Portuguese community.

To obtain Portuguese nationality as a spouse, you cannot:

• Have been convicted of a crime punishable in Portugal by a prison sentence of 3 years or more;
• Hold public office, other than purely technical functions, in another country;
• Have performed non-compulsory military service in another country;
• Be involved in terrorism-related activities.

You can acquire Portuguese nationality under these conditions if you:

• are over 18 years old (or emancipated under Portuguese law);
• have legally resided in Portugal for at least 5 years;
• have sufficient knowledge of the Portuguese language.

To acquire Portuguese nationality, you cannot:

• have been convicted of a crime punishable in Portugal by a prison sentence of 3 years or more;
• be involved in terrorism-related activities.

Yes, Portugal and Brazil allow dual citizenship, so you can keep your Brazilian nationality while acquiring Portuguese nationality.