Pending nationality requests exceed 690,000

The Instituto dos Registos e do Notariado (IRN) currently has 690,480 pending nationality applications, marking a 38% increase since 2025. Of these, 26% are from immigrants in Portugal based on legal residency, while 23% are claims from descendants of Sephardic Jews, and 13% from marriages or partnerships with Portuguese citizens. The data, provided by the Ministry of Justice, reflects the situation up to June 30, shortly after a new nationality law took effect on May 19. This law requires citizens from Portuguese-speaking countries to reside legally in Portugal for at least seven years to qualify for nationality, and ten years for nationals from other countries, an increase from the previous five-year requirement. The law also eliminated retroactive provisions and a controversial clause.