Portugal Tightens Citizenship Rules: Golden Visa Holders Face 10-Year Wait, New Civic Test Added — EU Residency Pathway Analysis
Portugal’s President signed a new law on May 3, 2026 extending the citizenship waiting period for Golden Visa holders from 5 to 10 years, and adding a civic knowledge test (covering Portuguese history, culture, and language). The law also shifts the residency clock to start from the application date rather than the initial residence card issuance. Amid a global trend of golden visa tightening, this policy shift has profound implications for overseas Chinese investors planning EU residency.
On May 3, 2026, Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa signed a new nationality law amendment, extending the citizenship waiting period for Golden Visa holders from the current 5 years to 10 years. This represents Portugal’s most significant tightening of citizenship rules in recent years, marking a major policy shift for the Southern European nation.
The new law also introduces a civic knowledge test requirement, requiring applicants to demonstrate understanding of Portuguese history, culture, and basic Portuguese language. Additionally, the residency calculation method has changed substantively — the 10-year residency requirement for citizenship no longer starts from the initial residence card issuance date, but from the date the residency application was submitted. This means that the “waiting time” during application processing is now included in the residency calculation for the first time, though the overall threshold has still increased substantially.
As of 2026, Portugal’s foreign resident population has reached approximately 1.5 million, accounting for nearly 15% of the country’s total population. The rapid growth in immigration numbers is widely considered a key driver behind the government’s tightening of citizenship policy.