RelyOn Relocation® News

Portugal’s immigration authority has presented parliament with a progress report covering its work since 2024. During this period, 763,000 appointments were held, 525,000 cases were closed, 473,000 positive decisions were issued, and 225,000 residence cards were delivered. Under the expression of interest regularisation programme, 229,000 out of 256,000 applications were approved. Through the simplified scheme for citizens of Portuguese-speaking countries, more than 136,000 residence cards were issued. The figures point to a steady reduction in the administrative backlog that had built up over previous years.

Staff at Portugal’s immigration authority will be on strike from 1 to 5 June. During this period, delays or temporary suspension of appointment processing, document handling, and other administrative procedures are to be expected. Those with appointments scheduled during these dates are advised to check the status of their visit in advance on the authority’s official website. Applications already submitted will continue to be processed in the normal order once the strike concludes.

Portugal’s immigration authority has introduced an online form for applying for a residence permit for children born in Portugal. The update comes at a particularly relevant moment: under the new Nationality Law, a child born in Portugal is only entitled to citizenship if at least one parent has held a residence permit and lived in the country for five or more years — previously, one year was sufficient. Families who do not meet this requirement will need to apply for a residence permit for their child through the family reunification procedure. To submit the application, you will need a valid residence permit from one of the parents and a birth certificate registered at the consulate or embassy of the parents’ country of origin. The form is available in the residence permits section of the authority’s official website.

Portugal’s Council of Ministers has approved a bill that eliminates the possibility of entering the country as a tourist, enrolling in professional training courses, and using that as a basis to apply for a residence permit. Going forward, anyone seeking residency through study will need to obtain a student visa in advance from the consulate in their home country. The bill has been sent to parliament and is widely expected to pass. This route was one of the few remaining pathways to legal residency without a prior residence visa — following the abolition of the manifestação procedure in June 2024. Those who were considering this option should seek advice on available alternatives sooner rather than later.

Portugal’s income tax filing season is now open — a good moment to make sure everything is in order before submitting your return. Every year, thousands of families miss out on child tax deductions due to small errors when filing. The most common pitfall is the automatic filing option: if your family circumstances have changed — a new child, a divorce, or a shift in custody arrangements — the system may not reflect this automatically. In such cases, it is worth switching to manual filing and paying close attention to the section where all dependants must be correctly declared. Deductions per child directly reduce the final tax owed, ranging from €600 for children over three to €900 from the second child under six — amounts that are easy to lose over a single missed field.

In May 2026, Portugal’s President signed a revised Nationality Law introducing significant changes to the naturalization process. The required period of legal residency has been raised to 10 years for most foreign nationals, and 7 years for EU and Portuguese-speaking country citizens. The law also introduces stricter rules on how residency periods are counted, raises language proficiency standards, and limits citizenship rights for children born to foreign parents. It takes effect upon official publication in the Diário da República. Those planning to apply for naturalization should review their current status against the new requirements as early as possible.