Portugal Reduces Timeline to Passport

Portugal Immigration department (SEF) announced the launch of the modified citizenship legislation where the necessary period of legal residence required for citizenship applicants is reduced from 6 years to 5. This modification to the citizenship legislation makes the program even more attractive for international investors whose long term goal is to gain a Portuguese Passport and Citizenship.
 
Portugal Golden Visa program allows investors to purchase a property starting from a minimum of €350,000 in return the investor and his family (spouse, children and parents) will obtain a residency permit. Once a 5 year residency has been completed, the residency holders will be eligible to apply for the Portuguese passport if the other requirements were met.
 
The residency requirement under the Golden Visa program is defined as spending a minimum of 7 days per year in the country and being registered with the Portuguese Tax authorities. Citizenship applicants must also demonstrate sufficient knowledge of the Portuguese language and have a clear criminal record. The requirements for citizenship are much more favorable when compared with other EU residency programs, where usually a longer period of residence is required.
 
Positive changes have been performed for the Golden Visa program since 2017 and processing time has improved dramatically. SEF recently reported that in most cases, processing is now taking approximately 90 days from the date of submission for first time applicants and roughly 60 days for renewals.