A new citizenship law has been passed. According to it, children of immigrants born in Portugal, whose parents are foreigners and reside in the country, now have the legal right to become citizens.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of Portugal, has approved the new nationality law which allows children of immigrants who have lived here for at least a year to have Portuguese nationality at birth, even if they have resided here without documents or if only one of their parents legally resides in Portuguese territory.
As for the approved law, the changes relate to articles 3, 4 and 5 and are aimed at ensuring that childless couples have equal conditions of access to Portuguese citizenship.
Those born in Portugal to foreign nationals living in the territory already have the right to obtain citizenship if one of the parents has resided in the country for two or more years, but the new law reduces this period to one year.
Also, in accordance with Law 37/81, «A foreigner married to a Portuguese citizen for more than three years may acquire Portuguese citizenship through a declaration of marriage.» This also includes common-law marriages in Portugal.
This legal amendment is the final important link added to the Portuguese golden visa scheme, as it makes it the only programme in the EU, which allows a person born in Portugal to be subject to jus soli.
Furthermore, according to Portuguese law, there are three ways to obtain Portuguese citizenship with a Golden Visa residency, and all of them are superior compared to other European countries.
It is important to mention that Portugal is on track to become a US E1 and E2 treaty country, and if all goes to plan, this treaty will allow new Portuguese citizens to live and work in the US.
