Country guide · Portugal

Portuguese citizenship for grandchildren: the 2026 rules, documents and fees

Michael Soucek·Last reviewed October 2026

Educational information only — not legal advice. Always verify with the relevant authority, consulate or registry office.

Yes, you can still get Portuguese citizenship through a grandparent. If one of your grandparents was Portuguese from birth and never lost that nationality, you can declare that you want to be Portuguese and become Portuguese of origin, without moving to Portugal. What changed on 19 May 2026 is the bar: grandchildren must now prove Portuguese language and culture, civics knowledge and a commitment to democratic principles, on top of ties to the Portuguese community.

The short answer

  • Who qualifies: people born abroad with at least one grandparent who was Portuguese of origin (born Portuguese, not naturalised) and who did not lose Portuguese nationality.
  • What you must show: effective ties to the Portuguese community, plus the integration requirements of Article 6(1)(c) to (h) of the Nationality Law, which apply to grandchildren since the 2026 reform.
  • No residence needed. You can file from abroad, at a Portuguese consulate or by post to the Central Registry in Lisbon.
  • Fee: €175 for an adult, free for a minor.
  • Result: nationality of origin, treated as held from birth, which your own children can then claim through you. Portugal lets you keep your other citizenship.

What the law says: Article 1(1)(d)

Portugal’s Nationality Law is Lei 37/81, most recently amended by Lei Orgânica 1/2026, published in the Diário da República on 18 May 2026 and in force the next day. Article 1(1)(d), which the reform left word for word as it was, makes Portuguese of origin anyone with at least one second-degree ascendant (a grandparent) of original Portuguese nationality who has not lost it, if they declare that they want to be Portuguese and have effective ties to the national community.

The reform rewrote Article 1(3). It now says that nationality under Article 1(1)(d) requires meeting the conditions in Article 6(1)(c) to (h), the same integration conditions used for naturalisation. You must:

  1. prove, by test or certificate, sufficient knowledge of Portuguese language and culture, history and the national symbols;
  2. know the fundamental rights and duties of Portuguese citizens and how the Portuguese state is organised;
  3. solemnly declare your adherence to the fundamental principles of a democratic state under the rule of law;
  4. not have a final conviction with an actual prison sentence of more than three years for terrorism, violent or highly organised crime, crimes against state security or aiding illegal immigration, as punishable under Portuguese law;
  5. not be a danger or threat to national security or defence;
  6. not be subject to restrictive measures (sanctions) adopted by the UN or the EU.

The residence requirement in Article 6(1)(b) is not on that list, which is why grandchildren still do not need to live in Portugal. Under Article 6(10), nationals of Portuguese-speaking countries are presumed to meet the language part, unless their lack of Portuguese is obvious. That presumption covers the language only, not culture, history or civics.

What changed in 2026, and what if you applied before?

Before the reform, Article 1(3) said a grandchild’s ties to Portugal were shown by sufficient knowledge of Portuguese, and depended on having no final prison sentence of three years or more for a crime punishable under Portuguese law and posing no threat to national security. There was no culture, history or civics requirement and no formal democratic-principles declaration.

Article 7 of Lei Orgânica 1/2026 says administrative procedures already pending when it came into force keep the previous version of the law. If your grandchild application was submitted by 18 May 2026, it is decided under the old rules. Anything filed from 19 May 2026 falls under the new ones.

One thing is still open. The law gave the Government 90 days to amend the Nationality Regulation (Decreto-Lei 237-A/2006) to fit the new rules, and the Ministry of Justice’s own pages say some changes depend on that regulation. As of this check we could not confirm that the amended regulation has been published, and the official grandchild page on justica.gov.pt still describes the old conditions. That means the format of the culture and civics test, and exactly which certificates will be accepted, are not settled in any official source we could find. Ask the IRN or your consulate before you file.

What level of Portuguese do you need?

The law does not name a level. The current rules for the Portuguese language test for nationality (Portaria 176/2014) define sufficient knowledge as level A2 of the Common European Framework of Reference, with reading, writing and listening components. A2 is basic: everyday exchanges, simple notices, short messages. The CIPLE exam from CAPLE, the University of Lisbon’s Portuguese-as-a-foreign-language assessment centre, corresponds to A2 and is held in May, July and November at exam centres abroad and in Portugal. Our language requirements guide compares Portugal with the other countries that test.

Does your grandparent have to be alive, or your parent registered first?

Alive: the law does not require it. It asks for a grandparent who was Portuguese of origin and did not lose that nationality, and the official document list asks for the grandparent’s birth certificate, not proof of life.

Parent first: not required. You apply directly as the grandchild, and your parent’s birth certificate is the link. It can be a foreign certificate, apostilled and translated.

Never lost it: this is the condition that sinks most claims. Under the law in force before 3 October 1981 (Lei 2098 of 1959), a Portuguese citizen who voluntarily took another nationality lost Portuguese nationality. If your grandparent naturalised in the US, Canada or elsewhere before that date, look at what their Portuguese birth record shows. Article 31 of today’s law says such a person regains Portuguese nationality automatically if the loss was never definitively registered, or by declaration if it was. How that interacts with the grandchild route is a legal question for the IRN or a Portuguese lawyer, not one to guess at.

The parent route: Article 1(1)(c)

A child born abroad to a Portuguese mother or father is Portuguese of origin once their birth is registered in the Portuguese civil register or they declare that they want to be Portuguese. There is no language, culture or ties test on this route. Under Article 11, nationality attributed this way takes effect from birth.

That is why the parent-first strategy often makes sense. If your parent is alive and is the child of the Portuguese grandparent, they can register under Article 1(1)(c), becoming Portuguese from their own birth. You then claim as the child of a Portuguese citizen, skipping the A2 and civics requirements. It is also how great-grandchildren usually get in: the only direct great-grandchild route, Article 6(8), is discretionary naturalisation after at least five years of legal residence in Portugal. See citizenship through great-grandparents for how other countries handle the same problem.

Documents you need

The Ministry of Justice’s list for grandchildren is:

  • Your birth certificate, ideally a full (long-form) copy, legalised by apostille or by a Portuguese consulate, with a certified Portuguese translation if it is not in Portuguese.
  • Your parent’s birth certificate (the parent who is the grandparent’s child), on the same terms. You can skip it if that birth is registered in Portugal and you give the registry office, year and record number.
  • Your grandparent’s birth certificate. Again, you can skip it if you identify the Portuguese registry office (conservatória), year and record number.
  • Criminal record certificates from your country of birth, your country of nationality and every country you have lived in since age 16, with certified Portuguese translations.
  • The declaration form for acquiring Portuguese nationality, signed in front of a registry officer when you hand it in, or with the signature certified if you post it. For a minor, the parents or legal representatives sign.
  • Proof of the integration requirements for applications from 19 May 2026, starting with a Portuguese language certificate. Confirm what else the IRN currently asks for.

Marriage and name-change records are not on the official list, but you will usually need them wherever names or surnames change between generations. For how to legalise and translate them, see the apostille guide and certified translation guide.

Where and how to apply

  • Online only through a lawyer or solicitor (mandatário). Since 1 December 2023 the online channel is reserved for, and mandatory for, these professionals.
  • By post to a Balcão da Nacionalidade or to the Conservatória dos Registos Centrais, Rua Rodrigo da Fonseca, 198, 1099-003 Lisboa, Portugal.
  • In person at the Portuguese consulate for where you live, at the Conservatória dos Registos Centrais in Lisbon, at a Balcão da Nacionalidade or civil registry office in Portugal, or at CNAIM Porto.

Since the 2026 reform, a nationality declaration made at a consulate must be made by you in person (Article 17), unless you are physically unable to attend and no consular officer can come to you. The amended law also has the IRN or consular staff collect biometric data from applicants. You can track a filed case with the Ministry of Justice’s online status service.

Fees and processing time

The IRN’s Registry Fees Regulation (article 18, item 2.1.1) charges €175 for the attribution of Portuguese nationality to an adult, covering the declaration, the registration and documents the registry obtains itself. It is free for minors (article 10). If the application is rejected at the outset, the fee is still due in full. Your own costs for certificates, apostilles, translations, criminal records and the language exam are separate.

The IRN does not publish an official processing time for grandchild declarations, and the Ministry of Justice pages we checked give none. Plan for a long wait, file a complete application, and keep copies of everything you send.

For how Portugal compares with Ireland, Italy and the other grandparent countries, see citizenship through grandparents, and for the full picture of Portuguese routes, the Portuguese citizenship by descent guide.

Frequently asked questions

Can I still get Portuguese citizenship through my grandparents?

Yes. Article 1(1)(d) of the Nationality Law still makes the grandchild of a Portuguese national Portuguese of origin, by declaration, without living in Portugal. The grandparent must have been Portuguese of origin and never lost that nationality. Since 19 May 2026 you must also meet the integration requirements in Article 6(1)(c) to (h): Portuguese language, culture, history and national symbols, knowledge of rights, duties and Portugal’s political system, a solemn commitment to democratic rule of law, and no disqualifying criminal or security record.

Does my grandparent have to be alive?

The law does not say so. Article 1(1)(d) asks for a grandparent who was Portuguese of origin and did not lose that nationality, and the official document list asks for the grandparent’s birth certificate, not proof that they are living. If the grandparent’s birth is registered in Portugal, you can name the registry office, year and record number instead of supplying the certificate.

Does my parent have to get Portuguese citizenship first?

No. You apply directly as a grandchild, using your parent’s birth certificate (apostilled and translated if it is foreign) to link you to the grandparent. But if your parent claims first under Article 1(1)(c), they are treated as Portuguese from birth, and you can then register as the child of a Portuguese citizen, a route with no language, culture or ties test.

Can great-grandchildren get Portuguese citizenship?

Not directly from abroad. Since May 2026, Article 6(8) lets the Government grant naturalisation to great-grandchildren of Portuguese of origin who have lived legally in Portugal for at least five years. It is discretionary and gives acquired, not original, nationality. The usual route is for your parent to claim as a grandchild first, then for you to register as their child.

What level of Portuguese do I need?

The law asks you to prove, by test or certificate, sufficient knowledge of Portuguese language and culture, history and national symbols. The existing Portuguese language test rules (Portaria 176/2014) define sufficient knowledge as level A2, and the CIPLE exam from CAPLE is an A2 certificate. How the new culture and civics part will be tested depends on the updated Nationality Regulation; check with the IRN before you file. Nationals of Portuguese-speaking countries are presumed to know the language.

How much does it cost?

The IRN fee for an adult grandchild’s nationality attribution is €175 under the Registry Fees Regulation. It is free for minors. Your own costs for certificates, apostilles, translations, criminal records and the language exam come on top, and the fee is not refunded if the application is rejected at the outset.

My application was filed before May 2026. Which rules apply?

The old ones. Article 7 of Lei Orgânica 1/2026 says procedures already pending when it came into force on 19 May 2026 keep the previous version of the law. For grandchildren, that meant ties to Portugal were shown by sufficient knowledge of Portuguese, plus no final prison sentence of three years or more and no security threat.

Official sources

Checked against these sources on 24 October 2026. The amended Nationality Regulation may change how the new requirements are tested; confirm with the IRN or your Portuguese consulate before you apply.