Top 3 Ways to Get Portugal Citizenship
Nowadays, many individuals and families have been considering getting a permanent residence in Europe alongside citizenship. Europe is a popular place to live in as it offers many job opportunities that can earn you a hefty sum.
Right now, is just about a good time to think about it as the COVID pandemic is about to reach the end of its period. If you’ve been thinking about getting Portuguese citizenship, then we have you covered as we have here the top 3 ways you can get one yourself.
- Portugal Golden Visa Application
Getting a Portugal Golden Visa will prepare you for eventual Portuguese citizenship within 5 years. However, unlike the other method wherein you have to accumulate 5 years of staying within the country, this method requires you to only stay for at least seven days annually within the 5 years.
A golden visa will guide and provide you with all you need to get settled in Portugal. This includes linkages with real estate agencies, property management firms, lawyers, tax experts, and banks to open your bank account. Experienced professionals will recount their experiences with assisting previous golden visa applicants to improve and reinforce your decision to migrate.
There are some criteria that you must fulfill before you can be eligible for a golden visa. For instance, being a non-European citizen is the first and foremost requirement, and investing in one of the eligible investment options such as real estate, employment generation, venture funds, etc. would be required within the 5 years that you are enrolled. You are also required to have zero criminal background.
2. Completing a 5-year Residency Requirement
The most basic requirement, and most common method of getting a Portugal citizenship. Having stayed within the country for at least 5 years cumulative that is distributable within 15 years is the most basic requirement for obtaining Portuguese citizenship. If you’ve studied abroad as a student whether undergraduate or graduate studied in Portugal and added with a short period of work or vacation, then that could total up to 5 years or more.
By submitting the other required documents and applying for citizenship, you will be deemed eligible to do so as long as you don’t have any criminal liability or legal obligations that prevent you from doing so. In this method, you don’t necessarily have to own property, but the only basis is that if there is a legal record of you being inside Portuguese territory for a 5-year duration then that is grounds for requirement fulfillment.
3. Claiming Citizenship through Marriage or Ancestry
It is not uncommon for Portuguese citizens to get married to foreigners and for their husbands or wives to claim citizenship through marriage. Similarly, there are also grandchildren of Portuguese citizens who were born outside the country who claim their citizenship by right of ancestry. Both methods require numerous requirements to be fulfilled and submitted.
In the case of claiming citizenship through marriage, the spouse or husband needs to cohabitate with their significant other for at least three years for them to be eligible for Portuguese citizenship.