What is the fastest way to get Portugal citizenship?

Jayshree Makadia
3 min readJun 16, 2022

You might have dreamed of going to Portugal, owning an estate, and getting European citizenship. Thus, you might be wondering how you will get citizenship in Portugal the fastest way you can. To introduce you to the different ways you can get Portugal citizenship, we shall explain to you the implications of each method.

Claiming Citizenship by Marriage

If you happen to get married to a Portuguese citizen, then you can claim your Portuguese citizenship within three years. These three years requirements can be fulfilled either in cohabitation or by simply providing proof that you’ve been married to them for at least three years.

This is, by far, one of the fastest selectable ways to get Portuguese citizenship among the available methods. Thus, if you’re planning to get a Portugal citizenship then you should consider marrying a partner who holds Portuguese citizenship.

Portugal residency

Claiming Citizenship through Ancestry

If you were born outside Portugal but you know that one of your grandparents is Portuguese or is holding Portuguese citizenship, then you might be able to claim your own Portugal citizenship. Although there are numerous requirements and steps that you need to fulfill to be granted yours, it is still worth the while since this entails many benefits.

Although this is only an extremely circumstantial condition, claiming citizenship that involves family or bloodline is the fastest way to obtain them.

Claiming Citizenship through a Golden Visa

A Portugal golden visa is a one-way ticket toward getting Portugal citizenship. From investing in your estate to getting your bank and legal procedures made, this option prepares you for an eventual permanent residency or Portugal citizenship. What makes this a good choice is that the minimum requirements to fulfill the conditions for a GV entails that you only need to stay at least 7 days annually for the 5 years of the golden visa.

This option is perfect, especially for those who can invest for 5 years and are unable to stay in the country for long durations while waiting for the 5 years to finish. As the most recommended method, this one should be your topmost priority to consider. Do note that there are certain criteria that you have to meet if you are opting for this method.

Claiming Citizenship through Residency

You can get a permanent residency status or Portugal citizenship if you have stayed in the country for at least 5 years. This doesn’t mean that it must be 5 years straight, but rather accumulative within 15 years. This means that if you’ve studied abroad as a student in Portugal and worked there for a cumulative amount of 5 years then you can obtain your Portugal citizenship.

Regardless of how you achieved your 5 years, so long as you fulfill that one condition, it will automatically render you capable of claiming your Portuguese citizenship.

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