Portuguese Citizen Card
After nationality registration, eligible citizens can proceed with the Portuguese citizen-identification documentation.
Portuguese Citizenship by Descent
Route
Citizenship by Descent
Who can apply
Eligible descendants of Portuguese nationals
Result
Portuguese nationality
From
€1,595
Citizenship, not a residence visa
Citizenship by descent is a nationality route rather than a Portuguese residence-visa route. Where you qualify, the result is Portuguese nationality, which can give you the rights associated with Portuguese and EU citizenship. A residence period in Portugal is not required for the standard child-of-Portuguese route, and the rules for grandchildren are different.
Pricing
Choose the right level of support
No hidden fees. No surprises. Every package includes your NIF and bank account setup, with a 50% discount for the second person and a 70% discount for dependants.
★ Most Popular
Descent Plus
€2810
Everything in the Complete Package, with three powerful additions
- Everything in the Complete Visa Package
- Consultation with Tax Lawyer
- Property Finder
- File and Accompany you for your AIMA Appointment
🗣️ Free Portuguese lessons to A2 included
Descent Complete
€1595
Your full Portugal move, start to finish — one package.
- Determine the most suitable visa for you
- NIF & Bank account assistance included
- Document checking and guidance before submission
- Unlimited email support for all your inquiries
- Video consultations with immigration lawyer
- VFS/Consulate Appointment Assistance
- A1/A2 Portuguese Language Course included
🗣️ Free Portuguese lessons to A2 included
Who This Is For
Claim Portuguese citizenship through your family line
Portuguese nationality law provides routes for people with a Portuguese parent and, under specific conditions, grandchildren of Portuguese nationals. The correct route depends on your generation, the Portuguese ancestor's status and the documents available to prove the family line.
Children of a Portuguese Parent
If you were born abroad and one of your parents was Portuguese, you may be able to obtain Portuguese nationality as a Portuguese citizen from birth through the applicable declaration or registration route.
Grandchildren of Portuguese Nationals
A grandchild of an original Portuguese grandparent may qualify subject to the statutory conditions, including the required connection to the Portuguese community.
No General Residence Requirement
The child-of-Portuguese route does not generally require you to establish residence in Portugal before applying. Grandchild cases have their own statutory requirements.
Portuguese Nationality
What is Portuguese citizenship by descent?
Portuguese citizenship by descent is a nationality route based on a qualifying Portuguese family connection. Instead of first obtaining residence in Portugal and later applying for naturalisation, eligible applicants can seek nationality based on their Portuguese parent or qualifying Portuguese grandparent.
Portuguese parent A person born abroad with a Portuguese mother or father can have a direct nationality route under Portuguese law.
Portuguese grandparent Grandchildren of an original Portuguese citizen can qualify when the statutory conditions are satisfied.
Residence is not the same as nationality Citizenship by descent is a nationality process, not a D7, D8, D2 or other residence-visa application.
Family documents are critical The application depends heavily on proving every relevant generation in the family line.
Portuguese Parent
Can I get Portuguese citizenship if my parent is Portuguese?
If you were born outside Portugal and your mother or father is Portuguese, Portuguese Justice guidance provides a nationality route for children of Portuguese nationals. The applicable declaration or registration must be completed and the Portuguese parentage must be established.
One Portuguese parent
You do not need both parents to be Portuguese. The official Justice guidance refers to a person born abroad who has a Portuguese mother or father.
Born outside Portugal
Being born outside Portugal does not by itself prevent the child of a Portuguese citizen from obtaining Portuguese nationality through the applicable route.
Parent's Portuguese status
The Portuguese parent's nationality status and the way the parent-child relationship is recorded can affect the documentation required.
Birth registration matters
The Portuguese birth and nationality records need to correctly reflect the family relationship and the applicable nationality declaration.
Grandchildren
Can a grandchild of a Portuguese citizen get Portuguese citizenship?
Yes, Portuguese nationality law provides a route for a person who has a Portuguese grandmother or grandfather who was Portuguese by origin and has not lost Portuguese nationality, subject to the statutory requirements.
👵 Portuguese Grandparent
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Original Portuguese nationality The official Justice guidance refers to an original Portuguese grandparent who has not lost Portuguese nationality.
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Grandparent's records The Portuguese grandparent's civil and nationality records form an important part of the lineage evidence.
🔗 Connection to Portugal
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Portuguese language The current Justice guidance states that knowledge of the Portuguese language is a recognised way of establishing the required connection to the Portuguese community.
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Other statutory conditions Grandchild applications must satisfy the other requirements provided by the nationality law.
Important: Do not assume that having any Portuguese grandparent automatically means citizenship will be granted. The nationality status of the grandparent, the complete family line and the statutory conditions must all be checked.
Important 2026 Update
Can I claim Portuguese citizenship through a great-grandparent?
This is an area where older online information can be misleading. The current 2026 nationality law does not create a normal direct citizenship-by-descent route for every great-grandchild.
⚠️ Great-Grandparent Is Different
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Third-degree descendant The current law contains a separate naturalisation provision for certain third-degree descendants of original Portuguese citizens.
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Residence requirement That provision requires legal residence in Portugal for at least five years.
🔎 Check Your Family Tree
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Portuguese parent Usually the most direct descent route.
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Portuguese grandparent A specific nationality route exists subject to statutory conditions.
Do not rely on old "great-grandparent citizenship" articles. The Portuguese nationality law changed in May 2026. We recommend checking the exact generation and legal basis before preparing a citizenship application.
What You Need
What documents are needed for Portuguese citizenship by descent?
The case is built around documentary evidence establishing the Portuguese ancestor and the uninterrupted chain connecting that ancestor to the applicant.
Portuguese Parent or Grandparent
Evidence establishing the Portuguese nationality and identity of the relevant parent or grandparent.
Lineage Documents
Birth and marriage records establishing every relevant link between the Portuguese ancestor and the applicant.
Applicant Identity
A valid passport, identity document or other accepted identification documentation.
Criminal Record
Where required for the applicable nationality procedure, criminal-record certificates must be obtained from the relevant countries.
Portuguese Community Connection
For grandchild applications, the current law recognises knowledge of the Portuguese language as a way of establishing the required connection to the Portuguese community.
Civil Registry Application
The nationality application is registered through the Portuguese civil-registration system and the competent nationality authorities.
Document chain matters: A single missing generation can make it difficult to establish the legal relationship. We map the complete family line before preparing the application.
Family Line
How do I prove my Portuguese ancestry?
The strongest citizenship-by-descent files clearly connect each generation through official civil records.
01
Identify the Portuguese ancestor
Confirm whether the relevant ancestor is your parent or grandparent and establish their Portuguese nationality status.
02
Find the next generation
Obtain the birth and, where relevant, marriage records connecting the Portuguese ancestor to their child.
03
Continue to the applicant
Document every generation until the family relationship reaches the person applying for Portuguese nationality.
04
Check names and dates
Differences in names, dates, places of birth and marital records should be identified before submission.
Common lineage questions
What if my surname changed?
A surname change does not necessarily break the family line, but the documentary evidence connecting the records must be established.
What if a certificate has an error?
The discrepancy should be assessed and corrected or explained where necessary before the nationality application.
What if I cannot find my ancestor's record?
Additional civil-registry or archival research may be needed before determining whether the lineage can be documented.
What if the records are in different countries?
That is common in international families. Each foreign document should be checked for the appropriate certification, legalisation and translation requirements.
Document Preparation
Do Portuguese citizenship documents need apostille and translation?
Foreign civil-status documents may need to be legalised or apostilled and translated according to the applicable Portuguese procedure and the country where the document was issued.
📜 Apostille / Legalisation
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Foreign public documents The appropriate authentication method depends on the issuing country and the document.
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Check before ordering Do not order unnecessary certifications without first checking which documents the case actually requires.
📝 Translation
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Portuguese documentation Foreign-language documents may require an accepted Portuguese translation.
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Document-specific Translation requirements should be checked against the specific document and nationality procedure.
How It Works
From family tree to Portuguese nationality
One dedicated team stays with you through the preparation and nationality application process.
1
Eligibility Assessment
We review your family tree, identify the Portuguese ancestor and determine which nationality route may apply.
2
Map the Lineage
We identify every birth, marriage and civil-status record needed to prove the chain of descent.
3
Prepare & Legalise
We guide you through document collection, certification, apostille/legalisation and translation requirements.
4
File the Nationality Application
We assemble the application and submit it through the appropriate Portuguese nationality/civil-registration channel.
5
Registry Processing
We follow the application through the nationality process and assist with correspondence or additional-document requests where applicable.
6
Portuguese Nationality
Once nationality is registered, you can proceed with the Portuguese identity-document and passport process.
Residence
Do I need to live in Portugal before applying for citizenship by descent?
For the direct child-of-Portuguese route, Portuguese Justice guidance does not impose a prior Portuguese-residence requirement. This is fundamentally different from naturalisation based on residence.
Child of a Portuguese parent
If you were born abroad and have a Portuguese mother or father, the nationality route is based on your parentage rather than first establishing residence in Portugal.
Grandchild of a Portuguese national
Grandchild applications have additional statutory requirements, including the required connection to the Portuguese community. They should therefore not simply be treated as identical to child-of-Portuguese applications.
Which Route?
Citizenship by descent vs Portuguese naturalisation
The two routes are fundamentally different. Choosing the correct legal basis before preparing documents can save significant time.
🧬 Citizenship by Descent
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Portuguese family connection Eligibility is based on a qualifying Portuguese parent or grandparent.
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No general residence requirement The direct child route does not require you to first live in Portugal.
🏠 Naturalisation
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Residence-based Naturalisation is based on meeting the statutory residence and other requirements.
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Different eligibility rules The evidence and legal requirements are different from descent-based nationality.
Common Problems
What can make a Portuguese citizenship by descent application difficult?
Missing birth certificate
A missing generation document can make the family chain difficult to establish.
Name differences
Spelling differences between records should be identified and assessed before filing.
Missing marriage records
Marriage records can sometimes be important for connecting or explaining different surnames between generations.
Foreign documents not legalised
Documents issued abroad may require apostille, legalisation or another recognised form of authentication.
Translation problems
Foreign-language documents may require an accepted Portuguese translation.
Wrong nationality route
A parent, grandparent and more distant ancestor can trigger different legal routes. The family generation should be confirmed before applying.
2026 Nationality Law
Why should you check the nationality law before applying?
Portugal changed its Nationality Law in May 2026. The new rules entered into force on 19 May 2026 and changed several nationality routes and requirements.
👨👧 Parent Route
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Still a direct family route The current Justice guidance continues to provide a route for people born abroad with a Portuguese mother or father.
👵 Grandparent Route
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Specific statutory route Grandchildren of an original Portuguese grandparent can qualify when the statutory conditions are met.
⚠️ Distant Ancestors
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Do not assume direct descent The 2026 law contains a separate naturalisation provision for certain third-degree descendants and requires five years of legal residence.
Professional Support
Why use professional help for Portuguese citizenship by descent?
🔎 Eligibility Review
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Identify the correct nationality route We assess your generation, Portuguese ancestor and available records before you begin.
🧬 Lineage Research
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Build the family chain We identify the documents needed to connect each generation.
📋 Document Review
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Check documents before filing We review names, dates, translations, certification and other documentary issues.
⚠️ No Guaranteed Outcome
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Registry decides Professional assistance cannot guarantee nationality or a specific processing time.
FAQ
Questions about our Portuguese Citizenship by Descent
No. Citizenship by descent does not require residency — you can apply from anywhere in the world.
Through a parent or grandparent in most cases. Claims through great-grandparents are possible only in limited circumstances — we assess your specific lineage.
For children of a Portuguese parent, usually not. For grandchildren, basic A2 Portuguese or other proof of effective ties to the community is often required.
Yes. Portugal permits dual citizenship, so you can normally keep your existing passport(s).
Typically 12–24 months, depending on how quickly the supporting records can be gathered and the registry's current backlog.
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