Portuguese nationality for grandchildren of Portuguese nationals

Requirements to apply for Portuguese nationality for grandchildren of Portuguese nationals

Descendants of a Portuguese national who were born abroad and who represent the second generation of a Portuguese citizen, may obtain Portuguese nationality for grandchildren of Portuguese if they meet the following requirements:

1. Apostilled birth certificate of parents or grandparents whose nationality is Portuguese.
2. Authenticated copy of passport.
3. Birth certificate apostilled and translated into Portuguese language.
4. Apostilled criminal record.
5. Fill out the attached application form.
6. Demonstrate sufficient knowledge of the official language. The Portuguese language proficiency test can be taken in one of the following ways:
a) Certificate of qualification issued by an official educational institution or a private or cooperative educational institution recognized under the terms of the law;
b) Certificate of passing a diagnostic test conducted in any of the educational establishments provided for in the preceding paragraph, the models of which are approved by joint decree of the Ministers of Justice and Education;
c) Certificate of approval in the diagnostic test provided for in the previous paragraph, issued by the Portuguese consular services, when the interested party resides abroad;
d) Certificate of Portuguese as a foreign language, issued by taking a test in a Portuguese as a foreign language assessment center, recognized by the Ministry of Education through a protocol.
7. Verify the connection with Portugal, presenting the following documentation:
a) Property or lease located in Portugal, in the applicant’s name. The contract must be more than three years old.
b) Demonstrate frequent travel to Portugal.
c) Legal residence in Portugal or connection with Portuguese communities abroad.
d) Regular participation in the cultural life of the Portuguese community of the country where he/she resides, during the last five years at the date of application.
8. Pay the application fee on the web portal of the Institute of Registries and Notaries.

Documents that are not in Portuguese can be translated by: a Portuguese Notary, the Portuguese Consulate of the country of origin, qualified translators, and certified by any of the above mentioned services.

Portuguese nationality procedure for grandchildren of Portuguese nationals

The declaration for the acquisition of Portuguese nationality for grandchildren of Portuguese nationals must be signed in the presence of one of the registration officials when it is delivered. Or if the declaration is sent by mail to the “Balcões da Nacionalidade ou para Conservatória dos Registos Centrais”, there must be someone with power of attorney to acknowledge the signatures.

Applications can be submitted at:

1. At a window of the Institute of Notary and Registry of the National Center of Support for the Integration of Migrants in Lisbon or Porto.
2. At the Areeiro Records Space in Lisbon.
3. At the Odivelas citizenship office.
4. *If mailed, orders should be sent to: Conservatória dos Registos Centrais Rua Rodrigo da Fonseca, 198 1099-003 Lisbon.

Duration of the Portuguese nationality procedure for grandchildren of a Portuguese citizen

The application process for Portuguese nationality for grandchildren of Portuguese nationals can take from 1 year to 1.5 years.

Portuguese nationality application fees for grandchildren of Portuguese nationals

The application fee to the Institute of Registries and Notaries is € 175 euros.