# Portuguese Citizenship by Descent: The 2026 Guide > Do you have Portuguese ancestry? Who qualifies for Portuguese citizenship by descent in 2026, the documents you need, timelines, and how the process works through the IRN. - Source: https://www.growinportugal.com/your-ultimate-guide-to-acquiring-portuguese-citizenship-by-descent - Publisher: GrowIN Portugal (https://www.growinportugal.com) - Published: 2023-05-15 - Last reviewed: 2026-08-28 - Language: en Portuguese citizenship by descent lets people with Portuguese ancestry claim a full EU passport — the right to live, work and study anywhere in the European Union — without ever having lived in Portugal. If a parent or grandparent was Portuguese, you may already be entitled, or eligible to apply. And there is good news worth stating up front: the major 2026 reform of Portugal's Nationality Law, which lengthened the residency route to citizenship, **did not curtail the descent routes**. If your claim runs through blood, the new residency clocks do not apply to you. This guide explains who qualifies, what changed, the documents you need, and how the process actually runs. ## The Two Descent Routes Are Not the Same Portuguese nationality law recognises citizenship through bloodline (*jus sanguinis*), but a parent and a grandparent are treated very differently. **Through a parent (attribution).** If your mother or father was a Portuguese citizen at the time of your birth, you are generally treated as Portuguese by *origin* — an entitlement, not a discretionary grant. It does not matter where you were born. The task is essentially to prove the link and have it registered. **Through a grandparent (by descent).** Grandchildren of a Portuguese citizen can claim nationality by descent, but with conditions attached. You must prove the lineage, show effective ties to the Portuguese community, and — importantly — demonstrate knowledge of Portuguese at **A2 level** (the Nationality Law requires "sufficient knowledge" of Portuguese; the A2 standard itself is set by the Nationality Regulation, Article 25.º). There is **no residency requirement**: you do not need to have lived in Portugal to use this route. Because the wording of the law and the way it is applied both matter, confirm which route fits your family before spending money on documents. ## What the 2026 Law Did — And Didn't — Change A new Nationality Law (Lei n.º 37/81, as amended by Lei Orgânica n.º 1/2026) came into force on **19 May 2026**. The headline change concerns *naturalisation by residence*: that route now requires **seven years** of legal residence for EU, CPLP and Portuguese-speaking-country nationals, and **ten years** for others, up from five — the part confirmed in our [law register](/data/laws). The reform also ended the Sephardic-Jewish route — Article 6.º n.º 7 of the Nationality Law was revoked — and reframed the criminal-record bar, which now blocks naturalisation where you hold a final conviction to an effective prison term of more than three years for specific serious crimes (Article 6.º n.º 1 f)). None of the residence-period change touches the parent or grandparent descent routes described above. If you are claiming through ancestry, the residency changes are simply irrelevant to you. Do not let a headline about "seven years" put you off — that number applies to people building citizenship through living in Portugal, not through bloodline. If you have no qualifying ancestor, those residence routes — including [Portugal citizenship by investment](/portugal-residency-citizenship-by-investment/) — are the alternative path, typically running through [permanent residency in Portugal](/portugal-permanent-residency-guide/) after five years before citizenship becomes possible. ## Documents You'll Typically Need Citizenship by descent is, in practice, a documents exercise. The registry needs an unbroken paper chain from your Portuguese ancestor down to you: - The Portuguese ancestor's **birth record** (assento de nascimento) from the relevant *conservatória* or parish — this anchors the whole file. - Your own **birth certificate**, plus the birth certificates linking each generation (you to your parent, your parent to your grandparent). - **Marriage certificates** where a name change or family link needs establishing. - Valid **identification** for you. - For the **grandparent route**: evidence of effective ties to the Portuguese community and proof of A2 Portuguese (typically a CIPLE / A2 certificate, or an approved equivalent). Foreign documents almost always need to be **apostilled** (or consular-legalised where the apostille doesn't apply) and **officially translated** into Portuguese. Older Portuguese records sometimes have to be located and transcribed by the registry first, which adds time. ## How the Process Works 1. **Confirm eligibility** and identify whether you claim through a parent or a grandparent — the requirements diverge here. 2. **Locate the ancestor's Portuguese civil record.** If you don't have it, the relevant *conservatória* can search for it. This step derails more applications than any other, so start here. 3. **Gather, apostille and translate** every certificate in the chain. 4. **For the grandparent route,** sit the A2 language exam and assemble proof of community ties. 5. **Submit** the application to the **Conservatória dos Registos Centrais** (Central Registry) in Lisbon — in person, by post, or through a lawyer or the [IRN](https://irn.justica.gov.pt). 6. **Wait for processing.** Timelines vary widely and have run long in recent years — plan for many months, sometimes well over a year, especially if records need to be traced. Once approved, you are registered as a Portuguese citizen and can request your *Cartão de Cidadão* and passport. ## Common Mistakes - **Assuming grandparent = parent.** The grandparent route needs A2 Portuguese and proof of ties; the parent route generally does not. Preparing the wrong file wastes months. - **Chasing the language exam too late.** For the grandparent route, book the A2 exam early — sittings fill up and a missing certificate stalls the whole application. - **Broken paper chains.** A married ancestor whose name changed, an anglicised surname, a missing marriage certificate — any gap breaks the lineage. Map the chain before you order documents. - **Wrong legalisation.** An apostille is not the same as a sworn translation, and you usually need both. Confirm what your country of issue requires. - **Confusing descent with residency rules.** They are separate laws. The 2026 residency changes do not lengthen a descent claim. ## Short FAQ **Do I have to live in Portugal?** No. Neither descent route requires residence in Portugal. **Do I need to speak Portuguese?** For the grandparent route, yes — A2 level. For the parent route, generally no. **Can my children also become citizens?** Often yes, once you are recognised, through their own attribution or a subsequent application — assess this case by case. **Is the Sephardic route still open?** No. It was abolished under the 2026 law. Portuguese citizenship is one of the most valuable outcomes of a Portugal journey — visa-free travel across the EU, the right to live and work in 27 countries, and a second passport that passes to your family. But eligibility turns on the fine detail of your family records, and outcomes depend on the registry, so treat this as guidance and verify your specific case. The [IRN / Justiça](https://irn.justica.gov.pt) portal is the primary official source. > Thinking about a move rather than a descent claim? See our [visas & residency guide](/visas/) for routes that can lead to residency and, in time, citizenship — noting the 2026 residency rules that do **not** apply to descent claims. > Want help assessing your eligibility or preparing your file? Our team and partner lawyers can guide you through the descent process. [Explore our services](/services/immigration-lawyer/) or [get in touch](/contact/). --- © GrowIN Portugal. Cite as: GrowIN Portugal, "Portuguese Citizenship by Descent: The 2026 Guide", https://www.growinportugal.com/your-ultimate-guide-to-acquiring-portuguese-citizenship-by-descent