Portugal has 690,000 pending applications for citizenship

The figures in question reveal a 38 per cent increase compared with 2025, when, on the same date, around half a million applications were pending.

The figures released by the Ministry of Justice, as reported by the newspaper Público, indicate that only 26% of applications relate to immigrants already residing in Portugal who wish to obtain Portuguese nationality, having met the legal residence requirements laid down by law.

The figures mentioned reflect just six weeks of the implementation of the amendments to the Nationality Law which, from May onwards, made the conditions for obtaining Portuguese nationality more stringent, whilst at the same time extending eligibility to Portuguese descendants born abroad, up to and including the great-grandchildren of Portuguese nationals.

The IRN’s delays have been criticised by the Union of Registry and Notary Workers, which argues that the Ministry of Justice should put forward a recovery plan that includes strengthening the workforce in order to speed up the processes.