Portuguese Citizenship by Descent: Your "Get Started" Guide

Portuguese citizenship by descent is a highly desirable pathway to the European Union (EU), offering excellent visa-free travel and the right to live in any EU country. The process is technically known as "Attribution of Nationality" (Atribuição).

This distinction is vital: "Attribution" means your citizenship is recognized retroactively to your date of birth (you are considered Portuguese from day one), unlike "Naturalization" which starts from the day of approval.

This guide outlines the essential first steps, key requirements, and what you can expect in terms of timeline and cost to begin your journey.

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1. Am I Eligible? Key Requirements (Children & Grandchildren)

Portugal has two distinct tiers for applicants, with different rules for children versus grandchildren.

• Requirement Category: Eligible Ancestor
  
  • Specific Criteria: Parent or Grandparent.
  • Details:
    
    • Children (Art. 1.1.c): If your parent was born in Portugal (or holds Portuguese citizenship), you are eligible immediately.
    • Grandchildren (Art. 1.1.d): If your parent was not registered, you can skip them and apply directly through your Portuguese grandparent.
  • Note: Great-grandparents do not qualify directly. Your parent or grandparent must acquire citizenship first to "pass it down" to you.
• Requirement Category: The "Effective Connection" (Grandchildren Only)
  
  • Specific Criteria: Ties to the Community.
  • Details: Grandchildren must prove a connection to Portugal. Since the 2020 legal amendment, proving knowledge of the Portuguese Language (A2 Level) is sufficient to satisfy this requirement for most applicants.
  • Exception: If you are a national of a Portuguese-speaking country (e.g., Brazil), the language is presumed, and no test is needed.
• Requirement Category: Criminal Record
  
  • Specific Criteria: Strict Clean Record.
  • Details: You must not have been convicted of a crime punishable by a prison sentence of 3 years or more under Portuguese law. This is a strict blocking factor.
• Requirement Category: Language
  
  • Specific Criteria: Varies by Generation.
  • Details:
    
    • Children: No language requirement.
    • Grandchildren: Mandatory A2 Level (CIPLE exam) unless you are from a Lusophone country.
• Requirement Category: Dual Citizenship
  
  • Specific Criteria: Permitted.
  • Details: Portugal fully recognizes dual citizenship.
• Strategic Tip: If your parent is still alive, it is often faster and easier for them to apply first (as a child of a Portuguese), and then for you to apply as a child. This avoids the "grandchild backlog" and the language test.

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2. The First Action: Document Collection & Preparation

Your initial focus must be on locating the ancestor's birth registration in Portugal. This document is called the "Assento de Nascimento".

Document integrity (Apostilles and Certified Translations) is the single most critical factor for approval.

📑 What to Collect First

• Your Ancestor's Proof: The Assento de Nascimento.
  
  • Post-1911: Likely digitized in the Civil Registry. You can order it online via "Civil Online" if you have the data.
  • Pre-1911: Likely a Baptismal Record (Assento de Batismo) held in the District Archives (Arquivo Distrital). You must search the archives of the specific district where they were born.
• Lineage Documents: Your own Birth Certificate, and the Birth and Marriage Certificates connecting you to the ancestor.
  
  • (Requires Long-Form / Reprographic Copy — a photocopy of the actual book entry, not just a typed abstract).
• Personal Integrity:
  
  • Criminal Record Check: Must be issued by the federal authority (e.g., FBI in the US) of every country where you have lived after age 16.

📝 Document Authentication is Key

Portuguese registrars (Conservadores) are meticulous.

• Authentication (Apostille): Every non-Portuguese document (births, criminal checks) must have an Apostille stamp.
• Certified Translation: All documents not in Portuguese must be translated.
  
  • This can be done by a notary in Portugal, the Portuguese Consulate, or a certified translator. Loose translations are not accepted.
• Name Discrepancies: If your ancestor changed their name significantly upon emigrating (e.g., "Manoel" to "Michael"), you must fix the foreign record or provide proof it is the same person.

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3. What to Expect: Timeline and Cost

The process is centralized at the Conservatória dos Registos Centrais (CRC) in Lisbon or the Arquivo Central do Porto.

⏱️ Estimated Timeline

Portugal is currently experiencing severe backlogs due to high demand.

• Step: Preparation
  
  • Estimated Time: 3–6 Months.
  • What Happens: Searching for the "Assento" in District Archives (can be slow for records from the 1800s) and taking the A2 language exam (if applicable).
• Step: Submission
  
  • Estimated Time: 1 Day.
  • What Happens: Mailing the documents to the Conservatória or submitting via a lawyer (lawyers have a digital submission platform which is slightly faster).
• Step: Processing
  
  • Estimated Time:
    
    • Children: 12–18 Months.
    • Grandchildren: 24–30+ Months.
  • What Happens: The "Seven Stages" of nationality. You will receive a password to track the status online. Most of the time is spent in "Stage 4" (checks).
• Step: Finalization
  
  • Estimated Time: 2–4 Months.
  • What Happens: Once approved (Stage 7), a new Portuguese Birth Certificate is created for you. You are now a citizen and can request your Cartão de Cidadão (ID) and Passport.

💰 Estimated Cost

The government fees are standard, but costs rise with older document retrieval and language exams.

• Cost Category: Official Application Fees
  
  • Estimated Range: €175 (Children) / €250 (Grandchildren).
  • Details: Payable directly to the Institute of Registries and Notaries (IRN).
• Cost Category: Document Retrieval (Archives)
  
  • Estimated Range: $50 - $200.
  • Details: District Archives charge fees for certified copies of pre-1911 records.
• Cost Category: Language Exam (CIPLE)
  
  • Estimated Range: €70 - €150.
  • Details: If applying as a grandchild (non-Lusophone), you must pay for the official CAPLE/CIPLE exam.
• Cost Category: Total Estimated Administrative Cost
  
  • Estimated Range: $600 - $1,200.
  • Details: Assuming you manage the process yourself. Lawyers charge significantly more (€1,000+) but offer digital filing.

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✅ Your Next Steps

• Determine the Path: Decide if you are applying as a Child (Art 1.1c) or Grandchild (Art 1.1d). If your parent is alive, strongly consider asking them to apply first.
• Find the "Freguesia": You must identify the exact Parish (Freguesia) and Council (Concelho) where your ancestor was born to locate their birth record.
• Grandchildren: Sign up for a Portuguese A2 course immediately if you do not speak the language. This certificate is mandatory for the application.

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