PORTUGAL: Portugal Joins Italy in Restricting Second Passports

Portugal has become the latest European nation to propose restrictions on acquisition of citizenship.

Italy recently announced severe limitations on recognition of citizenship via ancestry. Now, Portugal’s ruling coalition proposes to make it more difficult to acquire citizenship of that country.

Under existing rules it’s possible to qualify for Portuguese citizenship by naturalization after 5 years. There are two ways to do this.

The first is to gain residency by passive income or as a digital nomad, spend most of one’s time in the country for five years, learn passable Portuguese, and demonstrate connections to the country. The other is to get a golden visa via investment, spend as little as seven days a year in the country and qualify for citizenship.

Portuguese politicians appear to be mainly concerned about the golden visa route. Although potential citizens still need to pass a Portuguese language test and demonstrate knowledge of Portuguese history, society, and the political system, they don’t need substantial connections to the country other than their investments. That makes citizenship via a golden visa one of the easiest ways to get citizenship in the European Union. That’s of concern on two fronts.

First, the European Union has made it clear that they are deeply uncomfortable with the notion that people can acquire EU citizenship without a genuine connection to Europe. It’s embroiled in a court case with Malta, whose citizenship by investment program requires significantly more money and time-in-country than Portugal’s golden visa. It’s a given that the EU has been putting pressure on Portugal for similar reasons.

Secondly, the rise of the national-conservative right in European politics has led to pushback against easy routes to citizenship. National conservatism emphasizes cultural distinctiveness, religion, and adherence to family values. Italy’s move against ancestral citizenship rights clearly reflects these concerns, emphasizing time spent in Italy as a qualification for recognition of citizenship by ancestry.

Similar dynamics seem to be at work in Portugal. The ruling coalition’s proposals aren’t specific yet, but “extending the minimum period of residence and effective presence in the national territory” is at the top of the list of priorities. That suggests that both extending the period to naturalization beyond five years and requiring more time in country under a golden visa is on the cards.

Unlike Italy, where the national conservative Brothers of Italy party controls government, Portugal is run by center-right Christian Democratic parties. Portugal’s national conservative party, Chega! (Enough!), is still far from capturing a majority in Parliament. Nevertheless, the recent announcement is probably an attempt to attract potential Chega voters before the country’s general election, scheduled for May 15.

Italy and Portugal are definitive proof that Europe is gradually moving towards a more culturally conservative and nationalist political ethos. Italy’s shock clampdown on ancestral citizenship suggests this could produce unexpected and significant changes.

This is happening just as American interest in immigration to Europe is spiking to historically unprecedented levels. Clearly, the wisest course is to move as quickly as possible.