Organic Law 1/2026: what Portugal's new Nationality Law says about the test
Organic Law 1/2026 amended the Nationality Law (Law 37/81). Applicants must now prove knowledge of Portuguese culture, history and national symbols, and know the fundamental rights and duties and the political organisation of the State — the knowledge test most people call the “Portuguese citizenship test”. Below are the original provisions, with our unofficial translation and a plain-English explanation.
Updated . Source: Organic Law 1/2026, Diário da República, 1st series, no. 95, 18 May 2026 (official PDF, Portuguese).
The 30-second summary
- The law was published on 18 May 2026 and entered into force the next day, 19 May 2026 (Art. 8).
- Naturalisation applicants must prove, by test or certificate, knowledge of the Portuguese language and culture, history and national symbols — and must know the fundamental rights and duties and the political organisation of the State.
- For nationals of Portuguese-speaking countries (such as Brazil), the law presumes only the language part.
- Grandchildren of Portuguese citizens must meet these requirements too.
- The government had 90 days to issue the regulation. According to a direct check of the Diário da República on 5 October 2026 and the other sources consulted up to 5 October 2026, it had not been published, so the test format is still unknown.
Article 6(1)(c): language, culture, history and symbols
c) Comprovarem, através de teste ou de certificado, conhecer suficientemente a língua e a cultura portuguesas, a história e os símbolos nacionais;
Our translation (unofficial): (c) Prove, through a test or a certificate, sufficient knowledge of the Portuguese language and culture, history and national symbols;
In plain English: declaring it is not enough — you must prove it. The law allows two routes: a test or a certificate. It does not say who runs the test, what it looks like, or which certificates count. That is left to the regulation.
“Sufficient” is not defined either. Under the previous rules for language, the Nationality Regulation set level A2 and accepted several kinds of proof, such as school certificates and tests at schools or accredited centres (Art. 25 of the Regulation, as worded by Decree-Law 43/2013). Whether something similar will be used for culture and history is not known.
Article 6(1)(d): rights, duties and political organisation
d) Conhecerem suficientemente os direitos e deveres fundamentais inerentes à nacionalidade portuguesa e a organização política do Estado português;
Our translation (unofficial): (d) Have sufficient knowledge of the fundamental rights and duties inherent to Portuguese nationality and of the political organisation of the Portuguese State;
In plain English: you need to know the fundamental rights and duties and how the Portuguese State is organised (President, Assembly of the Republic, Government, courts, autonomous regions and so on). These topics are in the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic. Note that, unlike (c), paragraph (d) does not say “through a test or certificate”: how it will be checked is completely open.
Article 6(1)(e): solemn declaration
e) Declararem solenemente a sua adesão aos princípios fundamentais do Estado de direito democrático;
Our translation (unofficial): (e) Solemnly declare their adherence to the fundamental principles of the democratic rule of law;
On top of knowledge, there is a solemn declaration. The law does not contain its wording; that should also come with the regulation.
Article 6(10): the presumption for Portuguese speakers
10 — Presume-se que os nacionais de países de língua oficial portuguesa preenchem o requisito da primeira parte da alínea c) do n.º 1, salvo nos casos em que a falta de domínio da língua portuguesa, evidenciada pelo requerente junto dos serviços competentes, seja manifesta.
Our translation (unofficial): 10 — Nationals of countries whose official language is Portuguese are presumed to meet the requirement in the first part of paragraph (c) of no. 1, except where the applicant's lack of command of Portuguese, shown before the competent services, is manifest.
In plain English: Brazilians, Angolans, Cape Verdeans and other nationals of Portuguese-speaking countries are presumed to know the language (the “first part” of (c)). The presumption does not cover culture, history and national symbols, nor paragraph (d). Nationals of other countries get no presumption, and the presumption itself falls if a lack of Portuguese is “manifest”.
Who has to meet these requirements
| Situation | What the text says |
|---|---|
| Naturalisation by residence | All requirements in Art. 6(1), including (c), (d) and (e). Legal residence of 7 years (nationals of countries whose official language is Portuguese, and EU citizens) or 10 years (others), paragraph (b). |
| Grandchildren of Portuguese citizens by origin (Art. 1(1)(d)) | Requirements (c) to (h) of Art. 6(1) (Art. 1(3)). Details for grandchildren. |
| Stateless persons with 4 years' legal residence | Requirements (c) to (h) (Art. 6(3)). |
| Great-grandchildren of Portuguese citizens by origin with 5 years' legal residence | Exempt only from the residence requirement in (b) (Art. 6(8)); the rest still applies. There is also the route as the child of a Portuguese citizen once the parent obtains nationality of origin (Art. 1(1)(c)). |
| Former Portuguese nationals who never acquired another nationality | Exempt only from (b) (Art. 6(6)). |
| People who rendered relevant services to the Portuguese State | Exempt from (b) and (c) (Art. 6(9)). |
| Marriage or de facto union | The test is not listed in Art. 3, but parameters (c) to (i) can weigh in an opposition by the Public Prosecutor (Art. 9). See the FAQ below. |
What about applications already in progress?
2 — Aos procedimentos administrativos pendentes à data da entrada em vigor da presente lei aplica-se a Lei n.º 37/81, de 3 de outubro, na redação anterior à presente lei.
Our translation (unofficial): 2 — Administrative procedures pending on the date this law enters into force are governed by Law 37/81 of 3 October as worded before this law.
So applications pending on 19 May 2026 follow the old rules, without the new culture test.
When will the regulation come out?
O Governo procede às necessárias alterações ao Regulamento da Nacionalidade Portuguesa, aprovado em anexo ao Decreto-Lei n.º 237-A/2006, de 14 de dezembro, no prazo de 90 dias a contar da publicação da presente lei.
Our translation (unofficial): The Government shall make the necessary amendments to the Portuguese Nationality Regulation, approved as an annex to Decree-Law 237-A/2006 of 14 December, within 90 days of the publication of this law.
Counting 90 days from 18 May 2026, the deadline ended around 16 August 2026. According to a direct check of the Diário da República on 5 October 2026 and the other sources consulted up to 5 October 2026, the amended Regulation had not been published in the Diário da República. Follow the status page and its changelog.
How to study in the meantime
The topics are already known, even without the format: Portuguese history, culture, national symbols (flag and anthem — Art. 11 of the Constitution), fundamental rights and duties, and the organisation of political power (Constitution, Parts I and III). Take the free practice test to see where you stand.