Grandchild of a Portuguese Citizen in 2026: How to Apply for Citizenship

In short: grandchildren of Portuguese citizens can still apply for Portuguese citizenship in 2026, even if the grandfather or grandmother has already died. Since May 19, 2026, however, the grandchild must prove knowledge of Portugal's culture, history and political organization, and must not have certain criminal convictions. Great-grandchildren who have lived legally in Portugal for at least five years now have their own path.

The change came with Organic Law 1/2026 (Lei Orgânica), which amended Portugal's Nationality Act. In this article, we explain in plain language who can apply, what must be proven, which documents to gather in Brazil, where to file the application and which mistakes to avoid. For an overview of everything that changed, read our article on the new Nationality Act.

Who can apply as a grandchild of a Portuguese citizen

The rule is in Art. 1(1)(d) of the Nationality Act (Law 37/81). The text of this subparagraph did not change in 2026. It says that a grandchild is Portuguese by origin when:

• he or she has at least one grandfather or grandmother with original Portuguese citizenship;
• that grandfather or grandmother has not lost citizenship;
• the grandchild declares that he or she wishes to be Portuguese; and
• the grandchild has ties of effective connection to the national community, that is, a real connection with Portugal.

Two terms come up all the time on this subject:

• Original citizenship belongs to someone who has been Portuguese since birth, for example because he or she was born in Portugal to Portuguese parents. Someone who became Portuguese later, through marriage or length of residence, has acquired citizenship, and that does not work for the grandchild.
• Attribution is the name of the application made by the grandchild. When citizenship is attributed, it is valid from the grandchild's birth (Art. 11 of the Nationality Act).

Example: Ana was born in Belo Horizonte. Her grandfather, Manuel, was born in Viseu, Portugal, and came to Brazil in 1955. Manuel has already died. Ana can apply for citizenship as a granddaughter, provided that Manuel did not lose his Portuguese citizenship and that Ana meets the current requirements.

Watch out if your grandfather became a naturalized Brazilian

Many emigrants became naturalized Brazilians. Under the old Portuguese law (Law 2098, of 1959), those who voluntarily acquired another nationality lost their Portuguese citizenship. Something similar could happen to a Portuguese woman who married a foreigner. The current law deals with these cases in Arts. 30 and 31, and the result depends on what is annotated in the grandfather's or grandmother's Portuguese birth record (assento). That is why the first step is always to obtain this record and read the annotations made on it.

What the grandchild must prove since May 19, 2026

The reform created Art. 1(3). It says that the grandchild must meet the requirements of Art. 6(1)(c) to (h), the same ones used for naturalization (the application by someone who has no Portuguese family and lives in Portugal). In simple terms, the grandchild must:

1. Prove, by test or certificate, knowledge of the Portuguese language and culture, history and national symbols, such as the flag and the anthem (subparagraph (c)).
2. Know the rights and duties of a Portuguese citizen and how the Portuguese State is organized (subparagraph (d)).
3. Solemnly declare adherence to the principles of the democratic rule of law, that is, acceptance of the basic rules of democracy (subparagraph (e)).
4. Have no final conviction to more than 3 years of actual imprisonment for serious crimes listed in the law, such as terrorism, violent crime, organized crime or aiding illegal immigration (subparagraph (f)).
5. Not represent a danger or threat to Portugal's security or defense (subparagraph (g)).
6. Not be subject to restrictive measures (sanctions) of the UN or the European Union (subparagraph (h)).

The grandchild does not need to live in Portugal and does not need to prove income. These requirements (subparagraphs (b) and (i)) were left off the list.

What about the Portuguese language?

Art. 6(10) presumes that nationals of a Portuguese-speaking country, such as Brazil, know the language. Presuming means that the law accepts this as true without asking for proof, unless a lack of command of Portuguese is evident. But note: this simplification applies only to the language. Culture, history, symbols and the organization of the State must be proven.

How to provide this proof in practice

The law instructed the Government to adjust the Portuguese Nationality Regulations within 90 days (Art. 4 of Organic Law 1/2026). These regulations define what the test will look like, who administers it and which certificates are valid. The Ministry of Justice itself warned, on the application submission page, that part of the changes depends on these regulations. So, before sending the application, confirm what the IRN (Institute of Registries and Notary, the body that reviews applications) is accepting at that time.

What about great-grandchildren?

The grandchild rule only goes as far as grandparents. A great-grandchild has two paths:

• In two stages. First, the person in the middle generation applies for citizenship. Then the great-grandchild applies as the child or grandchild of a Portuguese citizen. Example: Pedro is the great-grandson of Joaquim, who was Portuguese. Pedro's mother, Lúcia, is Joaquim's granddaughter. Lúcia applies first, as a granddaughter. Once Lúcia's citizenship is registered, Pedro applies as the son of a Portuguese citizen. The person in the middle generation must be alive to file his or her own application.
• By naturalization, if already living in Portugal. The new Art. 6(8) allows the Government to grant citizenship to the great-grandchild of a Portuguese citizen by origin who has had legal residence in Portugal for at least five years. The other naturalization requirements still apply. It is a Government decision, not an automatic right.

The two-stage approach can also work for grandchildren. If the father or mother who descends from the Portuguese grandparent is alive, he or she can apply first as the child of a Portuguese citizen (Art. 1(1)(c)). For children, the law does not require the knowledge tests. Then the grandchild applies as a child. Whether this is worthwhile depends on each family and should be assessed beforehand. See the page on citizenship for children of Portuguese citizens.

Document checklist

The list below follows Art. 10-A of the Regulations and application practice. Always check the official list on the date of the application.

• Portuguese birth certificate of the grandfather or grandmother. It may be waived if you provide the registration details (for example, date, freguesia and concelho of birth; a freguesia and a concelho roughly correspond to a parish or district and a municipality). In that case, the office itself retrieves the certificate (Art. 37(4) of the Regulations).
• Full-content birth certificate (inteiro teor) of the father or mother who is the child of the Portuguese grandparent. Full content means a complete copy of the record, with all annotations.
• Full-content birth certificate of the grandchild.
• Certified copy of a photo ID (Brazilian ID card (RG), driver's license (CNH) or passport).
• Criminal record certificates from the country of birth, the country of nationality and the countries where the grandchild has lived since reaching the age of criminal responsibility (Art. 6(11) of the Nationality Act). In Brazil, the certificate can be requested on the Federal Police website. The Portuguese criminal record certificate is obtained by the office itself (Art. 37(7) of the Regulations).
• Proof of the knowledge required by the new law, in the format the IRN is accepting.
• Power of attorney, if the application is filed by a lawyer or solicitor.

Brazilian certificates need the Hague Apostille, a seal issued by a notary's office that confirms abroad that the document is authentic. It is provided for in the Apostille Convention (Decree 8,660/2016) and is issued through the CNJ system. Since they are in Portuguese, these certificates do not need translation (Art. 37(2) of the Regulations). Learn more on the page about apostille and translation of documents.

In some families, the transcription of the grandparents' marriage in Portugal must also be done first. This usually happens when both grandparents are Portuguese or when the Portuguese grandparent is the grandmother and she was not the one who declared the child's birth.

Step-by-step application

1. Find the grandfather's or grandmother's birth record in Portugal and check whether the citizenship is original and whether there is any annotation of loss.
2. Compare the certificates of the three generations. Names, dates and parents' names must match. If there is an error, it must be corrected first, through a correction of the civil record in Brazil.
3. Gather the proof of knowledge and the criminal record certificates. Leave the criminal record certificates for last, so that they do not become outdated.
4. Choose how to file. With a lawyer or solicitor, the application must be filed online, through the IRN system. Without a lawyer, you can send it by registered mail or file it in person at a service desk in Portugal or at the Portuguese consulate for your region (official list). At the consulate, since May 19, 2026, the declaration must be made in person by the applicant, unless physical impossibility is proven (Art. 17 of the Nationality Act).
5. Pay the fee. The IRN form for grandchildren over 18 states €175. Confirm the amount when you apply.
6. Follow the case. When an application sent by mail enters the system, the IRN emails a code to check its progress. If a document is missing, you are notified and have 30 days to complete the file (Art. 41 of the Regulations).
7. After approval, you will have a Portuguese birth record and can apply for the Citizen Card and passport.

It is not possible to predict how long the process will take. The Regulations provide for 30 days for the first review and 60 days for the decision once the file is complete (Art. 41), but in practice the wait is usually much longer. In exceptional cases, an urgency request may be considered.

Those who applied before May 19, 2026

Art. 7 of Organic Law 1/2026 contains the transitional rule, that is, the rule that says which law applies to those who were partway through the process:

• Application already in progress on May 19, 2026: follows the old law. Under it, the connection with Portugal was checked through knowledge of the language and the absence of certain convictions (Art. 10-A(2) of the Regulations), without the new culture and history requirements.
• Application filed on or after May 19, 2026: follows the new law, even if the documents were ready before.
• Application rejected and filed again: the new application, in principle, follows the law in force on the date it is filed.

Example: Carlos mailed his application on May 12, 2026, and it reached Lisbon on May 21. Under Art. 32(3) of the Regulations, a declaration sent this way is only deemed made on the date it reaches the Central Registry Office (Conservatória dos Registos Centrais). In this case, it is necessary to check carefully which law will apply.

Common mistakes

• Assuming the grandfather is Portuguese by origin without seeing the birth record. Some grandfathers were naturalized, and there are cases of loss under the old law.
• Thinking that, as a Brazilian, you do not need to prove anything. The simplification applies only to the language.
• Using the wrong certificate: a short-form certificate instead of a full-content one, or one without an apostille.
• Different names across the certificates of the three generations.
• Forgetting the transcription of the grandparents' marriage, when it is required.
• Confusing grandchildren with great-grandchildren. A great-grandchild does not apply under the grandchild rule.

• Organic Law 1/2026 (Lei Orgânica), of May 18 (Arts. 2, 4, 7 and 8; republication of Law 37/81) — Diário da República 95/2026
• Law 37/81 (Nationality Act), consolidated version — Arts. 1(1)(d) and 1(3); 6(1), (8), (10) and (11); 11; 14; 17; 30 and 31
• Portuguese Nationality Regulations — Decree-Law 237-A/2006 (Arts. 10-A, 32, 37 and 41)
• Justiça.gov.pt — Submit a citizenship application (notice on Organic Law 1/2026 and mandatory online channel for legal representatives)
• Justiça.gov.pt — Portuguese citizenship: how and where to apply
• Justiça.gov.pt — Citizenship application by mail
• Justiça.gov.pt — Check the status of a citizenship case
• Decree 8,660/2016 (Decreto) — Apostille Convention
• CNJ — Hague apostille
• Brazilian Federal Police — Criminal record certificate

Sene & Araújo Sociedade de Advogados team. Content prepared and reviewed by the firm's lawyers, admitted to the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) and the Portuguese Bar Association (Ordem dos Advogados), with offices in São Paulo and Albufeira. The provisions cited were checked against the official sources listed above. Meet the team.