Portugal is the best country when it comes to the friendliness of the local population towards foreign residents, according to the respondents of the “Expat Insider Survey” made by Internations.
The number of former residents returning to Portugal continued to rise in 2018, while the number of Portuguese leaving the country retreated for the fifth consecutive year, according to recently released INE (Statistics Portugal) demographics data.
The grandchildren of Portuguese of origin, who have not lost their citizenship, that have ties of an effective connection to the Portuguese community are entitled to the Portuguese nationality by origin.
This means that after obtaining the nationality, these grandchildren will be able to pass along the Portuguese nationality to his family, namely spouses and children.
The registration procedure for the official Portuguese language examination (level A2) is currently open, which is required for some processes of obtaining Portuguese nationality and obtaining a permanent residence permit. The registration period for this exam will take place between 18th October and 5th November 2019. The exam will take place between the 2nd and 6th December 2019, in Lisbon, at the IAVE premises. If the registration of the candidates justifies it, it can also be done in the Azores or Madeira, in a place to be designated.
Between January and September this year, Portugal granted 176 gold visas to Brazilian citizens. According to SEF (Foreigners and Borders Service) data, the investment raised increased 46.5% compared to the same period of 2018.
The most common type of investment is real state – see here the investment modalities of Golden Visa.
The number of foreigners living in Portugal increased by 13.9% in 2018 to 480,300.
Brexit’s current political situation in the United Kingdom has contributed to the increased interest of British citizens to obtain residence permits in other countries, mainly within the European Union (EU), and Portugal is one of the main options.
The Portuguese government has been increasingly providing guarantees to British citizens regarding Brexit, ensuring them uninterrupted residence, health and voting rights for citizens who have resided in the country before 31 December 2020, even UK to leave the EU without agreement (read more here).
Portuguese law stipulates that Portuguese citizens have the obligation to transcribe in the civil register all acts performed abroad that concern their marital status (marriage, divorce …). But not everything can simply be communicated to the Portuguese civil registry, since in the case of decisions rendered by a court abroad, this judgment must be reviewed and ratified first by the courts in Portugal.
If you are married or have been living in non-marital partnership with a Portuguese citizen for at least three years, you can obtain Portuguese citizenship.
Hong Kong residents increasingly see Portugal as a gateway to Europe. According to the South China Morning Post, the people of the former British colony are concerned about the erosion of freedoms lived in the country and therefore consider obtaining Portuguese citizenship.