How difficult is it to obtain Portuguese Residency and Citizenship?

Can anybody help?.

Thanks in advance.

Aldo

This is a really difficult question to ask because there are different types of residency - golden visa, pensioner, self supporting, etc. I suggest you look up your local Portuguese consulate and ask them for the different options. Good luck!

***just call me ill help

Hi Aldo,

As a previous poster mentioned, it all depends on the category you qualify for and if you are able to meet the requirements. If there are any mistakes in the paperwork or if it is incomplete will also make a difference. Processing times also depend on how many cases are in the pipeline, and how many entities are involved. For example, for me to immigrate to Portugal in 2013, I needed paperwork from four countries. If you are one person or a family, this will impact processing times.

The Portuguese government has recently created a few websites in English to help simplify this process for foreigners.

ACPM is a newly-formed Portuguese Commission for Foreign Immigrants and Portuguese Emigrants. This website answers many common questions about living, studying, and working in Portugal, and I highly recommend you read this FIRST, then the next three websites.

1) HIGH COMMISSION FOR MIGRATIONS/Alto Comissariado para as Migrações
http://www.acm.gov.pt/

2) Imigrante.pt – The Official Website of Portuguese Immigration
http://www.imigrante.pt/PagesEN/Default.aspx

*Note that SEF is the authority for immigration, but think of them as the legislative body and border police only -- they have no mandate to advise/encourage/discourage immigration, only to create immigration policies and enforce them. So you need to read everything you can first before you ask them any questions.*

3) SEF – Immigration and Borders Services / Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras
http://www.sef.pt/portal/V10/EN/aspx/page.aspx

This is the website for supporting immigrants who have ALREADY entered the country, but it's worthwhile reading this to know your rights:

4) CNAI – National Centre of Support to the Immigrant / Centro Nacional de Apoio ao Imigrante
http://www.acm.gov.pt/-/cnai-centro-nac … -imigrante

Hope this helps.

Obrigado Gail
I will weed through the information you posted and thank you for putting so much effort into answering the question.
I have started communication with the Vancouver consulate, but the info I'm getting is a bit cloudy.
Who knows, maybe I'll see you in Portugal

THis has great information that I haven't seen before, including an online Portuguese class. Thanks for sharing!

The Portuguese government has recently created a few websites in English to help simplify this process for foreigners.

ACPM is a newly-formed Portuguese Commission for Foreign Immigrants and Portuguese Emigrants. This website answers many common questions about living, studying, and working in Portugal, and I highly recommend you read this FIRST, then the next three websites.

1) HIGH COMMISSION FOR MIGRATIONS/Alto Comissariado para as Migrações
http://www.acm.gov.pt/