How to aquire the portuguese citizenship for spouse

Under the stipulations of the Portuguese constitution and statutory provisions, any foreigner who is either married or is in a non-marital partnership with a Portuguese citizen for at least three years and have a portuguese dependant or 6 years with no children.

What to do before applying for citizenship via marriage

For a married couple, the marriage has to be transcribed to Portugal if the marriage was celebrated abroad. For life partners in a non-marital partnership, on the other hand, you must first obtain judicial recognition of the union in Portugal. Where the non-marital partnership was birthed abroad, the deed or sentence recognizing the union must be swotted and approved by a Portuguese court of competent jurisdiction. 

Steps to complete the registration

You must have integrated your foreign marriage into portugsal registry system - step 1.
Submit the aplication for the spouse citizenship - step 2.

If you meet all of the above requirements, you may submit your application for Portuguese citizenship based on marriage or non-marital partnership to the relevant authorities.

Reasons for denial

‍Certain conditions under which your application for Portuguese citizenship by marriage or non-marital partnership may be denied. These include, but are not limited to, the following‍

• If your marriage or non-marital partnership has ended, either through a divorce or the death of your partner, before the expiry of the 3 years required for eligibility.
• If you have been convicted of a crime in Portugal, or any other country, which is punishable by imprisonment of 1 year or more.
• If it is found that your marriage or non-marital partnership was entered into solely to acquire Portuguese citizenship.
  
• If you are suspected of being a threat to national security, public order, or public health.If you have falsified any documents in support of your application.

The process and requirements

You can begin the application process by submitting the necessary documentation to the relevant authorities.
These include:

• A copy of your valid passport.A copy of your birth certificate.
• A copy of your marriage certificate or non-marital partnership registration registered in Portugal, as applicable.
• A completed application form.
• A criminal record check from your home country and any other countries in which you have resided for 6 months or more in the past 5 years.