Skip to content
Portuguese Citizenship by Marriage or De Facto Union
Acquisition by Marriage / De Facto Union • Article 3

Portuguese Citizenship for Spouses & Partners without living in Portugal.

If you have been married to or in a de facto union with a Portuguese citizen for at least 3 years (with children in common) or 6 years (without children in common), you are eligible for Portuguese Citizenship — with no requirement to relocate to Europe or take a language exam (after 6 years).

⏱ Processing Time Calculator

Statutory Rules (Article 3)

How many years of marriage are required?

  • 3 Years With Portuguese children in common: Only 3 years of marriage or de facto union are required when the couple has children in common who already hold Portuguese nationality.
  • 6 Years Without children in common (No Language Exam!): Once you reach 6 years of marriage or de facto union, Portuguese law automatically presumes effective ties to the national community — waiving any Portuguese language test!
  • Base X Women married before Oct 3, 1981: Automatic, fee-exempt entitlement under Law No. 2098, processed in roughly 1 to 2 months in Lisbon.
Dr. André Graça - Founder of EuroNex

Legal Leadership

Dr. André Graça

30+ Years of International Legal Career

Marriage Transcription & Court Recognition

We handle your foreign marriage transcription directly in Portugal before filing your citizenship petition.

Before a spouse can apply for citizenship under Article 3, a marriage celebrated in the US, UK, Canada, or Brazil must first be transcribed into the Portuguese Civil Registry (or, for unmarried partners, judicially recognized by the Portuguese Court of Appeal). Led by Dr. André Graça, our team executes both the preliminary transcription and the electronic citizenship filing in Portugal.