# Is Portugal Becoming Anti-American? Portugal’s New Immigration Law Explained ## Метаданные - **Канал:** Our Rich Journey - **YouTube:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_C6Tz7ouSI - **Дата:** 24.05.2026 - **Длительность:** 14:14 - **Просмотры:** 15,614 ## Описание Portugal just changed one of the biggest reasons people moved here… citizenship. For years, Portugal became one of the most attractive countries in Europe for expats, retirees, and digital nomads because of its relatively fast path to citizenship. But now Portugal has officially changed the law, increasing the timeline from 5 years to 10 years for most foreigners — and the REAL timeline could become even longer because of residency approval delays. In this video, we break down what changed, why Portugal made this decision, whether the country is becoming anti-expat, the difference between permanent residency and citizenship, and whether Portugal is still worth moving to after these changes. We also share something personal: our Portuguese citizenship application was submitted about six months before the law changed, meaning we are still on the old pathway. If you’ve ever considered moving to Portugal, living in Europe, or getting a second passport, this is a video you need to watch. ▸▸▸Enroll in our 365 Days to FIRE Program: https://www.365daystofire.com/ Our 365 Days to FIRE Program is your step-by-step guide to achieving financial independence and retiring early. Over the course of the program, you’ll learn how to build your FIRE plan, optimize your savings rate, invest in the stock market for long-term growth, and create multiple income streams. Plus, you’ll get tickets to attend our in-person meetups and 2-Day Conference in Portugal. 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Know that all investments involve some form of risk and there is no guarantee that you will be successful in making, saving, or investing money; nor is there any guarantee that you won't experience any loss when investing. Always remember to make smart decisions and do your own research! AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: Some of the links on this channel are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase and/or subscribe. However, this does not impact our personal opinions. #FinancialFreedom #HowToRetireEarly #FinancialIndependenceRetireEarly ## Содержание ### [0:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_C6Tz7ouSI) Segment 1 (00:00 - 05:00) Is Portugal anti-immigration, anti-expats? You think this law shows that? It It's made it a lot harder to become a Portuguese citizen. This is citizenship. It's never as predicted. But But But, there's another alternative. There's always a plan B. Whenever you are doing anything like this, moving abroad, going after citizenship, you have to have a plan B. I got a plan C, D, E, F. There's always a backup plan for a backup plan because we are talking about politics at the end of the day, and politics are real fickle. So, lots of people have been asking us how we feel about the new citizenship law here in Portugal. If you haven't been keeping up with it, it just got twice as hard to get citizenship in Portugal as an expat, as a foreigner. What once took 5 years and was relatively straightforward and easy now takes at least 10 years, and a lot of people are upset because they have been living here, doing everything right to become citizens after 5 years, and the government has said, "Too bad, so sad. It's going to take you 10 years now. " And for years, people around the world have looked at Portugal and thought, "Wait, I can move to Europe, build a new life, and become a European citizen in just 5 years? " Well, that has all changed. Portugal has officially increased the timeline for citizenship from 5 years to 10 years for most foreigners. That one change alone is going to reshape how many people think about moving to Portugal. Hey guys, it's Amon from Our Rich Journey, and I am here at my beautiful home in Portugal, and a lot has changed since my last Portugal video. You know, we moved here 6 years ago, and I have to be absolutely honest with you guys. We just got our citizenship in at the very last minute, right before the law changed. And so, we are not in the same place that so many other foreigners, expats, folks immigrating to Portugal are in right now. We know a lot of people that are very upset because they have been here for two, three, four, even five years, but they never put in their application. And because they did not submit their application, since the law has changed, they are no longer eligible for citizenship after five years. And there have been lawsuits filed and people making all kinds of noise, but it's too late. The law has officially gone into effect, and those people are just out of luck. And so, now people are asking, is Portugal still worth it? And this conversation is much bigger than Portugal, because this isn't just about passports anymore. It's about freedom, it's about lifestyle, it's about global mobility, financial independence, and what people are really searching for when they move abroad. But before we go any further, let's break down exactly what happened, so we are all on the same page. So, Portugal officially changed its nationality law. This is no longer speculation, discussion, it is official. Under the old system, most foreigners could apply for a Portuguese citizenship after five years of legal residency, but now the law has completely changed. Portugal requires seven years for EU citizens and Portuguese-speaking countries, and 10 years instead of five for most other foreigners. That means Americans have to wait 10 years before we are eligible for Portuguese citizenship. The law officially took effect on May 18th, 2026, which means this is now Portugal's new reality. But, there's another detail that may matter much more. The residency clock now starts when your residency permit is actually issued, not when you first applied. This is actually huge and means significantly more time to become a Portuguese citizen. You see, Portugal's immigration system has already been heavily delayed. Some immigrants have waited 1 year, 2 years, even 3 years just to receive their first residency card. And so, if the clock doesn't start till after your residency card is received, that could mean not just 10 years to citizenship, but possibly 12 or 13 years. It doesn't matter that you put in your application 3 years ago, it only counts when your residency permit is received. And I can tell you from experience, when Christina and I first submitted for our temporary residency permits, our application only took about 6 months. 6 months for us to receive our residency. But, because of the tremendous demand and all the delays, it is taking people up to 3 ### [5:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_C6Tz7ouSI&t=300s) Segment 2 (05:00 - 10:00) years to get that first residency permit. So, imagine this. You submit your application to move to Portugal in 2026, but you don't receive your residency until 2028 or 2029, and then the 10-year clock starts? So, what looked like a 5-year path is actually more like 11, 12, or 13 years. And for many people, that completely changes the emotional equation. Because people weren't planning their lives around 12 years, they were planning it around five. So, now some people may say, "Why is this even a big deal? Why is Portuguese citizenship such are people upset about it? " Well, Portuguese citizenship is more than just about Portugal for a lot of people. Imagine getting Portuguese citizenship after 5 years and with a Portuguese citizenship means you are a citizen of the European Union. And that gives you access to all of the other countries in the European Union. That means you can move to any one of those without having to go through their tumultuous and much longer immigration process. You see, with Portuguese citizenship, people gain an EU passport, the ability to live and work across Europe, long-term security, easier travel, future opportunities for their children, and protection from future immigration rule changes. And so, for many expats, Portugal wasn't just a place to live, it was a long-term life strategy. And so, if you're only moving to Portugal for the passport, you may be disappointed. But, let's get back to this law because this law did not happen in a vacuum. Portugal is going through some significant changes right now. For years, Portugal aggressively enticed and recruited and attracted retirees, entrepreneurs, remote workers, investors, digital nomads, and wealthy foreigners. The government wanted foreign investment and it worked, but it worked a little too well and has since backfired a bit because something else started happening. In cities like Lisbon and Porto and in the Algarve, housing prices exploded, rent prices skyrocketed, and many Portuguese locals began blaming tourism, foreign investment, golden visas, wealthy expats, and digital nomads. Now, whether or not that's fair or not, the political pressure became very strong and politicians had to respond. And so, you could feel the shift. You could feel things slowly started to tighten up as far as immigration went. You could see the NHR changing, the tax incentive to bring foreigners here. You could see the laws changing around the golden visa. Airbnb and investing in real estate. So many things have changed over these last couple years because of this pressure to address the cost of living and housing crisis sweeping over Portugal. And from my perspective, Portugal is just one of many other European countries that has pulled in immigration as one of the talking points. Across Europe, countries are becoming more restrictive with immigration. Golden visa programs are changing, residency rules are tightening, immigration requirements are evolving, and I think the easy era of global mobility may slowly be ending, and most people haven't fully realized that yet. And this especially affects people that saw Portugal as long-term stability. Families moving with children, retirees, people investing their life savings here, people seeking peace, people escaping stress. So a law like this drastically changes the emotional equation for folks like this. Now some people may be saying, "Does Portugal still want expats? Is Portugal anti-expats, anti-foreigners? " I think the answer isn't simple. You see, Portugal still benefits enormously from tourism, entrepreneurship, foreign investment, and international residents. Portugal also has an aging population, labor shortages, and economic challenges. So I don't think Portugal is anti-expat or anti-foreigner, but I do think they are trying to slow things down a bit. But here is the part that no one is talking about. Everyone is talking about citizenship, and I understand why they are upset about it. But, there's another alternative that is pretty good, permanent residency. Let's talk about that. You see, permanent residency is still available after around 5 years. And for many people, that may actually be enough. With permanent residency, you can live in ### [10:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_C6Tz7ouSI&t=600s) Segment 3 (10:00 - 14:00) Portugal long-term, work, run a business, access healthcare, travel throughout the Schengen, and avoid constantly renewing temporary permits. So, yes, citizenship became harder, but Portugal is not closed. And I also think there is something else that has made this whole thing really hard for people to swallow. You see, social media has really fantasized moving to Portugal as a very easy process. They only talk about the beaches, the sun, the cafes, the wine, the passport, the low cost of living. But, moving to another country is hard. Let's say you're a foreigner moving to the US, for example. Oh my goodness, what you have to go through to get US citizenship pales in comparison to what people are going to have to go through to get Portuguese citizenship. Obtaining citizenship is not an easy thing to do. And so, what Portugal is doing, going from 5 years to 10 years, really falls in line with what the rest of the world typically does, especially in a country that is in high demand and very desirable. And so, if that is any consolation, you can look at it from that perspective. And I know it's really easy for me to sit here and say all this considering our applications were in for our citizenship, but if I was starting all over today, if I was moving to Portugal today, here's what I would focus on first. Not passports, not tax tricks, not social media hype, but on lifestyle, healthcare, safety, long-term happiness, family, freedom, community, and a pace of life that is unparalleled to the rest of the world. Moving to Portugal has been the best thing in the world for our family and for so many other people that we have met. This law doesn't change the quality of life that people are going to be experiencing being here. All it does is add more paperwork to a process that is filled with paperwork. And so, would we move to Portugal after this law change? I think the answer is obvious. Of course we would. We would move to Portugal in a heartbeat. Because Portugal changed our lives. Not because of citizenship, but because of the lifestyle here. It has completely gone above and beyond our expectations. What we thought was just going to be an experiment, something that we would — see what it was like, turned into a life that we would never trade for anything. Being in Portugal is amazing. Christina and I have grown so much. Our life has changed so much for the better that we couldn't imagine it any other way. And that we are so grateful to be in such a magical place. You guys have been following our journey. You have seen how far we have come since we arrived in Portugal. — How our lives have just flourished, how our children have had an incredible experience, and have gone on to do amazing things — thanks to the perspective that living in Portugal has provided them. This place is amazing. And so, Portugal has changed their rules, and that's their right. The politicians the people have voted for have made those laws and that is something that you have to live with if you're coming to Portugal. So, those are my thoughts on the recent immigration law changes, but I would love to hear what you guys think about it. Is Portugal still your number one pick? Has this completely changed your perspective? What other country would you go to besides Portugal? I would love for everyone to share their thoughts in the comments below. We could definitely learn from one another. And as usual, if you like this video, please give it a thumbs up, subscribe to our channel, and join the journey. --- *Источник: https://ekstraktznaniy.ru/video/53044*