Parliament Scheduled to Reconsider the Nationality Law Amendment on April 1
The bill was originally approved by the Portuguese Parliament in October 2025. However, before it could formally enter into force, 50 members of the Socialist Party submitted a request for preventive constitutional review to the Constitutional Court, challenging certain provisions of the bill.
On December 15, 2025, the Constitutional Court issued its ruling, stating that the parliamentary decree amending the Nationality Law imposed “disproportionate restrictions” on obtaining citizenship and “violated the legitimate expectations of beneficiaries whose procedures were still pending.”
According to the ruling, the Constitutional Court unanimously declared three provisions of the bill unconstitutional, while another provision was ruled unconstitutional by a majority of judges, with one dissenting vote.
The amendment had originally been promoted by the government formed by the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the CDS–People’s Party (CDS-PP), and it received broad support in parliament. On October 28, 2025, the Portuguese Parliament approved the bill with 157 votes in favor and 64 against. Supporters included PSD, Chega, the Liberal Initiative (IL), CDS-PP, and JPP, while the Socialist Party (PS), Livre, the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP), the Left Bloc (BE), and PAN voted against it.
Because the Constitutional Court found several provisions unconstitutional, the bill did not formally enter into force.
According to Article 279 of the Portuguese Constitution, when a bill is found to contain unconstitutional provisions, parliament must reconsider the legislation. Parliament may choose to remove the provisions deemed unconstitutional or, in certain cases, confirm the contested provisions through a two-thirds majority vote exceeding the absolute majority of members.
This means that in a parliament of 230 members, at least 151 votes are required to reaffirm the disputed provisions and allow the legislation to move forward.
Therefore, the Conference of Parliamentary Leaders has scheduled the issue to be reconsidered on April 1, when the next steps of the legislative process will be decided.
Reference link: https://www.cmjornal.pt/politica/detalhe/reapreciacao-do-veto-a-lei-da-nacionalidade-agendada-no-parlamento-para-1-de-abril
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