Over the past six years, more than 1.4 million people have applied for Portuguese citizenship, reflecting a growing interest among foreigners in obtaining citizenship in Portugal. This data was highlighted during a procedural hearing involving the Minister of Justice, where Secretary Maria José Barros expressed concerns over the surge in applications, according to Schengen.News.
Citizenship Applications Taking Over Two Years to Process
Barros noted that the platform introduced last year by the Institute of Registries and Notaries (IRN), which was designed to streamline citizenship applications, has not significantly improved processing times. For example, urgent applications submitted in late October 2024 are only now being addressed, indicating delays even for priority requests. These backlogs are likely due to inefficiencies in the system.
Despite efforts to improve the process, challenges persist. The number of citizenship applications has been steadily rising over the past two years, with 2023 setting a record of 230,000 applications received by the IRN.
Staff Shortages Blamed for Delays
Authorities have attributed delays to a lack of personnel available to handle the growing number of applications. Nearly 500,000 citizenship requests are currently stuck in processing, largely due to insufficient staffing.
Reports from May 2024 highlighted the extent of the problem at the Lisbon Central Registry Office, where applicants would line up as early as 5 a.m. to secure one of the limited daily service tickets. Many brought chairs to wait in line, as the 60 tickets allotted each day were gone within minutes of opening.
The Registry Notary Workers Union has raised concerns over the severe understaffing, revealing that the offices tasked with processing applications are operating at 34% below their required capacity. Fabio Silva, an employee at the Registry Office, shared that he starts his day at 5 a.m. to ensure people receive the assistance they need, underscoring the pressure on the system.
