Nationality without travelling: file your request online or by post

To mitigate the movement of users to the Registries and Notaries Institute (IRN) counters to file nationality requests, which is quite usual this time of year, or requests for information on ongoing processes, the IRN has adopted measures to improve the service provided to the public and foster greater ease.

Accordingly, bearing in mind that:

• The IRN has 18 Nationality Counters throughout the country with opening hours to the public from 9 am to 4 pm

• Spontaneous assistance (in person without appointment) in the Nationality counters is subject to availability of the tickets issued for the day at any given site

• The sites with the greatest number of users (to file nationality requests on the grounds of time residing in Portugal and under the special scheme for Sephardi Jew descendants) are Lisbon and Porto.

The IRN informs that there are alternatives to in-person assistance to save time and unnecessary travel, and the use of non-in-person channels is recommended:

1. Sending by post

Citizens can send their requests for nationality and respective papers by post, sending this to a Nationality counter.

Postal services are also recommended for citizens who have a request for nationality already under way and under analysis and need to add documents to their file.

2. Online submission of request for Nationality

The online service available on the Justica.gov.pt website enables all types of nationality requests to be submitted along with their respective papers. 

This service is exclusive and compulsory for attorneys (lawyers and solicitors registered with the respective associations in Portugal) who represent foreign citizens in their requests for nationality.

Requests for information

• Online viewing of the process status

Citizens do not need to travel to a physical counter to know what phase the nationality process is in. 

The IRN has an online service to view the process and information on how to use this service.

• Helpline

There is a telephone line available for assistance with Nationality issues by selecting option 1 of the Registration Line (+351) 211 950 500, from 9 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday.

You can obtain more information on the IRN page on irn.justica.gov.pt.

Measures to recover pending requests

As of 1 July, in Lison, the IRN is increasing human resources at the Central Registry Office, which will have the support of a further 4 technical assistants.

In Porto, the Porto Central Archive will have a team of 7 technical assistants added to it to speed up the requests filed by post entered into the system and accepting pending requests.

In addition, in order to make the processes’ acceptance swifter, the counter of the Porto Central Archive will temporary close its in-person assistance to allocate its resources in full to the requests received by post and online.

To improve service efficiency in the area of Nationality, the IRN has been implementing digitalisation measures, backed by technological tools to increase the capacity to accept processes, thereby reducing waiting times.