Why the first Portuguese passport comes after a valid Citizen Card
A Portuguese passport is a travel document for Portuguese citizens. For a newly naturalised adult, the practical sequence is nationality completed → first Citizen Card → passport request. For the underlying nationality-rule context before the passport stage, see Portugal nationality law 2026 changes.
The passport is often the document people imagine when they think ‘citizenship approved’.
Portugal’s operational sequence is more disciplined.
The passport office verifies a Portuguese identity document; it does not replace the first Citizen Card step.
Portuguese passport after citizenship approval: Requirement one: Portuguese citizenship
gov.pt states that any Portuguese citizen can request the Portuguese electronic passport (PEP).
Requirement two: a valid Portuguese identity document
Justice.gov says the PEP can be requested by a person with a valid Cartão de Cidadão or Bilhete de Identidade.
If the identification document has expired, it must be renewed before the passport application.
For a newly naturalised adult with no Portuguese identity card yet, Article 48 therefore comes first. The required first step is therefore the first Citizen Card after Portuguese citizenship process; the passport application comes after a valid Portuguese identity document exists.
What to bring for a first adult passport
Valid Cartão de Cidadão (or valid Portuguese Bilhete de Identidade in the legacy cases where one exists).
Previous passport only if this is a renewal/replacement rather than a first Portuguese passport.
Photo/biometric capture is handled through the passport issuance process; do not turn up expecting an online-only first passport.
Where to request it
Justice lists several in-person channels in Portugal:
IRN civil registry services and Citizen Shops;
Passport Shops at Lisbon and Porto airports, with the relevant appointment rules;
services of the Autonomous Regions;
Portuguese consulates for applications abroad.
Appointments can be booked through SIGA/sigaApp where available.
2026 mainland prices and service speeds
| Service | Price | Published reference time |
|---|---|---|
| Normal | €65 | 5 working days |
| Express | €85 | 2 working days if requested by the stated cut-off |
| Urgent | €95 | 1 working day if requested by the stated cut-off |
| Urgent + same-day collection at Lisbon Airport | €100 | Collection from 17:15 when request meets stated cut-off |
| Home delivery in Portugal | + €10 | Added to the relevant service |
Prices/delivery differ abroad. In Europe, for example, Justice currently publishes €75 normal, €110 express and €120 urgent, with separate home-delivery charges.
Passport validity
The Portuguese electronic passport is currently valid for five years.
Government simplification documents have discussed extending passport validity, but the live gov.pt/Justice service pages still publish the five-year validity rule as of this article’s verification date. Use the live service, not reform announcements, when planning renewal.
Do you need a passport for travel inside the EU?
The Citizen Card itself is a Portuguese national identity document and is valid for travel within the European Union/Schengen contexts where national identity cards are accepted.
The Portuguese passport is the standard travel document for travel outside the EU/Schengen and for destinations/airlines/border situations requiring a passport.
Always check the destination’s entry rules before travel; citizenship does not guarantee visa-free entry everywhere.
Name consistency after naturalisation
If the Portuguese civil record/Citizen Card displays a name differently from the foreign passport you previously used, book travel in the name of the document you will actually present.
Update frequent-flyer profiles, visas, residence records in other countries and airline accounts carefully. Do not assume airlines will reconcile two identity histories at the airport.
Children
A minor also needs an individual passport for travel where a passport is required.
Justice’s current procedure requires the child and the person exercising parental responsibility to be present, with valid identity documents and, where relevant, proof of parental-responsibility authority.
The new-citizen travel sequence
Wait until nationality is granted and the Portuguese civil registration is complete.
Obtain the first valid Citizen Card.
Choose the passport urgency level based on an actual travel deadline.
Request the passport in person and keep the receipt/collection instructions.
Do not book non-refundable travel around an estimated completion date before the required identity documents exist.
After receipt, update travel profiles and check destination entry rules.
Sources and further reading
Justice.gov — Portuguese electronic passport — Current eligibility, required identity document, mainland/overseas prices and application locations.
gov.pt — Request/renew Portuguese electronic passport — Updated 4 September 2026; current service entry point.
Justice.gov — Book passport appointment — Current SIGA/sigaApp appointment route.
gov.pt — Passport validity — Current published five-year validity.
Featured image: Arenawise / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped, resized and converted to WebP; adapted image is distributed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
