President Marcelo enacts new version of Nationality Law

Portugal’s president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, on Tuesday enacted the new version of the parliament’s law amending the Nationality Law, considering that it generally welcomes the recommendations made to the previous version, which he vetoed in August.

According to a note published on the presidency’s website, De Sousa welcomes the new version of parliament’s decree, which generally accepts the recommendations made to the previous version, and therefore promulgated the decree.

When he vetoed the first version of this law, on 21 August, De Sousa referred to the exemption from the application of the generic regime in relation to couples concerning the partnership with children in common, children who have Portuguese nationality.

“It seems to me politically unfair, because it is disproportionate, to disadvantage couples without children, as well as couples with children, who have Portuguese nationality but are not children in common,” he considered.

According to the president, the presumption of greater cohesion or stability in couples with children, and in them with children in common, children who have Portuguese nationality was “taken too far”.

“This is clearly the case if there are children who are Portuguese nationals but who are not in common with the couple. Also, in couples without children, and many cases they cannot have them,” he added.