Portuguese Parliament Rejects Loss of Nationality for Serious Crimes

On July 3, the Portuguese Parliament rejected a decree from the Assembly of the Republic that would have allowed the application of an “additional penalty of loss of nationality” to citizens convicted of certain serious crimes. The initiative had already been vetoed by former President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and had received two findings of unconstitutionality from the Constitutional Court, which called for greater clarity on which crimes could justify the loss of nationality.

What this means

In practical terms, the rejection prevents the possibility of stripping nationality as an additional consequence of criminal convictions from moving forward in the form in which it was drafted. The bill returned to Parliament after the concerns raised, but it failed to secure sufficient support in two separate votes, both of which were rejected.

On the left, the proposal was described as a “pointless measure,” based on the view that it would have no preventive effect on crime and that there were no relevant precedents. On the right and within the Government, the central argument remained tied to national security.

The outcome also exposed divisions within the political landscape. The vote leaves the issue without an approved legislative solution and requires any parties wishing to revive the measure to redraft the text, particularly regarding the definition of the crimes covered and its constitutional compatibility.

With Parliament’s rejection, the loss of nationality as an additional penalty for serious crimes is excluded from this bill. However, the debate is expected to continue at both the political and legal levels, between arguments centered on national security and the constitutional protections attached to the right to nationality. For now, no change has been approved on this matter, and any renewed attempt will depend on a more precise and constitutionally sound proposal.

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