“Delays in nationality violate the law itself”, highlights Isabel Comte in an interview with O Globo

Portuguese jurist Isabel Comte, one of the greatest experts on Portuguese-Brazilian citizenship, gave an interview to the column Portugal Giro, from the newspaper The globe, to deal with delays in applications for Portuguese nationality. Read the full article on here.

With two decades of experience in the Ministry of Justice, Isabel warns about the violation of the Code of Administrative Procedure by registry offices and reinforces that the Portuguese State is obliged to comply with legal deadlines. According to her, the public petition presented to Parliament — created by her together with lawyers João Roseira and Renato Martins, from Martins Castro — is a necessary step to demand accountability and transparency in the conduct of these processes.

In the interview, Isabel highlighted central points of the problem:

• Delays are illegal and the State has an obligation to reorganize itself to comply with the law

• The labor shortage is serious, and new employees will only be fully qualified by the end of 2026

• The promise to change the residence period from 5 to 10 years is electoral, with no immediate practical effect

• Citizens cannot be penalized for poor public management

• The average requirement in the European Union is five years — which disproves the thesis that Portugal would be an exception

Martins Castro remains mobilized in defense of the right to nationality and reinforces the invitation for everyone to sign the petition in Parliament: sign now and support change.

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