One month later: what the new IRN platform looks like
In early October, the Institute of Registries and Notaries (IRN) launched a new platform to track applications for Portuguese nationality, promising to reduce analysis time by 50%. However, a month after its launch, the platform is still experiencing instability, with many applicants reporting failures, such as the absence of information about their processes. In 2022, the IRN received 230 thousand applications for nationality, the highest number in history, which increases the pressure for effective solutions.
Expectations versus Reality
The platform was launched with the aim of bringing more transparency and efficiency to the monitoring process. However, many applicants are unable to view the progress of their applications, generating insecurity and frustration. These failures are worrying, especially with the increase in demand for Portuguese nationality in recent years.
Impact of instabilities
Despite the promise of reducing analysis time, the benefits are still not visible to many users. Technical problems make it difficult to monitor processes, which continue to be updated.
What to expect?
It is common for new services to face difficulties at first, but the IRN needs to stabilize the system to provide reliable and real-time information. The new platform went live on October 1st at the Central Registry Office in Lisbon and the Central Archive in Porto. From November 4th, the platform will be implemented in 16 Nationality counters in the Civil Registry services.
It is expected that with these expansions, technical problems will be resolved and the system will be stabilized, offering reliable access to process information.
How should applications currently be submitted?
According to the Portuguese Justice Department, the new platform presents the nationality process in 4 phases for consultation:
- Submitted
• your application for nationality was submitted to a Registration Service (which handles Nationality) and was registered in the system
- Under analysis • your process receives an initial analysis: whether it meets the legal requirements, whether it is complete with the documents required for the type of request, as well as the authenticity of the documents, or • your process may be pending external consultation (for some types of requests it is necessary to consult external entities)
- For decision
- the order is issued with the decision on granting nationality (whether or not you are entitled to Portuguese nationality)
- Completed
- your application for nationality was granted, that is, Portuguese nationality was granted and the new citizen was registered in the civil registry, or
- your request has been denied and has been archived.
The platform needs to improve to meet the growing demand, as the IRN reached its highest number of applications in 2022. If you are facing issues with tracking your Portuguese nationality application, click here to talk to the experts on the team at Martins Castro and ensure that your process is well monitored and treated with due attention.
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