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Learning Portuguese for citizenship – PLA courses, A2 still in force and the €95 CIPLE exam

Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →

Portuguese citizenship now takes seven or ten years and a test of language and culture, yet the level of Portuguese the rules ask for is still A2. Here is where to learn it, which certificates AIMA and the registries accept, how the €95 CIPLE exam works and what the 2026 nationality law has changed.

Woman with an open textbook and pen thinking at a café window
Photo: BullRun/Adobe Stock

Learning Portuguese became a legal matter on 19 May 2026. Since then the nationality law, amended by Lei Orgânica 1/2026, has required anyone naturalising to prove by test or certificate sufficient knowledge of the Portuguese language and culture, national history and symbols, and has asked for seven years of residence from EU and Portuguese-speaking-country nationals and ten from everyone else. The level of Portuguese, however, is still set by the older Nationality Regulation: A2, the level of the CIPLE exam. The rules in this part are national – no câmara municipal (town hall) has a say – and AIMA is the Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo, the immigration agency that replaced SEF.

How much Portuguese do you need in Portugal – for what?

PurposeWhat is askedWho decides
Temporary residence permit (work, D7, D8, study)None found on the official pages readAIMA
Family reunificationPortuguese-language and constitutional-values training, checked at renewalAIMA
Permanent residence permit, after five yearsBasic Portuguese: a school certificate, an IEFP or recognised course certificate, a CAPLE test or an A2 PLA certificateAIMA
EU long-term resident statusBasic Portuguese, same certificatesAIMA
Nationality by naturalisationTest or certificate of language and culture; the current Regulation says A2Ministry of Justice and the IRN registries
Completing a degreeDIPLE (B2), according to CAPLEEach university

Source: AIMA, the Lei da Nacionalidade in the Diário da República and CAPLE, read 24 September 2026.

PLA courses – the State's Portuguese classes for migrants

Português Língua de Acolhimento (PLA – Portuguese as a host language) is the State's course for migrants under Portaria 183/2020, amended by Portaria 184/2022: for foreign residents aged 16 or over whose mother tongue is not Portuguese, certifying CEFR level A1, A2, B1 or B2 on completion. Courses run in public and private schools, in the training centres of IEFP (Instituto do Emprego e Formação Profissional – the public employment service) and in Centros Qualifica. Since 1 March 2022 the entry age has been 16, applicants for protection and holders of seasonal-work, temporary-stay or residence visas may join, and courses may run partly online.

IEFP's application form, in Portuguese, English and French, asks for a residence title, proof of a pending application or renewal, proof of an admitted asylum claim, or a NISS (número de identificação da segurança social – social security number), and offers classroom or distance learning, in working hours or after work. None of the official pages read says whether participants pay a fee – ask the centre. The certificate is the point: an A2 or higher PLA certificate proves Portuguese for nationality, permanent residence and long-term resident status, according to ANQEP, the qualifications agency.

Português para Todos is the State's free online self-study platform, run by AIMA's Portuguese-language office: 24 thematic modules at levels A and B, interface in Portuguese, English, Spanish and Arabic, no certificate.

CIPLE and the CAPLE exams – how the A2 test works

CAPLE, the certification centre at the University of Lisbon's Faculty of Letters, is recognised by Camões, I.P. and the Ministry of Education as the certifier of Portuguese as a foreign language, and it states that under current legislation CIPLE, its A2 exam, is the minimum for nationality.

ExamCEFR levelWhat you should know
ACESSOA1Certificate
CIPLEA2€95; about two hours plus a 15-minute break; pass mark 55%; the nationality minimum today
DEPLEB1Diploma
DIPLEB2Diploma; what universities ask for to complete a degree
DAPLE, DUPLEC1, C2Diploma
TEJO and school versionsAges 9–11 and 12–15Camões also runs a Camões Júnior e-certification (A1–B1) for ages 12 to 17

Source: CAPLE and Camões, I.P., read 24 September 2026.

CIPLE has three parts: reading and writing (1 hour 15 minutes), listening (30 minutes) and speaking (15 minutes per pair). It is held in the international sessions of May, July and November and on extra national dates as CIPLE-P. You must be 16 or over, may sit any level directly, register online up to 21 days before and pay within 24 hours by Multibanco, MB WAY or credit card. About 100 centres in 35 countries hold the exams; you collect the certificate or diploma at the centre 15 to 20 working days after the results.

The nationality test after Lei Orgânica 1/2026 – in force, and still waiting

Parliament approved the reform on 1 April 2026; it entered into force on 19 May 2026, and applications pending on that date follow the previous law. A first version had been partly struck down by the Constitutional Court (ruling 1133/2025), but the Court did not object to the longer residence periods or the language and culture test.

RequirementRule in force since 19 May 2026
Legal residence7 years for nationals of Portuguese-speaking countries and EU member states, 10 for others, 4 for stateless people; periods are added up within a 9-, 12- or 6-year window
Language and cultureTest or certificate of sufficient knowledge of the Portuguese language and culture, national history and symbols; Portuguese-speaking-country nationals are presumed to know the language unless the lack is manifest
Civic knowledgeThe rights and duties of nationality and the political organisation of the State, plus a solemn declaration of adherence to the democratic rule of law
Language levelSet in the Regulamento da Nacionalidade (Decreto-Lei 237-A/2006), which still says A2; the Government had 90 days from 18 May 2026 to amend it, and no amended Regulation had appeared by 24 September 2026
Children born in PortugalPortuguese at birth only if a parent has 5 years' legal residence; free naturalisation of a minor if a parent has 5 years and the child attends compulsory schooling
Fee€250 for an application by residence

Source: Lei Orgânica 1/2026 in the Diário da República, the Ministry of Justice and the Constitutional Court, read 24 September 2026.

The Ministry of Justice says several new rules, including the culture and history test, depend on that amended Regulation. Until it appears, article 25 of the current Regulation lists what is accepted: a certificate from a recognised school with at least two school years of Portuguese passed; a pass in the Portuguese language test held in public schools or in Camões-accredited centres abroad (Portaria 176/2014, run by IAVE); a CAPLE certificate; or an A2-or-higher certificate from a public school or IEFP centre – today's PLA course. The Ministry's online guide was still marked 'em atualização' (being updated) on 24 September 2026. Without a lawyer you apply by post or at a Balcão da Nacionalidade of the IRN; no processing time is published. Linha Registo: +351 211 950 500.

Living in English while you learn

The official language is Portuguese (Constitution, article 11). How far English carries you depends on age: in the 2022 EU Adult Education Survey, 30.1% of residents aged 25 to 64 knew no foreign language, 31.0% one, 25.0% two and 14.0% three or more; among 18 to 24-year-olds only 13.5% knew none, against 49.7% of 55 to 69-year-olds. Eurostat's survey does not say which language.

Some official services meet you halfway: the driving theory test with an English translation for categories AM, A1, A2, A, B1 and B; English versions of the ePortugal service pages, Metro Lisboa, CP and PT Tolls; and AIMA's telephone translation service on 217 115 000 for schools and other public services. Children get PLNM (Portuguese as a non-mother tongue) lessons free in every public school – see part 10.

What to do now

StepWhatWhen
1Find your row in the first table and note the proof you will needNow
2Start the free modules on Português para TodosBefore you arrive
3Apply for a PLA course at a school, an IEFP centre or a Centro QualificaAs soon as you have an address
4Prefer an exam? Book CIPLE online, up to 21 days aheadMay, July, November or a CIPLE-P date
5Keep the A2 certificate for permanent residence and nationalityAfter five, seven or ten years
6Check whether the amended Regulation has changed the levelBefore you file for nationality

Source: ANQEP, IEFP, CAPLE, AIMA and the Ministry of Justice, read 24 September 2026.

Official sources

The official pages this guide is based on, read 24 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.

Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.