I have recently acquired an EU Blue Card in Poland. I am considering moving to Portugal in 18 months from now, as there is a legal requirement to stay for 18 months in the country after receiving the Blue Card. I am aware that in order to obtain Portuguese citizenship, the person has to legally reside in Portugal for 5 years if he/she has a normal residence card or a D7 visa. My question is, if I move to Portugal, get a job and stay on a Blue Card status, will those previous 1.8 years of living in Poland be counted towards Portuguese citizenship? Meaning 1.8 (Poland) + 3.2 (Portugal) = 5 years in total. Do I qualify like this for Portuguese citizenship or do I still need to reside there for 5 years straight with a Blue Card?
Answers
As you have correctly stated, in order to apply for the Portuguese citizenship, one must legally reside in Portugal for 5 years. Any time that you have lived abroad using the same permit (in this case, your Blue Card) will not count towards that goal.
The blue card residency in other country doesn't count towards the citizenship application in Portugal. As such, and taking into consideration that you must fulfill 5 years of legal residency in Portugal, you must hold the blue card for 5 years in Portugal, regardless of any time spent in other EU country.
We note that to apply for citizenship you must have legally resided in Portuguese territory for at least five years. In this sense, even if you have a blue card for 18 months in Poland, you will always have to live in Portugal for 5 years in order to apply for Portuguese nationality.
