From 3 July 2017, the process of acquiring Portuguese nationality will be faster and more predictable.
The streamlining of the process is due to the measures introduced by Decree-Law no. 71/2017, of 21 June, namely: 

• The attribution to the Central Registry Office (Conservatória dos Registos Centrais) of the possibility to conclude that the applicant has ties to the Portuguese community (previously, such competence was assigned to the member of the Government responsible for justice);
• The creation of presumptions of effective connection to the Portuguese community and knowledge of Portuguese language; and  
• The waiver of presentation of the applicant’s criminal record of his country of birth or his country of nationality when the applicant has not lived there after completing 16 years.