Legal alert no. 91

Law no. 27-A/2019

The Law no. 27-A/2019, published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Portugal on the 28th of March, approved the contingency measures to be taken in the event of United Kingdom exiting the European Union without a deal.

The Law no. 27-A/2019 is applicable to nationals of the United Kingdom that are resident in Portugal on the date in which the United Kingdom exits the European Union, as well as to their family members.

Article 3, no. 1 of the Law no. 27-A/2019 provides that the nationals of the United Kingdom and their family members that are resident in Portugal on the date in which the United Kingdom exits the European Union continue to be deemed as residents in Portugal without any interruption.

Until the 31^st of December 2020, the nationals of the United Kingdom and their family members may continue to reside in Portugal without having to obtain a residence permit. After that date, article 5 of the Law no. 27-A/2019 states that the nationals of the United Kingdom and their family members that are resident in Portugal on the date in which the United Kingdom exits the European Union may be granted a temporary residence permit, if they reside in Portugal for less than 5 years, or a permanent residence permit or the long-term resident status, if they reside in Portugal for at least 5 years.

Article 6 of the Law no. 27-A/2019 stipulates that the nationals of the United Kingdom and their family members who intend to continue to reside in Portugal after the United Kingdom exits the European Union may, immediately and until the 31^st of December 2020, submit a residence permit request, which will entail the payment of a fee.

To access the complete text of the Law no. 27-A/2019, please click here.  https://dre.pt/web/guest/home/-/dre/121734971/details/maximized