More than 25 requests for Portuguese nationality According to data from the Ministry of Justice, documents remain pending at consulates. The reason is the lack of human resources at the Institute of Registries and Notaries (IRN), the body responsible for processing documents sent by consular posts, as reported by the newspaper. Sol.
The number was confirmed after a question posed in October by the Socialist Party (PS) parliamentary group to the Minister of Justice. The request for clarification concerned delays at the Central Registry Office, especially in the integration of birth certificates, an essential step for the recognition of Portuguese nationality.
In response, the Ministry stated that there are no delays in processing requests from children up to one year old. According to the statement, these cases are resolved on the same day they are received.
The remaining processes are still pending. As of November 19th, there were 25.507 pending birth certificates sent by the consulates. Of the total, 629 refer to minors over one year old. The other 24.878 concern adults.
The Government acknowledges that the IRN (National Registry Institute) faces “a significant structural challenge, stemming from the continuous reduction of its human resources.” According to the note sent to the Socialist Party, the drop in the number of employees is due to retirements, internal transfers, and the absence of public recruitment processes.
To circumvent the problem, hiring processes are underway for 159 new registrars and eight for the Autonomous Region of Madeira. The entry of 617 registry officers is also planned. Government It considers the reinforcement essential to restore normality in the response time of nationality services.
