How to Get Brazilian Citizenship in 1 Year Instead of 4: The São Tomé Passport CPLP Advantage

Brazil has one of the most generous naturalization regimes in the Americas — and one of its best-kept secrets is written directly into the Constitution. While most foreigners must live in Brazil for 4 years before applying for citizenship, nationals of Portuguese-speaking countries need just 1 year of uninterrupted residence and proof of good character. No other requirements. Not even the standard language test applies to this track.

São Tomé and Príncipe — a member of the CPLP, the Community of Portuguese Language Countries — launched a citizenship by investment program in 2025. For a $90,000 contribution and a few weeks of processing, you can become a citizen of a Portuguese-speaking country. Combined with Brazil's CPLP residence permit, that passport can compress your path to one of the world's strongest emerging-market citizenships from 4 years to 1.

Brazil's Naturalization Rules: The Lusophone Exception

Under Article 12 of the Brazilian Constitution and the Migration Law (Lei 13.445/2017), ordinary naturalization requires:

• 4 years of residence in Brazil
• The ability to communicate in Portuguese
• No criminal convictions

But the Constitution carves out a special track for people from Portuguese-speaking countries: 1 year of uninterrupted residence and moral integrity (idoneidade moral) — meaning, in practice, a clean record. That's the entire list. It's the fastest ordinary naturalization track Brazil offers, faster even than the 1-year route for spouses and parents of Brazilians.

And Brazilian citizenship is worth having: a passport with visa-free access to the Schengen Area, the UK, and Japan, full Mercosur rights, unrestricted dual citizenship, and a constitutional ban on revoking it for acquiring other nationalities.

Step One: A Passport From a Portuguese-Speaking Country

São Tomé and Príncipe's citizenship by investment program (Decree-Law 07/2025) is currently the only fast, investment-based route into the lusophone world:

• Investment: $90,000 non-refundable contribution to the National Transformation Fund (family pricing available), plus fees
• Timeline: approvals typically in 4–10 weeks
• Process: fully remote — biometrics by video call with a local notary, no visit, no interview, no language test
• Family: spouses, children, parents, and grandparents can be included

We covered the program in depth in our São Tomé and Portugal guide; the same passport is doing the work here.

Step Two: The CPLP Residence Permit in Brazil

Since the CPLP Mobility Agreement entered into force in Brazil (Decree 11.156/2022, regulated by Portaria Interministerial MJSP/MRE 40/2023), Brazilian authorities grant residence to CPLP nationals based on nationality alone — no job offer, no investment in Brazil, no academic enrollment required. The core requirements are a valid CPLP passport and clean criminal record certificates from Brazil and your country of nationality.

The permit is initially granted for two years and is convertible to residence for an indefinite period. Compare that with the standard menu of Brazilian visas — work, study, retirement, or capital investment — and the CPLP route is by far the simplest entry ticket.

Step Three: One Uninterrupted Year, Then Apply

Once resident, the clock is short: 1 year of uninterrupted residence in Brazil, a clean record, and you can file for naturalization with the Ministry of Justice.

The Math

Honest Caveats Before You Commit

• The wording is "originários." The Constitution grants the 1-year track to those originating from Portuguese-speaking countries. Whether that covers citizens by investment — as opposed to citizens by birth — has not been tested before Brazilian authorities or courts. São Tomé's constitution treats economic citizens as full citizens, and Brazil's CPLP residence rules apply to all nationals regardless of how citizenship was acquired, but the naturalization question remains without official guidance or precedent. Anyone selling this as a guaranteed outcome is ahead of the law.
• "Uninterrupted" means living in Brazil. This is not a paper-residency play. Extended absences during the qualifying year can reset the clock, and you should expect to genuinely relocate.
• Tax residency comes with it. Residing in Brazil generally makes you taxable there on worldwide income. Model this before you move, not after.
• Practical timelines vary. Naturalization processing adds months after filing, and some practitioners recommend converting to indefinite residence before applying. Budget for a real-world timeline somewhat longer than the statutory minimum.
• Naturalized vs. born citizens differ slightly. A handful of constitutional offices are reserved for born Brazilians, and naturalized citizens can in narrow cases be extradited for crimes committed before naturalization.

The Bottom Line

Brazil offers lusophone nationals the fastest citizenship clock in the hemisphere: one year. São Tomé and Príncipe offers the fastest way to become a lusophone national: about two months and $90,000. Put together, they turn a 4-year project into something you could plausibly complete in under 18 months, end to end — with a second passport and CPLP mobility rights earned along the way.

The route is real, but it sits on constitutional language that hasn't yet been tested for investment citizens. That's exactly the kind of situation where structuring and timing matter.

Want a clear-eyed assessment of whether the Brazil route fits your plans? Talk to our team