The Portuguese Constitution establishes Portuguese as the official language (Article 11). In 1999, Mirandês also became an official language (Law 7/99, regulated by Despatch Order 35/99).
In order to acquire Portuguese nationality, applicants must take a Portuguese language test (Order 1403-A/2006).
For legislation concerning the use of the Portuguese language in TV and Radio broadcastings see chapter 2.5.3.
The Portuguese Spelling Agreement was signed by the CPLP’s members in December 1990. Its objectives were to encourage the use of the Portuguese language internationally and implement a common set of rules in the signing countries. In Portugal, the Agreement was first approved in the following year (Presidential Decree 43/1991) but, having met considerable opposition by some cultural sectors, a modifying protocol was approved in 2008 (Presidential Decree 52/2008). The Agreement was finally implemented in 2009.
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