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Getting the StartUP Visa for Portugal

The IAPMEI programme, the certified incubators, the 325,000 euro growth threshold, and how foreign founders get a residence permit.

Getting the StartUP Visa for Portugal

Last verified: September 2026.

Who this is for

  • Non-EU founders, not yet living in Portugal, with an innovative tech or knowledge-based business idea.
  • Non-EU founders of a young company abroad who want to build its Portuguese base.
  • Teams of up to five non-EU founders applying together under one project.

Not for you if: you want to run an ordinary business with no innovation angle. Read Getting the D2 Entrepreneur Visa for Portugal instead.

Updated September 2026. Family reunification now usually needs two years of residence first, and citizenship now needs 10 years for most founders.

The StartUP Visa lets non-EU founders live in Portugal while they build an innovative company here. IAPMEI, the government's innovation agency, runs it. First, one of roughly 90 certified incubators must accept you, and IAPMEI must approve the project. You then get a residence visa and a two-year residence permit. You need savings of €6,445.56 per founder in 2026. The legal time limits alone add up to about five months. Visa and permit fees come to about €360, plus the incubator's own charges.

Who can apply

Each founder on the project must:

  • Hold no permanent residence anywhere in the Schengen area. In practice this means non-EU nationals.
  • Be at least 18. There is no upper age limit.
  • Owe nothing to the Portuguese tax authority (Finanças) or to Social Security, if you already have a NIF or a Social Security number.
  • Have no criminal record.
  • Hold at least €6,445.56 in their own bank account in 2026. That is 12 times the IAS, Portugal's Social Support Index, of €537.13.

A project can have one to five founders. Each founder can get a residence visa under it. You can only be part of one StartUP Visa project at a time.

Founders who give false information are barred from applying again for three years.

What kind of business qualifies

Your project must show that it:

  • Is based on technology and knowledge, with plans for innovative products.
  • Sells goods or services that can reach international markets.
  • Can create skilled jobs beyond the founders.
  • Could reach, within five years of the incubation contract starting, yearly turnover or assets above €325,000.
  • Needs each founder's personal contribution.

The €325,000 figure is a projection, not a promise. IAPMEI asks you to estimate turnover and assets in year five. Back it with your target markets, expected market share, and pricing against competitors.

If you already run a company abroad, extra rules apply. The company must be less than four years old. It must show potential for at least five jobs in Portugal within 24 months, not counting founders. You need an executive role or at least 10% of the capital or votes. Last year's accounts must show positive equity. A company set up with a Portuguese partner can apply only if it was formed outside Portugal and a non-EU founder leads the application.

How to apply, step by step

  1. Register on the IAPMEI StartUP Visa platform. Describe the project and the team. You can add a pitch file or video. You can write in English or Portuguese, and apply at any time of year.
  2. Send declarations of interest to incubators. Choose certified incubators that suit your field from IAPMEI's list. There is no limit on how many you contact.
  3. Get at least one incubator to say yes. Only then can you complete and submit the full application to IAPMEI.
  4. Wait for IAPMEI's decision. The law gives IAPMEI up to 30 working days. If documents are missing, you have three working days to send them after you are notified. IAPMEI judges innovation, scalability, market potential, the management team, and job creation.
  5. Sign the incubation contract. After approval, you have up to 40 working days to sign with an interested incubator. Invite it on the platform. The incubator then uploads the signed contract within five working days.
  6. Download the declaration of acceptance. Once the contract is on the platform, IAPMEI's declaration of acceptance (declaração de aceitação) appears in your account. You need it for the visa.

You cannot add founders after IAPMEI approves the project. To add someone, cancel and apply again.

Documents for the IAPMEI application

  • Passport copy for each founder.
  • If you live outside your home country, your residence permit there.
  • A motivation letter explaining why you want to build the business in Portugal.
  • A bank statement or bank letter proving €6,445.56 per founder.
  • A criminal record certificate from your country of nationality, or from where you have lived for over a year. It must be apostilled or legalised, and translated.
  • If you have a NIF or Social Security number, authorise IAPMEI to check your status online. Otherwise, sign a sworn statement that you have none.
  • The project description, and at least one incubator's declaration of interest.

Choosing and paying an incubator

Incubation must be physical. Virtual-only incubation is not accepted, so plan to work from the incubator's premises. Certified incubators are spread across mainland Portugal, the Azores, and Madeira. IAPMEI's current list dates from 23 January 2026.

IAPMEI does not set incubator prices. Each incubator charges its own fee, agreed in the contract. Ask early what it covers: desk space, mentoring, legal help, and access to investors.

The incubation contract runs for 12 months. It can be renewed for further 12-month periods if both sides agree and the incubator keeps its certification. The incubator sends IAPMEI a progress report every three months.

Getting the residence visa

With the declaration of acceptance, apply for a residence visa at the Portuguese consulate or visa centre for where you live. You do not have to apply in person, unlike most residence visas.

Bring or upload:

  • The visa application form, signed.
  • Two recent passport photos.
  • A passport valid for at least three months beyond your planned stay.
  • Proof of legal stay, if you apply outside your country of nationality.
  • Travel insurance covering medical care and repatriation.
  • Your criminal record certificate, apostilled or legalised.
  • Proof of means of subsistence.
  • IAPMEI's declaration of acceptance.

The visa fee is €110. The consulate has up to 60 days to decide. The visa is valid for four months and two entries. Its only job is to get you into Portugal to collect your residence permit.

If you are already legally in Portugal, the law lets StartUP Visa founders ask AIMA to waive the residence visa. AIMA charges €307.20 to consider that request at a desk. IAPMEI and AIMA still describe the consulate route as the normal one, so contact AIMA before you rely on a waiver.

Getting the residence permit from AIMA

AIMA is the immigration agency. Your AIMA appointment is printed on the visa. Attend it in person at the stated date and place.

Take:

  • Your valid passport.
  • IAPMEI's declaration of acceptance.
  • Your criminal record certificate, authenticated.
  • A signed statement of your address, saying whether you own, rent, or are hosted. Add a landlord's or host's declaration, or the land registry certificate if you own.
  • Proof of registration with Finanças. See Getting a NIF (Tax Number) in Portugal.
  • Proof of registration with Social Security.
  • Proof of means of subsistence.

AIMA's fee table from 26 February 2026 lists €133.00 to process the request and €114.30 to issue the permit. That makes €247.30 at a desk. Requests made online get 25% off, which brings it to €185.60.

The first permit lasts two years. Each renewal lasts three years. See Renewing Your Residence Permit with AIMA in Portugal for that step.

How long it takes and what it costs

StageLegal time limitCost
Incubator interestNo limitFree
IAPMEI decision30 working daysFree
Incubation contractWithin 40 working days of approvalSet by the incubator
Residence visaUp to 60 days€110
AIMA residence permitAt the appointment on the visa€247.30 in person, €185.60 online

Also budget for criminal record certificates, apostilles, certified translations, travel insurance, and a place to live.

After you arrive

You are expected to set up your Portuguese company during the incubation contract. It must be running by the end of the contract. See Starting a Company in Portugal for the steps.

Your permit covers the project it was granted for. Other work must fit the reason you were given residence.

You and the incubator must report major changes to IAPMEI and AIMA. Examples are a founder leaving or the project changing course. If you break the contract or the programme rules, the incubation contract can end, and your permit rests on it.

Bringing your family

Only people who already hold a residence permit can apply for family reunification. Since October 2025, you usually need to have held your permit for two years first. The wait does not apply to your minor children. It also does not apply to a spouse or partner who is the other parent of a minor child in your care. A spouse or partner who lived with you for 18 months before you came can apply after 15 months. See Applying for Family Reunification in Portugal.

The long-term path

After five years of legal residence you can apply for Getting Permanent Residence in Portugal. You will need Portuguese at A2 level.

Citizenship takes longer since the nationality law changed on 19 May 2026. Most non-EU founders now need 10 years of legal residence. Nationals of Portuguese-speaking countries, such as Brazil, need seven.

Which visa fits you

  • StartUP Visa: an innovative, scalable company with an incubator behind it.
  • D2 entrepreneur visa: any viable business, with no incubator or innovation test.
  • D8 digital nomad visa: remote work for clients or employers outside Portugal. See Getting the D8 Digital Nomad Visa for Portugal.

Who to contact

IAPMEI's StartUP Visa team answers questions by email at [email protected] or by phone on 213 836 237, on working days. AIMA's contact centre is on 217 115 000, Monday to Friday, 8:00 to 20:00.

Sources

This guide is written from official Portuguese and EU sources and, for prices and contact details, the providers' own websites.

Last verified September 2026. Rules and fees change; check the official source before acting.

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