Visas and Residency in Portugal
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Every route to living in Portugal: which visa fits you, the income you must show, the fees, and the steps from consulate to AIMA residence card.
Last verified: September 2026.
Who this is for
- You are a non-EU citizen who wants to live in Portugal and does not yet know which visa fits.
- You will work here, work remotely, run a business, study, retire, invest, or join family.
- You are an EU, EEA, or Swiss citizen and want to know what registration you still need.
Not for you if: you are retiring on a pension and want the full picture, from visa to healthcare. Read Retiring in Portugal instead.
Updated September 2026. A new amendment to the foreigners law took effect on 11 September 2026. AIMA must now decide new residence permits within 90 days, and students can no longer switch to a student permit from inside Portugal.
Most non-EU citizens apply for a residence visa at a Portuguese consulate, then swap it for a residence permit from AIMA, the immigration agency, after arrival. The route depends on where your money comes from, who you are related to, and which passport you hold. The income test starts at €920 a month in 2026 for one adult. EU, EEA, and Swiss citizens need no visa and register at the town hall instead. This guide is the map: every route, what it costs, and how long it takes.
How the system works
Almost every non-EU route has two stages.
Stage one: the residence visa (visto de residência). You apply at the Portuguese consulate for the country where you live, or at the service centre it uses. The visa is a sticker in your passport. It is valid for four months and two entries. The consulate has 60 days to decide.
Stage two: the residence permit (autorização de residência) from AIMA. AIMA stands for Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo. When the consulate issues your visa, it also books your AIMA appointment. At that appointment you give fingerprints and pay the permit fees. AIMA now has 90 days to decide, which it can extend by 30 days in exceptional cases. The first permit lasts two years. Renewals last three years.
Three groups skip or change this pattern:
- EU, EEA, and Swiss citizens need no visa and no AIMA permit.
- Golden Visa investors apply to AIMA directly, without a residence visa.
- Citizens of Portuguese-speaking (CPLP) countries use their own visa, with a lighter document list.
A temporary stay visa (visto de estada temporária) is different. It covers stays of under a year, allows multiple entries, and does not lead to a residence permit. The remote work (D8) visa comes in both versions. If you want to stay long term, apply for the residence version.
There is no general route to arrive as a visitor and then apply for residence from inside Portugal. The old "expression of interest" route closed in June 2024, and since 11 September 2026 the in-country route for students has closed too. Get the visa before you move.
Which route is yours
The income figures below use the 2026 minimum wage of €920 a month. The consulates use it as the yardstick for "means of subsistence".
| Route | Who it is for | Money you must show (2026) | Where you apply |
|---|---|---|---|
| D1 (employment) | You have a job contract or a binding offer from a Portuguese employer | Your salary counts as your means | Consulate, then AIMA |
| D2 (self-employment and business) | Freelancers, entrepreneurs, and StartUP Visa founders | Proof of the investment or of money available in Portugal | Consulate, then AIMA |
| D3 (highly qualified, EU Blue Card) | Skilled professionals and graduates with a qualifying job | Blue Card: salary of at least 1.5 times the national average, or three times the social support index (IAS) | Consulate, then AIMA |
| D4 (study) | University, secondary, and vocational students | €920 a month for 12 months, reduced if housing or meals are covered | Consulate, then AIMA |
| Family reunification | Spouse, partner, children, and dependent parents of a legal resident | The resident shows income and housing for the family | AIMA first, then the consulate |
| D7 (passive income) | Retirees and people living on pensions, rent, dividends, or savings | €920 a month, plus €460 for a second adult and €276 per child | Consulate, then AIMA |
| D8 (remote work) | Employees and freelancers working for clients outside Portugal | €3,680 a month (four times the minimum wage), averaged over the last three months | Consulate, then AIMA |
| Golden Visa | Investors | From €250,000, or 10 jobs, depending on the route | AIMA directly |
| CPLP visa | Citizens of Brazil, Cape Verde, Angola, and the other CPLP countries | Means of subsistence, or a sponsor's statement of responsibility | Consulate, then AIMA |
| EU registration | EU, EEA, and Swiss citizens | Work, study, or enough money plus health cover where required | Town hall (Câmara Municipal) |
If your income is a pension or investments, read the D7 guide. If it is a salary or fees earned from abroad, read the D8 guide. If you will earn a living in Portugal without a Portuguese employer, read the D2 guide.
What every application needs
The consulate asks for the same core file on every residence route. Start collecting it three to four months before you apply.
- The national visa application form, signed.
- Two identical, recent passport photos.
- A passport valid for at least three months beyond your planned stay, plus a copy of the photo page.
- Proof of legal status, if you apply from a country where you are not a citizen.
- A criminal record certificate from your country of origin, or from any country where you have lived for more than a year, with an apostille or consular legalisation. Children under 16 do not need one.
- Travel insurance covering urgent medical care and repatriation. Holders of the Brazilian PB4 or the UK S1 form may be exempt.
- Proof of means of subsistence (see below).
- The documents for your route: job contract, business plan, pension letter, university acceptance, and so on.
Many consulates also ask for proof of accommodation and a Portuguese tax number (NIF). You will need both soon after arrival anyway. See Getting a NIF (Tax Number) in Portugal.
The income rule. The first adult must show 100% of the minimum wage, which is €920 a month in 2026. Each further adult needs 50% (€460). Each child under 18, or dependent adult child, needs 30% (€276). The figures are net of social security contributions. For most residence visas you show this for 12 months, so one D7 applicant proves at least €11,040 a year. Salaries, contracts, grants, pensions, rents, and investment income all count.
The routes, one by one
D1: working for a Portuguese employer
You need a job contract, a binding job offer, or a written expression of interest from the employer. If your profession is regulated in Portugal (nurses, engineers, lawyers, and others), you also need proof that you may practise it. The salary in the contract is your proof of means.
Once you hold a work permit, you can change employer by telling AIMA. You do not need a new card.
D2: self-employment, business, and the StartUP Visa
The D2 covers three groups:
- Self-employed professionals, with a company contract or a written offer of a service contract.
- Entrepreneurs, who declare an investment in Portugal and show that they made it or have the money available here.
- StartUP Visa founders, who need a declaration from IAPMEI, the business agency, confirming an incubation contract with a certified incubator. See Getting the StartUP Visa for Portugal.
There is no fixed minimum investment. Self-employed permit holders can change the type of work they do by telling AIMA, without a new card.
D3: highly qualified workers and the EU Blue Card
The D3 covers teaching, research, cultural work, and highly qualified employment. For the EU Blue Card version you need a job contract, or a binding offer, of at least six months. The yearly salary must be at least 1.5 times the national average gross salary, or three times the IAS (the social support index, €537.13 a month in 2026). For shortage occupations listed by the government, the bar drops to 1.2 times the average salary or twice the IAS. You also need high professional qualifications for the job.
Companies certified under IAPMEI's Tech Visa programme can sign a statement of responsibility for their hires. The consulate accepts it in place of some of the usual paperwork.
Family members of Blue Card, highly qualified, teaching, and cultural workers are exempt from the two-year wait for family reunification.
D4: study
The study visas cover university degrees, secondary school, vocational courses, exchanges, unpaid internships, and volunteering. You need proof of admission and means of subsistence at the €920 rate for 12 months. The consulate can halve that if your housing is arranged, and reduce it by up to 90% if meals are covered too. Scholarship holders, and students admitted to higher education institutions approved for the fast-track scheme, do not need to prove means.
Since 11 September 2026 you can no longer enter as a visitor and apply for a student permit in Portugal. Get the student visa first. See Getting the D4 Student Visa for Portugal.
Family reunification
If you already hold a residence permit, you apply to AIMA to bring your family. Once AIMA approves, your relatives apply for a residence visa at the consulate. Children of residence permit holders pay no visa fee.
Since October 2025 most residents must have held their permit for two years before applying. The main exceptions:
- 15 months for a spouse or partner who lived with you for at least 18 months before you moved to Portugal.
- No wait for minor children or dependent adult children who cannot look after themselves.
- No wait for a spouse or partner who is the other parent of a minor child you are bringing.
- No wait for the family of Golden Visa, Blue Card, highly qualified, teaching, or cultural permit holders.
Spouses and partners must both be at least 18. AIMA has nine months to decide. Joining family members must take Portuguese language and civics training after they arrive.
There is a shortcut if your family moves with you. Your spouse and minor children can apply for a family accompaniment visa at the same time as your own visa. They show the family link and enough income for everyone. The full rules are in Applying for Family Reunification in Portugal.
D7: passive income and retirement
The D7 is for people who can live on income that does not depend on working in Portugal: pensions, rent, dividends, interest, and royalties. The floor is the minimum wage, €920 a month in 2026, plus €460 for a second adult and €276 per child, for at least 12 months. Retirees show the pension amount and proof that it will be paid. Other applicants show the income and that it is available in Portugal. These are minimums, and a stronger file helps.
D8: remote workers and digital nomads
The D8 is for people who work for employers or clients outside Portugal. Employees show a job contract or an employer's declaration. Freelancers show a company contract, service contracts, or proof of work done. Either way you must prove average monthly earnings over the last three months of at least four times the minimum wage: €3,680 in 2026. You also need a document showing where you are tax resident today.
Golden Visa: residence by investment
The Golden Visa (autorização de residência para investimento, or ARI) is the only route where you apply to AIMA without a residence visa. You do not need to move here. The investment cannot go into real estate, directly or indirectly, and must be kept for at least five years. The routes are:
| Investment | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Creating jobs | At least 10 jobs (8 in a low-density area) |
| Scientific research at public or private institutions in the national research system | €500,000 (€400,000 in a low-density area) |
| Artistic production or national cultural heritage | €250,000 (20% less in a low-density area) |
| Units in Portuguese investment funds that are not real estate funds, with at least five years to maturity and at least 60% invested in Portuguese companies | €500,000 |
| Setting up a Portuguese company and creating five permanent jobs, or adding capital to one and creating five permanent jobs or keeping ten jobs, for at least three years | €500,000 |
You must spend at least 7 days in Portugal in the first year and at least 14 days in the years after. Your family can apply with you from day one, without the two-year wait. AIMA's fees are the highest of any route (see the cost table). The details are in Applying for the Portugal Golden Visa.
Job seeker visa
The law now provides a qualified job seeker visa for people with specialised technical skills. It lasts 120 days and comes with an AIMA appointment inside that period. If you start a qualifying job, you can apply for a residence permit. If you have not started work when it ends, you must leave and cannot apply again for a year.
As of September 2026, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says consulates do not yet issue this visa, because the rules defining "specialised technical skills" have not been published. Do not plan around it until your consulate confirms it is open.
CPLP visa
Citizens of Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Timor-Leste can use the CPLP mobility agreement. You apply for a CPLP visa at the consulate, then ask AIMA for a CPLP residence permit after you arrive. The document list is lighter. A statement of responsibility from a Portuguese resident, or from your host organisation, can replace proof of means. Students admitted to a Portuguese university do not need to prove means. CPLP nationals, except those of Timor-Leste, are also exempt from AIMA's permit and renewal fees.
Brazilians have an extra option once resident. See Getting Equal Rights Status as a Brazilian in Portugal.
EU, EEA, and Swiss citizens
You need no visa and no AIMA permit. If you stay longer than three months, you register at the town hall (Câmara Municipal) where you live, within 30 days after those three months. You get an EU citizen registration certificate. Bring your passport or ID card and a signed declaration that you work, are self-employed, study, or have enough money and health cover where required. The fee is €18 in person or €15 online for adults. Non-EU family members of EU citizens ask AIMA for a family member residence card instead. See Registering as an EU Citizen Resident in Portugal (CRUE).
Step by step: from consulate to residence card
- Get a NIF and gather your proof of income. Both can be started from abroad.
- Arrange accommodation. A rental contract, a deed, or a formal invitation from a host.
- Collect the file. Criminal record, insurance, income proof, and route documents. Apostille and translate what the consulate asks for.
- Attend the consulate appointment. Hand in the file, give fingerprints, and pay €110.
- Wait for the decision. The legal deadline is 60 days.
- Find your AIMA appointment. The consulate books it when it issues the visa. The details are in a link on the visa sticker. If the link does not work, book through AIMA's online contact form, under "Autorização de Residência com Visto Consular (Não CPLP)", with your passport and visa numbers. CPLP visa holders choose the CPLP topic.
- Enter Portugal within the visa's four months and attend the AIMA appointment. Bring the whole file again, plus your NIF and proof of your address in Portugal. Pay the permit fees.
- Receive the card by post. AIMA has 90 days to decide, extendable by 30.
What it costs
| Item | Full fee (2026) | Paid now (25% reduction) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consular residence visa | €110 | €110 | Free for children up to six, children joining a resident, state scholarship holders, and highly qualified researchers |
| AIMA: assessing a first permit | €133.00 | €99.80 | Per person |
| AIMA: granting a first permit | €114.30 | €85.80 | Per person |
| AIMA: EU Blue Card, assessing and granting | €329.70 | €247.30 | €169.20 plus €160.50 at full fee |
| AIMA: permanent residence permit | €484.10 | €363.20 | €133.00 plus €351.10 at full fee |
| AIMA: Golden Visa, assessing and granting | €9,261.70 | €6,946.30 | Per person, including each family member |
| AIMA: Golden Visa renewal | €5,053.10 | €3,789.90 | Assessing plus renewal, per person |
| EU citizen registration certificate | €18 | €15 online | Adults; less for under 25s |
| Refused visa, administrative review | €75 | €75 | Free for family reunification cases |
AIMA's table gives a full fee and a fee 25% lower for online requests. Until its services move fully online, AIMA applies the 25% reduction at the counter too. CPLP nationals, except those of Timor-Leste, do not pay the permit fees. Budget separately for apostilles, translations, and travel.
Timing, end to end. Allow up to 60 days for the consulate, up to four months to enter Portugal, and 90 days for AIMA to decide. Do not book non-refundable flights around a single date.
Common problems
Wrong visa. A remote worker who applies for the D7, or a pensioner who applies for the D8, is refused. Passive income is the D7. Active income from abroad is the D8. Income earned in Portugal is the D1, D2, or D3.
Thin income evidence. One statement showing a lump sum is weak evidence. Show several months of statements and the documents behind them.
Missing the AIMA window. Your visa gives you four months to go to AIMA. If you cannot attend the date you were given, rebook through the contact form before the visa expires, and keep the written proof.
Letting your card lapse. AIMA says your right to live here continues for six months after your residence card expires, while you renew. After that you are in Portugal irregularly. File the renewal early, between 90 and 30 days before the expiry date, and carry the expired card with your renewal receipt. See Renewing Your Residence Permit with AIMA in Portugal.
Assuming NHR still exists. The old non-habitual resident tax regime is closed to new arrivals. A narrower regime, IFICI, replaced it for some researchers and skilled workers. See Qualifying for the IFICI Tax Regime That Replaced NHR.
Assuming citizenship takes five years. For applications made since 19 May 2026, it takes seven years of legal residence for CPLP and EU citizens and ten years for everyone else.
After you have the card
If you are refused. AIMA must give its reasons in writing and tell you how to challenge the decision in court and by when.
Renewals. Renew online through AIMA's Renewals Portal, from 90 days and no later than 30 days before your card expires. You must still meet the conditions of your route and be up to date with tax and social security.
Permanent residence. After five years of legal residence you can apply for a permanent residence permit. You need basic Portuguese (A2), a clean record, housing, and means. The permit does not expire; the card is renewed every five years. You can be away for up to 24 months in a row, or 30 months in any three years, without losing it. See Getting Permanent Residence in Portugal.
Citizenship. Since 19 May 2026, naturalisation needs seven years of legal residence for citizens of CPLP and EU countries, and ten years for others. You must also pass a test of Portuguese language, culture, history, and national symbols. Applications filed before that date follow the old rules. See Getting Portuguese Citizenship by Naturalisation.
Travel in Europe. A Portuguese residence card lets you spend up to 90 days in any 180 in the other Schengen countries. It does not let you live or work there.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change often; check the official source before you act.
Sources
This guide is written from official sources and, where relevant, organisations' own websites.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa portal, types of visa: https://vistos.mne.gov.pt/pt/vistos-nacionais/informacao-geral/tipo-de-visto (residence and temporary stay visas, four months and two entries), checked 30 September 2026
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa portal, residence visa documents: https://vistos.mne.gov.pt/pt/vistos-nacionais/documentacao-instrutoria/residencia (general document list, D1, D2, StartUP Visa, D3 and Blue Card thresholds, D4 exemptions, D7, D8, family accompaniment visa, PB4 and S1), checked 30 September 2026
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa portal, means of subsistence: https://vistos.mne.gov.pt/pt/vistos-nacionais/documentacao-instrutoria/meios-de-subsistencia (€920 minimum wage reference, 100/50/30 rule), checked 30 September 2026
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa portal, fees: https://vistos.mne.gov.pt/pt/vistos-nacionais/informacao-geral/emolumentos (€110 fee, exemptions, €75 administrative review), checked 30 September 2026
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa portal, deadlines: https://vistos.mne.gov.pt/pt/vistos-nacionais/informacao-geral/prazos (60-day decision), checked 30 September 2026
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa portal, CPLP: https://vistos.mne.gov.pt/pt/vistos-nacionais/documentacao-instrutoria/cplp (CPLP visa documents and exemptions), checked 30 September 2026
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa portal, qualified job seeker visa: https://vistos.mne.gov.pt/pt/vistos-nacionais/documentacao-instrutoria/procura-de-trabalho (not yet available at consulates), checked 30 September 2026
- AIMA, investment residence permit (ARI): https://aima.gov.pt/pt/viver/autorizacao-de-residencia-para-investimento-art-90-o-a (routes, minimums, low-density reductions, stay requirement, family), checked 30 September 2026
- AIMA, table of fees (updated 26 February 2026): https://aima.gov.pt/media/pages/documents/dc677d0005-1772305205/tabela-de-taxas-e-demais-encargos-a-cobrar-pelos-procedimentos-administrativos.pdf (permit, Blue Card, permanent, Golden Visa, and EU certificate fees; 25% reduction; CPLP exemption), checked 30 September 2026
- AIMA, appointments for consular visa holders: https://aima.gov.pt/pt/noticias/agendamentos-na-aima-ministerio-dos-negocios-estrangeiros (appointment booked with the visa, contact form fallback), checked 30 September 2026
- AIMA, online booking for residence visa holders: https://aima.gov.pt/pt/noticias/agendamento-de-autorizacao-de-residencia-para-quem-dispoe-de-visto-consular (form topic, passport and visa numbers), checked 30 September 2026
- AIMA, right of residence after card expiry: https://aima.gov.pt/pt/noticias/direito-de-residencia (six months after expiry), checked 30 September 2026
- AIMA, EU citizen registration certificate: https://aima.gov.pt/pt/nacionais-ue-e-familiares/nacionais-ue/certificado-de-registo-para-nacionais-ue (town hall, 30 days after three months, documents), checked 30 September 2026
- AIMA, permanent residence: https://aima.gov.pt/pt/viver/autorizacao-de-residencia-permanente-art-80-o (five years, A2, conditions), checked 24 September 2026
- gov.pt, renewing a residence permit: https://www.gov.pt/servicos/renovar-a-autorizacao-de-residencia (90 to 30 days before expiry, Renewals Portal), checked 24 September 2026
- Diário da República, Lei n.º 23/2007 (foreigners law), consolidated: https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/legislacao-consolidada/lei/2007-67564445 (permit validity, absences, family reunification)
- Diário da República, Lei n.º 62/2026, of 10 September: https://files.diariodarepublica.pt/1s/2026/09/17600/0006000111.pdf (90-day AIMA decision, reasons for refusal, change of employer, end of in-country student route; in force 11 September 2026)
- Diário da República, Lei n.º 61/2025, of 22 October: https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/detalhe/lei/61-2025-941547426 (qualified job seeker visa, family reunification waits, CPLP permit after a visa)
- Diário da República, Decreto-Lei n.º 37-A/2024, of 3 June: https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/detalhe/decreto-lei/37-a-2024-867842979 (end of the expression of interest route)
- Diário da República, Lei Orgânica n.º 1/2026, of 18 May: https://files.diariodarepublica.pt/1s/2026/05/09500/0000200020.pdf (nationality: seven and ten years, in force 19 May 2026)
- Diário da República, Decreto-Lei n.º 139/2025, of 29 December: https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/detalhe/decreto-lei/139-2025-992879809 (2026 minimum wage of €920)
- Tax and Customs Authority, IFICI tax incentive: https://info.portaldasfinancas.gov.pt/pt/informacao_fiscal/codigos_tributarios/bf_rep/Pages/EBF58A.aspx (the regime that replaced NHR)
Last verified September 2026. Rules and fees change; check the official source before acting.
