Portugal

The EU Blue Card authorises a third-country national to reside and perform highly qualified employment in Portugal.

A qualifying EU Blue Card holder from another member state may move to Portugal for highly qualified employment and apply for Portuguese residence.

A manager, specialist or trainee employee may obtain residence for a qualifying intra-corporate transfer to an entity in Portugal.

Was open to any third-country national entering Portugal to look for subordinate employment. Law 61/2025 replaced it with a visa restricted to candidates with specialised or highly qualified technical skills, still to be defined by ministerial order.

A holder of an ICT permit issued by another EU member state may obtain Portuguese residence for intra-corporate mobility exceeding 90 days in a 180-day period.

This special permit covers qualifying owners, managers or workers of companies headquartered or established in Portugal under Article 123-A.

This residence visa covers doctoral study, recognised research, higher-education teaching or another highly qualified activity in Portugal.

This residence visa is for a third-country national intending to work in Portugal under subordinate employment.

A visa-required third-country national may obtain a Schengen short-stay visa for seasonal work in Portugal within the 90-in-180-day ceiling.

A highly qualified worker recruited by a company certified under the Tech Visa programme may obtain temporary residence for that employment.

A third-country national may obtain temporary residence to carry out teaching activity at a higher-education institution in Portugal.

A third-country national may obtain temporary residence to perform a highly qualified professional activity in Portugal.

A third-country national holding the appropriate residence visa may obtain temporary residence for subordinate employment in Portugal.

This visa covers research, higher-education teaching or highly qualified activity in Portugal for less than one year.

This visa covers seasonal subordinate work where the intended stay exceeds the Schengen short-stay period.

This visa permits temporary subordinate work in Portugal for a period under one year.

This visa covers an intra-group transfer between WTO member states for service provision or professional training in Portugal.

A third-country national may qualify for ARI by creating at least 10 jobs in Portugal.

A third-country national may qualify for ARI by transferring at least €250,000 for qualifying artistic production or national cultural-heritage recovery or maintenance.

A third-country national may qualify for ARI through at least €500,000 in a Portuguese company combined with the statutory permanent-job creation or maintenance conditions.

A third-country national may qualify for ARI by investing at least €500,000 in qualifying non-real-estate Portuguese collective-investment units.

A third-country national may qualify for ARI by transferring at least €500,000 to qualifying research activity in Portugal.

A person who proves qualifying investment activity within the statutory Article 3 definition may obtain residence under Article 122(1)(r).

This residence visa is for independent professional activity or an identified entrepreneurial investment in Portugal.

An entrepreneur may obtain residence after creating an innovative company integrated into a certified incubator and completing the StartUP Visa process.

A holder of the appropriate residence visa may obtain temporary residence to exercise independent professional activity in Portugal.

This visa permits temporary independent professional activity in Portugal for a period under one year.

A student holding a study residence permit from another EU member state may pursue part of a programme in Portugal under a qualifying mobility framework.

A researcher holding a research residence title from another EU member state may obtain Portuguese residence for long-term research mobility.

This residence visa covers recognised study, student exchange, professional traineeship or volunteering in Portugal.

A third-country national admitted to higher education in Portugal may obtain a student residence permit.

A third-country national may obtain residence to carry out research at a recognised Portuguese research centre.

A third-country student admitted to qualifying secondary, vocational or exchange study in Portugal may obtain temporary residence.

A third-country national admitted to a qualifying traineeship in Portugal may obtain temporary residence.

This temporary-stay visa covers qualifying study, exchange, training, unpaid traineeship, volunteering or an international-agreement commitment for more than three months and less than one year.

A family-reunification permit holder may obtain autonomous residence after the statutory period or earlier in specified family and exceptional circumstances.

A lawful Portuguese resident may request entry and residence for a qualifying family member who is outside Portugal, subject to the current waiting-period and family conditions.

A resident may request residence for specified qualifying family members who entered and remain in Portugal under the narrower in-country family-reunification rule in force.

A recognised refugee has a specific right to reunification with qualifying family members inside or outside Portugal without the ordinary resource, accommodation or waiting-period conditions.

A qualifying family member may apply to accompany a principal who is simultaneously applying for a Portuguese residence visa, distinct from family reunification with an existing resident.

This residence visa permits an approved close family member to move to Portugal for family reunification.

A third-country national accompanying a qualifying applicant as that person's informal carer may obtain residence.

A child of a residence holder who has reached adulthood after habitually remaining in Portugal since before age 10 may obtain residence.

A minor child born in Portugal to a foreign national holding Portuguese residence may obtain residence on this special basis.

A minor compulsorily placed under guardianship under the Portuguese Civil Code may obtain residence.

A first-degree ascendant exercising parental authority over a child resident under Article 122(1)(b) may obtain residence.

A parent who effectively exercises parental responsibilities for and supports a resident or Portuguese minor child may obtain residence.

A qualifying family member may obtain a temporary-stay visa to accompany the principal holder of a Portuguese temporary-stay visa.

This residence visa covers retirees, recognised religious activity and persons who can live from their own income in Portugal.

A person holding the corresponding residence visa and sufficient own income may obtain temporary residence in Portugal.

A retiree with the corresponding residence visa and sufficient pension income may obtain temporary residence in Portugal.

In exceptional and duly justified cases, a retiree or person living from own income may obtain a temporary-stay visa for more than three months and less than one year.

— No eligibility summary published for this route yet

— No eligibility summary published for this route yet

— No eligibility summary published for this route yet

A qualifying third-country national may acquire permanent EU long-term resident status after five years of legal and uninterrupted residence in Portugal.

A third-country national may obtain Portuguese permanent residence after meeting the five-year temporary-residence, language, conduct, resources and accommodation conditions.

A third-country national whose EU Blue Card was cancelled without the case leading to removal may receive residence under the specific regulatory basis.

A third-country national whose EU long-term resident status was lost but whose situation did not lead to removal may receive Portuguese residence on this specific basis.

A person whose Portuguese residence right expired and who did not leave Portugal may obtain residence on this special basis.

A person holding EU long-term resident status from another member state may obtain temporary residence in Portugal for a qualifying purpose.

A qualifying EU or equivalent national residing in Portugal for more than three months must formalise the right of residence through a municipal registration certificate.

A non-EU family member of an EU or equivalent national may obtain a permanent residence card after five consecutive years of lawful residence in Portugal.

An EU or equivalent national may formalise permanent residence after five consecutive years living lawfully in Portugal.

A non-EU family member accompanying or joining an EU or equivalent national in Portugal may obtain a residence card for a stay exceeding three months.

A Withdrawal Agreement beneficiary may transition from temporary to permanent residence after five consecutive years of qualifying residence in Portugal.

A UK national or qualifying family member protected by the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement may document temporary residence in Portugal.

A national of Argentina may obtain a Portuguese temporary-stay visa for a working holiday under the applicable bilateral memorandum.

A national of Australia may obtain a Portuguese temporary-stay visa for a working holiday under the applicable bilateral memorandum.

A national of Canada may obtain a Portuguese temporary-stay visa for a working holiday under the applicable bilateral memorandum.

A national of Chile may obtain a Portuguese temporary-stay visa for a working holiday under the applicable bilateral memorandum.

A national of Japan may obtain a Portuguese temporary-stay visa for a working holiday under the applicable bilateral memorandum.

A national of New Zealand may obtain a Portuguese temporary-stay visa for a working holiday under the applicable bilateral memorandum.

A national of Peru may obtain a Portuguese temporary-stay visa for a working holiday under the applicable bilateral memorandum.

A national of Republic of Korea may obtain a Portuguese temporary-stay visa for a working holiday under the applicable bilateral memorandum.

A national of United States of America may obtain a Portuguese temporary-stay visa for a working holiday under the applicable bilateral memorandum.

A national of Uruguay may obtain a Portuguese temporary-stay visa for a working holiday under the applicable bilateral memorandum.

This consular route covers artists and workers of performance promoters or organisers, using a temporary-stay or residence visa according to duration.

A person holding the corresponding residence visa may reside in Portugal to carry out recognised religious functions or live in a religious community.

A third-country national may obtain temporary residence to carry out a qualifying cultural or artistic professional activity in Portugal.

A third-country national admitted to a qualifying volunteer programme with a recognised organisation may obtain temporary residence.

In exceptional and duly justified cases, a person may obtain a temporary-stay visa for religious training in a congregation or religious study at a recognised institution.

The Schengen short-stay visa permits visits to Portugal for up to 90 days, commonly for professional or family-visit purposes.

Nationals and travel-document holders exempt from the Schengen visa requirement may make a short stay in Portugal under the Schengen 90-in-180-day rule.

A foreign national or stateless person may expressly request international protection in Portugal from AIMA, a police authority or at the border.

AIMA may initiate an exceptional residence procedure for extraordinary cases not covered by Article 122, including humanitarian cases under asylum law or cases of national interest.

Refugee status may be granted to a foreign national or stateless person with a well-founded fear of qualifying persecution who cannot or will not seek the protection of the country of nationality or habitual residence.

A foreign national who is or was a victim of trafficking or an offence assisting illegal immigration may receive residence even after irregular entry or without meeting ordinary residence conditions.

A former holder of residence granted as a trafficking or illegal-immigration-assistance victim may transition to temporary residence.

A person whose international protection in Portugal ended because the reasons for protection ceased may receive residence on this special basis.

A victim of a criminal or administrative labour offence involving social vulnerability, wage exploitation or excessive hours may receive residence.

Subsidiary protection may be granted where the person is not a refugee but substantial grounds show a real risk of death penalty, torture or inhuman treatment, or serious individual threat from indiscriminate conflict violence.

Portugal grants temporary protection to eligible persons displaced from Ukraine and qualifying family members under the national temporary-protection regime.

This historical naturalisation route for descendants of Portuguese Sephardic Jews is closed to new applications from 19 May 2026. It must not be used to assess current eligibility.

For a third-country national who lost Portuguese nationality and has remained in Portugal throughout the preceding 15 years.

A person with an illness requiring prolonged medical assistance that prevents return without health risk may receive residence.

This visa permits a qualifying family member to accompany a patient receiving medical treatment in Portugal.

This visa permits a third-country national to receive medical treatment in Portugal.

An amateur athlete may obtain a temporary-stay visa for qualifying amateur sports activity in Portugal.

This visa permits an airport transit in Portugal without authorising entry into the Schengen territory.

A holder of a temporary-stay visa for research or highly qualified activity may convert to residence to continue qualifying research, teaching or highly qualified activity in Portugal.

A national covered by the CPLP Mobility framework may obtain a uniform Portuguese temporary residence permit after first obtaining a consular visa expressly issued for that purpose.

A third-country national who completed effective military service in the Portuguese Armed Forces may obtain residence.

A former diplomatic or consular agent accredited in Portugal, or a qualifying dependent spouse, ascendant or descendant, may obtain residence on this special statutory basis.