Portugal immigration rules require some bureaucracy that can change according to your nationality, visit purpose or its length.
Portugal Immigration rules – the first point to highlight is that EU citizens and within the European Economic Area, as well as citizens from Swiss origin and included in Schengen agreements, can enter the country using only their identity cards. Citizens of other countries will need a passport and eventually a specific visa to enter the country.
In the case of EU citizens, they can enter the country for three months in order to find work or set up a business. From the moment they are hired or start their activity, they have the same rights as a Portuguese worker.
Those who belong to one of the 26 Schengen countries can also cross the Portuguese border without restrictions. You will have to find out about the different possibilities, depending on the purpose of the visit.
If you are aiming for a longer visit, a temporary visa or a residence visa will have to be requested. Portugal immigration rules allow visas tobe requested for different purposes, such as investment, working, studying, teaching, medical treatment, volunteering, research, among others.
Citizens outside the European area
Portugal has established several international agreements with non-European countries, such as the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. However, if the aim is to stay for more than three months, they will have to apply for a longer period of authorization or a residence permit. This option is available to those who have come with an employment contract, students, retirees and family members of people with a residence visa.
On this page, you can get all the official information about the immigration services:
https://www.sef.pt/en/Pages/homepage.aspx
Please be aware that visas for Portugal Immigration are only issued to third-country nationals who fulfill the following conditions:
- Hasn’t been subjected to temporary removal or interdiction to Portugal.
- Have enough means of subsistence considering the purpose of the visit.
- Have a valid source document available.
- Have travel insurance.
- Are not persons for whom an alert has been issued for refusal of entry into the Schengen Information System or the Portuguese Immigration Services Information System.
Portugal Immigration rules: Different visas
The visa to enter the country depends on the purpose of the visit, as already mentioned. For a tourist visit of less than three months, there is a short-stay Schengen visa. If you’re just making a stopover in Portugal, you should apply for an Airport Transit Visa in order to change flights.
For longer periods, you can apply for a specific visa for that purpose or apply for a residence permit, particularly if you are working or studying. Know that all visas have associated costs: short stay: 60€; temporary stay: 75€; long stay: 99€; transit visa at the airport: 60€.
Acording to Portugal immigration rules, children up to the age of six are exempted and up to the age of 11 the amount is reduced. Some countries of origin also benefit from reductions. Find out if this is the case for you.
Exemptions are also available for people travelling for educational purposes and representatives of non-profit organizations. Again, find out before you travel.
If you plan to live in Portugal, take a look at Teleperformance’s job opportunities, as well as the following posts: