Legal relocation to Portugal
Portugal is currently one of the most attractive EU countries for relocation. Mild climate, sea, high quality of life, loyal attitude of the local population towards newcomers - these are significant advantages of Portugal over other EU countries. Portugal is interested in attracting prospective foreigners and offers favourable conditions for the legalisation of various groups of foreigners. Before entering Portugal, you should decide how much time you intend to spend in the country and what your objectives are. For each case, there is a visa.
Type C - Schengen visa
type E - national visas
Type D - resident visas
Startup-visa
Portugal offers a unique visa for entrepreneurs, which aims to attract investment, talented and enterprising business people to the country, as well as the development of innovative technologies. To participate in the project, it is necessary to create (or relocate to Portugal) a promising start-up company that aims to create jobs and is oriented towards the international market.
The programme is overseen by the Portuguese Institute for Competitiveness and Innovation (IAPMEI), so all applicants and projects are carefully scrutinised. It can take more than six months for a start-up to be approved.
There are a number of requirements that must be met in order to obtain a start-up visa:
1. Submission of a start-up project and a well-developed business plan with details of turnover, scalability, market potential, etc.
2. Secure the support of a certified business incubator
3. Obtain approval from IAPMEI
4. Sign an agreement with a certified business incubator
5. Apply to the SEF for a visa.
A residence permit is then issued for a period of two years, renewable for a total of up to five years.
Digital Nomad Visa - New opportunities for digital nomads
A digital nomad is a person who works remotely and is not tied to an office. For a digital nomad, the whole world is an office.
A prerequisite for the granting of a digital nomad visa is the existence of an employment contract or a service contract outside Portugal. Another important condition is the level of income. It must be 4 times the minimum wage in Portugal (3040 euros at the time of 2023).
To obtain a digital nomad visa, you must first decide on the length of your stay in Portugal; for nomads who do not plan to stay in the country for more than one year, an ER visa is issued, which does not allow for the issuance of a residence permit.
If you intend to apply for a residence permit, you will be issued with a DR visa, which is valid for a minimum of 120 days, and you will be required to attend the SEF on arrival, where you will be interviewed and presented with documents.
Family reunification
There is a special type of visa, the D6 visa, for those who wish to move to Portugal to stay with relatives.
If you have in Portugal:
1. A spouse
2. Children under the age of 18 in your care (spouse's care)
3. Foster children under 18
4. Adult children dependent on you (or your spouse's dependants) and studying at a Portuguese university.
5. Minor siblings under care
6. Parents or dependent adult siblings
You can apply for a D6 visa and a two-year residence permit. Documentary proof of kinship is a prerequisite for obtaining the visa and residence permit. It is also possible to enter Portugal on a tourist visa by submitting additional documents to the SEF.
The SEF must reply in writing within 3 months. If there is no reply for more than 6 months, the application is considered approved.