Portugal Residence Permit For Bangladeshi Citizens

Residence permits allow non-EEA/non-Swiss foreign nationals to live, work and study in Portugal for more than 90 days. There are different pathways to obtain a Portuguese residence permit, such as through work, study, or family reunification.

Alternatively, you may take the investment route to Portuguese residency, or retire in the country. In addition, there are certain special circumstances under which Portugal issues residence permits to non-EEA/non-Swiss foreign nationals.

The eligibility requirements and supporting documents vary depending on which route you take to apply for a residence permit in Portugal. If you fulfil all stipulated terms and conditions, you will be issued with a temporary residence permit. These are usually valid for one to three years, and are renewable.

After five years of lawfully living in Portugal on a temporary residence permit, you will be eligible to apply for Portuguese permanent residence or citizenship, if you wish to remain in the country indefinitely. If not, then you can go on renewing your temporary residence permit provided you continue fulfilling the specified conditions.

Page Contents

• Overview of Portuguese Residence Permits
• Benefits of Residency in Portugal
• Am I Eligible to Apply for a Portugal Residence Permit?
• How Do I Apply for a Portuguese Residence Permit?
• What Supporting Documents Do I Need?
• Processing Time
• Fees
• Residence Permit Renewal in Portugal
• Responsibilities of a Resident Permit Holder in Portugal
• What If My Application Has Been Refused?
• How Can Total Law Help?
• Frequently Asked Questions

A Portuguese residence permit comes with several benefits, such as access to Portugal’s high-quality education and healthcare infrastructure, legal and justice system, social security benefits (e.g. unemployment benefits in case you lose your job), and access to Portuguese job market.

As a Portuguese resident, you can also enter and exit Portugal freely, bring your eligible family members to Portugal under the family reunification principles, and obtain visa-free travel access to the EEA countries and Schengen Area.

It also paves your way to become a Portuguese citizen if you wish to do so. If you become a Portuguese citizen, you will get additional rights in Portugal such as the right to vote and the right to live, work and study in any of the EU countries.

A Portuguese citizen can also apply for a Portuguese passport, which ranks 14th in terms of global mobility, as per the 2022 Passport Index. A Portuguese passport allows you to travel either visa-free or on a visa-on-arrival basis to 188 countries.

Portuguese Residence Permit in Special Situations

In certain other circumstances, a Portuguese residence permit can be granted to eligible non-EEA/non-Swiss foreign nationals. Usually, a special situation residence permit is granted in below scenarios:

• Ailing individuals whose health situation requires prolonged medical care in Portugal
• Applicants who served in the Portuguese Armed Forces
• Minors born in Portugal to resident permit holder parents
• Children of resident permit holders, who are over 18 years of age and are habitually living in Portugal for last 10 years

Retiring in Portugal

Financially independent non-EEA/non-Swiss foreign nationals seeking to retire in Portugal can apply for the D7 Visa. It is also known as a retirement visa or passive income visa.

This residence visa allows non-EEA/non-Swiss citizens having a regular passive income to apply for Portuguese residence. To be eligible, you must prove that you have an annual income of €8,460 or more from pensions, transferable equity, real estate, investments etc.

You will need 50% of that amount for your spouse/civil partner and 30% for each of your dependent children, in addition, to accompany you to Portugal.

A D7 visa holder can undertake professional activities in Portugal. Once you have the D7 visa, you can apply for a temporary residence permit. After five years, you may apply for permanent residence in the country or Portuguese citizenship.

The first step towards applying for a residence permit in Portugal involves applying for a residency visa from your country of residence to travel to Portugal. Non-EEA/non-Swiss foreign nationals must get in touch with the Portuguese embassy or consulate in their respective country of residence, to make an appointment for a visa interview.

However, please note that the Honorary Consulate of Portugal in Dhaka, Bangladesh does not issue Portuguese visas. Bangladeshi nationals will need to get in touch with the Embassy of Portugal in New Delhi, India to apply for a residency visa as well as legalisation of their public documents. The address is as follows:

Embassy of Portugal in India
No.4, Panchsheel Marg
Chanakyapuri
New Delhi 110021

Please also keep in mind that to apply for a residency visa to travel to Portugal, you will need to visit the Embassy in Portugal in New Delhi in person. So, you must apply for a X-Double Entry visa at the High Commission of India in Dhaka, for travelling to India to attend your visa interview.

After arriving in Portugal, please apply to SEF for your temporary residence permit within four months, or within the period granted on your residency visa. You will also have to register for your social security number at a Portuguese registration office.

To apply for a Portuguese residence permit, you will require to submit the below mentioned supporting documents:

• Completed and signed application form (when initially applying for your residency visa)
• Valid residence visa
• Two passport size photos
• Current passport
• Copy of passport’s biometric page
• Proof of accommodation in Portugal
• Medical insurance, where the insured amount is sufficient to cover your medical expenses including medical emergencies, or evidence supporting that you are covered by the National Health Service
• Criminal record certificate, issued by a competent authority of your country of residence (not required for minors), with the Hague Apostille (if applicable) or legalised
• A letter granting permission to SEF for criminal record enquiry (not required for minors)
• Proof of subsistence
• Employment contract (if applying for residence for work purposes)
• Acceptance letter from university and tuition fee payment receipt (if applying for residence for study purposes)
• Family certificate (if applying for residence for family reunification purposes)
• Proofs of qualifying passive income (if retiring in Portugal)
• Proofs of qualifying investments (if opting for the Golden Visa pathway)
• Any other document supporting your special circumstances, if applicable (if applying for residence citing special situations)
• Parental consent (for minors)

The legal guardian will need to complete and sign the application form on behalf of minors or incapacitated applicants.

Your documents must be in either English or Portuguese. You will need to arrange for certified translated copies if not. Moreover, since Bangladesh is not a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, your official documents must be legalised.

Do note that the above list is, by no means, an exhaustive one. SEF may ask you for additional supporting documents depending on your immigration situation.

The processing time for a residency visa is 60 days or more, and depends on your concerned Portuguese embassy or consulate.

To avoid any unnecessary delay in processing, please ensure you have filled up the application form completely and correctly, and have duly submitted all supporting documents relevant in your case.

A residency visa to enter Portugal costs €90, which may vary from country to country. You will need to pay a fee of €83 for submitting your residence permit application at SEF, and €72 to receive your residence permit from them.

If your supporting documents are not in Portuguese or English, you will have to arrange for their certified translated copies, the cost for which will be extra. Moreover, since Bangladesh is not a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, you will need to bear additional costs to get your documents legalised from the Embassy of Portugal in India.

A temporary residence permit is usually valid for one to three years, and can be renewed post that period. You will have to apply for a renewal at least 30 days prior to the current permit expiry date.

You will have to schedule an appointment with SEF by phone or online to renew your residence permit. Your permit will be renewed if you continue to meet the conditions based on which your initial permit was granted.

You will have to submit the following supporting documents along with your residence permit renewal application:

• Copy of your current residence permit
• Proof of subsistence
• Proof of accommodation in Portugal
• Proof that you have met your tax obligations
• Proof that you have not been convicted in a criminal case

A permanent residence is issued indefinitely, and you will not have to renew it unlike a temporary residence permit. However, you will need to update your permanent residence card every five years.

If you have obtained your residence permit in Portugal via the Golden Visa Programme, you will have to renew the same every two years.

SEF has outlined a few responsibilities for a Portuguese residence permit holder, failure to comply with which may result in punitive action against the said permit holder according to the Aliens Act in Portugal.

You will have to inform SEF:

• If any change occurs in your civil circumstances or residential address, within 60 days of its occurrence
• If you are going to be absent from the country for more than six months consecutively, or eight months in a year
• If you are going to be absent from the country for more than 24 months consecutively, or 30 months in a three-year timeframe
• If you are on a residence permit for study purposes and you want to undertake a paid position or any independent professional activity in the country

In addition, you must respect general law and order, public security and public health directives in Portugal.

If your residency visa application has been refused, you may take the below course of actions, in compliance with Portuguese domestic law:

• Lodge a formal complaint at your concerned embassy/consulate within 15 days from receiving the visa refusal notice
• Appeal at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs within three months after receiving the notice
• Initiate legal action at the Administrative Court of Lisbon Circle within three months after receiving the notice