Portugal Family Visa

A Family Visa or Family Reunification Visa enables applicants to come to Portugal and join the Residence Permit holder.

If you are a Pakistani national looking to join your immediate family with a Residence Permit in Portugal or Portuguese citizenship, the Family Visa might be an excellent immigration route for you.

Portugal Family Visas are processed relatively quickly so family members of an eligible Portuguese resident or citizen can come to Portugal within months of applying for their visa.

If applicants are eligible and choose to stay in Portugal beyond their visa’s validity, they can apply for an independent Residence Permit if they don’t obtain it automatically.

For example, if you’re a spouse or a registered civil partner of the Portuguese Residence Permit or citizenship holder and have been married or in a civil partnership for at least 5 years, you will automatically become an independent Residence Permit holder.

Page Contents

• Portugal Family Visa from Pakistan: An Overview
• Eligibility Requirements for a Family Reunification Visa in Portugal
• Required Documents for a Family Reunification Visa in Portugal from Pakistan
• How to Apply for a Family Reunification Visa in Portugal: The Step-by-Step Process
• Portugal Family Reunification Visa Interview in Pakistan
• What Happens if My Family Visa Application Is Refused?
• The Portugal Family Visa Application Processing Times and Fees
• Validity and Renewal of the Family Visa in Portugal
• Portuguese Citizenship by Family Reunification
• Visiting Family in Portugal on a Schengen Visa
• How Can Total Law Help?
• FAQs

In addition to meeting all the required eligibility criteria for the Family Reunification Visa, applicants must provide supporting documentation to demonstrate their eligibility.

• A passport which is valid for at least 6 months
• Proof that the family member in Portugal is eligible to sponsor the Family Visa applicant – for example, a valid Residence Permit or EU Blue Card
• Documents demonstrating your genuine relationship to the sponsor – for example, a marriage or civil partnership, birth, adoption, or guardianship certificate.
• Proof of accommodation
• Evidence that the applicant’s family members have been living at their current place of residence in Pakistan
• Proof of funds to show that you will have enough money to support yourself during your stay in Portugal – each applicant must have at least €40 for each day spent in Portugal. This can be proved with bank statements from the last 6 months.
• Criminal background check – a certificate that applicants can obtain from their local police station in Pakistan
• Applicants over the age of 18 who are not spouses of the sponsoring Portuguese resident must demonstrate evidence of incapacity or economic dependency
• Applicants over 18 and applying to join their parent(s) in Portugal to study must prove that they have enrolled at an educational institution in Portugal.

Please note that refugees and asylum seekers are not required to demonstrate sufficient income or adequate accommodation when applying for a Family Visa in Portugal.

To apply for a Family Reunification Visa, the Portuguese Residence Permit holder must first submit a Family Reunification visa sponsorship application to the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF) on behalf of the family member in Pakistan.

Portugal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs usually makes the decision on sponsorship applications within 60 days.

Once the sponsorship application is approved, the family member(s) from Pakistan can apply for a Family Visa at their nearest Portuguese Embassy or Consulate. In Pakistan, the Portuguese Embassy is located in Islamabad, while the Consulates are in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi.

The visa application form can be completed and submitted online through the E-Visa Portal at the Visa Facilitation Services (VFS) website. Applicants must ensure that they gather all required supporting documents for their visa application and pay the visa fee when applying.

After you submit the Family Visa application, you must schedule and attend an interview at the Portuguese Embassy or Consulate nearest to you.

If you are unsure about how to apply for a Portugal Family Visa from Pakistan, contact Total Law for immediate advice. Our immigration lawyers can guide you through each step of the application process and answer any questions you may have regarding your visa application. Call +44 (0)333 305 9375 or contact us online today.

The visa interview aims to ensure you have submitted all the required information and to answer questions related to your travel to Portugal.

When you attend the interview, the interviewing officer will ask questions regarding your background and relationship with the sponsoring Residence Permit holder in Portugal. This is to establish that you’re an eligible applicant and that your relationship with the family member in Portugal is genuine.

You need to remember all the questions honestly and prepare your answers before the interview to avoid any inconsistencies in your replies and the replies you provided in the visa application. You must also remember to bring all the supporting documents for your visa, as this ensures a faster decision on your application.

The interviewing officer will consider your interview replies and all the supporting documents you brought to determine whether you’re an eligible applicant and your Family Visa application should be approved.

The vast majority of Family Reunification Visa applications to Portugal are successful; however, your application must fulfil the requirements to be accepted.

The most common reasons for visa denial are:

• Inadequate documents to support applications
• Lack of financial resources
• Failure to show a genuine relationship between the Pakistani applicant and the sponsor in Portugal
• Existing criminal records
• Inconsistencies between the visa application form and the replies provided during the visa interview

If your Family Visa application requires additional information or documents, the Portuguese Embassy will contact you and give you a deadline to provide the necessary documents. This may delay the visa application process.

However, if your visa application is denied, you can appeal the decision or re-apply for the Family Visa, ensuring you address the stated reasons for denial.

Please note that if your visa is refused, it is advised that you contact immigration lawyers to determine what’s the best step to take next. Our Total Law advisers are reliable and experienced in helping visa applicants when their applications are refused.

Call +44 (0)333 305 9375 or contact us online to receive immediate advice on your case.

The Portugal Family Visa application will take 60 days to process. SEF will inform you once the decision is made by sending a written decision to your address. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will automatically be notified about the decision.

If your case requires further investigation, the application processing time might take an extra 60 days.

The standard cost of the Portugal Family Visa is €90.

When you arrive in Portugal, you must register your stay with SEF within 3 working days. The Portugal Family Reunification Visa will then be valid for the same duration as the validity of the Portuguese sponsor’s temporary resident permit. You will receive a renewable Residence Permit for 2 years. This period can be extended beyond the initial expiration date by applying for a Residence Permit renewal in Portugal.

You are eligible for permanent residency if you have lived in Portugal for five years. You can then apply for Portuguese citizenship after maintaining a permanent residence for one year.

To apply for Portuguese citizenship, you must meet various eligibility criteria, such as proficiency in the Portuguese language.

Children with a Family Reunion Visa may receive an individual Residence Permit after two years of living in Portugal for 2 years. After two years, they can apply for a permanent Residence Permit and become entitled to the same social benefits as Portuguese citizens, including education, employment, healthcare, social security, and tax benefits.

If you wish to travel to Portugal to visit your family for a short period of 90 days, you must apply for a Schengen Visa. The fee for a Schengen Visa is €80. For children aged between 6-12, it costs €40. Children younger than 6 years of age obtain the Schengen Visa free of charge.

With Schengen Visas, the decision on visa application takes about 15 days. It can take 45 days to process the application in cases that need further investigation.