Portugal Residence Permit

Responsibilities for Temporary Residents

Failure to meet the responsibilities outlined by the Portuguese Aliens Act may lead to action being taken against you, including prosecution and even deportation.

The main responsibilities you must follow relate to respecting Portuguese law and order, and staying compliant with public security and health directives in the country. However, you will also need to inform SEF if your circumstances change in the following ways:

• If your civil circumstances or address change. You must inform SEF within 60 days.
• If you will be absent from Portugal for six consecutive months or for a total of eight months in the year.
• If you will have absences of 24 consecutive months or 30 months inside of three years.

Residence permit holders for education purposes will also need to inform SEF if they are going to be taking on paid work in the country. This applies for self-employed professionals or individuals hired by a Portuguese company.

Rights for Temporary Residents

Being a temporary resident in Portugal will give you access to a tremendous range of rights in the country. You will have access to the following benefits:

• Visa-free access to the Schengen Area and nations in the EEA.
• Access to Portuguese education.
• Access to work.
• Access to healthcare.
• Unemployment benefits if you become unemployed,
• You may be able to bring family members with you.

Working in Portugal

A highly popular form of residency permit is through work in Portugal. The eligible types of work are the following:

• Subordinate work (being employed by someone else).
• Independent work (being self-employed or an entrepreneur.
• Teaching work.
• Volunteer work.
• Remote work (this pathway is useful for digital nomads).

Note that if you will be working for a company based in Portugal, you will need a valid job offer inside the country.

In this case, the employer must apply to the Immigration and Borders Service (SEF) or the Portuguese Labour Authorities and apply for a work permit on your behalf. Once you have the work permit, you can apply for a residence permit.

Alternatively, if you are self-employed or a digital nomad, you can apply for a residence permit but must provide evidence of your employment status.

Study in Portugal

Non-EEA, non-EU, and non-Swiss students will need a residence permit to study in Portugal. Turkish students must have been offered a place to apply for the permit. The permit will last one year and can be renewed for each year that you are studying.

An exciting aspect of studying in Portugal with a residence permit is that it gives you some scope to participate in part-time work. You will be allowed to work 20 hours per week during term time, and full-time during semester breaks. This is a great opportunity to earn extra money and gain experience.

It is also important to note that the Portuguese government doesn’t treat students as full residents, and as such, you won’t be able to count time in Portugal as a student if you apply for permanent residency.

Therefore, once your course is over, you will have to seek a different way to remain in Portugal, such as by getting a job and a residence permit for work.

Family Reunification

Turkish people with a family member who is a resident or citizen in Portugal will usually be able to get a temporary residence permit to join them in the country. On this type of permit, you are able to live, work, or study in Portugal and can count this time towards getting a permanent residence permit.

Remember that the relative will have to be fairly close to be able to get a family reunification residence permit. The following types of familial relations are eligible:

• Your spouse or civil partner.
• Any of your children under 16 years of age and any children over 16 years of age who are dependent on the Portuguese citizen or permanent resident.
• All dependent parents and parents-in-law.
• Dependent siblings under 21 years of age, provided they will be supported by their family members while in Portugal.

Note that some temporary residence permits, such as those for international students, will permit a family member to also get a residency permit. However, this only applies to your spouse and minor children.

In all cases where the family reunification path is followed, your family member already in Portugal will need to complete an application with SEF successfully before you will be allowed to apply for a residence permit.

Investment

To encourage investment, the Portuguese government launched the Golden Visa programme in 2012. This would allow wealthy non-EEA citizens to use their capacity to invest as a way into the nation. It allows you to initially gain a temporary residence permit that can be upgraded to permanent residence or citizenship after five years.

Eligibility for this route is contingent on you making a qualifying investment in one of the following categories:

• Real estate.
• Subscribing to a fund.
• Capital transfer.
• Company formation.
• Donation.

The Golden Visa programme will not just benefit the investor. It also benefits their family, who may move to Portugal via family reunification.

Please note that the Golden Visa programme may be coming to an end soon because of concerns over security risks and rising house prices.

However, this move has faced continued delays with a veto from the president in August 2023. Once the programme officially ends, you will no longer be able to use investment capacity to move to Portugal.

Special Circumstances

If none of these pathways apply to you, there is a chance you can still get a residence permit via special circumstances. You can apply for a residence permit if one of the following applies:

• You have a health situation while traveling in Portugal, which requires extensive medical care.
• You served in the Portuguese Armed Forces.
• You are the child of a residence permit holder who has been living habitually in Portugal for the previous ten years.

The other special circumstance applies to minors born in Portugal to parents who are residence holders.

Required Documentation

To prove your eligibility for a residence permit, you will need to submit a range of documentation, including the following:

• A valid passport with a copy of its biometric page.
• Two recent photos to go on your residence permit. Check the Portuguese visa photo requirements to make sure the images are valid.
• A valid residence visa.
• Evidence that you have sufficient financial means for the type of residence permit you are applying for.
• Proof of an address in Portugal.
• Private health insurance or proof that you are covered by the Portuguese state-funded health service.
• A criminal certificate or clean criminal record.
• A family certificate and parental consent if it applies.
• A valid and signed employment contract if applicable.
• An acceptance letter from your university and evidence that you have paid tuition fees.
• Proof of qualifying investments if you are following the Golden visa pathway.

Please note that only English and Portuguese documents will be permissible. If you have any documents that are still in Turkish, you will need to have them professionally translated and legalised at your expense.