D3 Visa Portugal: Highly Qualified Activities (HQA)

The Portugal D3 visa is a priority settlement visa that has been launched with the aim of welcoming highly qualified professionals from overseas to the Portuguese workforce. It is sometimes known as the Portugal Highly Qualified Activity visa. Holding these visas will allow you to access a renewable two-year residence permit.

As a D3 visa holder, you can freely travel within all 26 nations in the Schengen Area visa-free. The visa also comes with family reunification options for immediate relatives and full rights as a Portuguese resident to access healthcare and education. Similarly, any children born while you are living in Portugal will be able to access Portuguese citizenship. This will apply after you have spent at least 12 months in Portugal. Finally, the visa is a pathway to permanent Portuguese residency and Portuguese citizenship after you spend long enough in the nation.

Page Contents

• What is the D3 Visa in Portugal?
• Definition of a Highly Qualified Professional
• Eligibility Requirements for the Portugal D3 Visa
• Required Documents for the Portugal D3 Visa
• Application Process for the Portugal D3 Visa from UK
• Portugal D3 Visa Application Processing Time and Fees
• Why Has My Portugal D3 Visa Application Been Rejected?
• Getting Your Residence Permit in Portugal
• Applying For Portuguese Citizenship and Permanent Residence
• Getting an EU Blue Card
• How Can Total Law Help with the Portugal D3 Visa from the UK?
• FAQs

Only highly qualified professionals can apply for the D3 visa. In Portuguese law, a highly qualified professional is someone with a higher education degree or qualifications and experience in management and leadership positions. It is defined in the Portuguese Law on Foreigners as: “the exercise of an activity that requires specialised technical skills of an exceptional nature or an adequate qualification for the respective exercise of the function.” Examples include the following:

• Company directors.
• Executive.
• Public administration senior management.
• Private sector administrative managers.

On top of these management and leadership positions, the D3 visa is also open to individuals with specialised technical skills or working in the sciences. This pathway is open to those working in science, IT, engineering, medicine and more.

To be eligible for this visa type, you will need to fulfil a range of strict eligibility requirements. Show that you are among the highly qualified professionals by proving the following:

• You have a job offer and employment contract with a Portuguese company valid for at least one year.
• You have higher education qualifications.
• Your job offer is for a role with pay that is 1.5 times higher than the gross national average salary in Portugal €2,649 and three times higher than the Index of Social Support (IAS), which is €522.50 a month.

This income requirement is identical to the requirement to apply for a European Blue Card. This document expands your working rights to all of the EU member states apart from Denmark and Iceland. The income requirement is also slightly lower for applicants from the USA at 1.2 times the national average annual salary and twice IAS.

When you put together your application, you will need to provide a range of documentation that shows that you are eligible for the visa. The standard documentation required is listed below, although Portuguese immigration authorities reserve the right to request additional documentation that they believe is necessary:

• A term of responsibility signed by your employing company.
• Photocopies of your higher education degrees and qualifications. Similar documentation is needed for any necessary qualifications mandated for your industry.
• A declaration form confirming your purpose of travel.
• A valid passport.
• Health insurance valid throughout your stay in Portugal.
• Written permission for the Portuguese Immigration and Border Service (SEF) to review your criminal history.
• A criminal record certificate from your home country.
• Two passport-style photographs.
• Documentation confirming that you have arranged accommodation in Portugal, such as a rental contract.
• A signed declaration form stating that you will not travel to Portugal without your visa.
• A completed and signed visa application form.
• An invitation letter from a professional training institution if you are applying as a teacher or researcher.
• Proof of financial means to support yourself in Portugal, such as through bank statements.

Further documentation will be needed if you want to bring your dependent family members with you. This includes a copy of your marriage certificate or equivalent for civil partnerships and a copy of any children’s birth certificates.

This documentation will usually need to be in English or Portuguese. You will need to pay for a professional translation of any documents that aren’t in one of these languages.

The application for a Portugal D3 visa will be made at your local Portuguese Embassy or Consulate. Complete your application through the following steps:

1. Gather your supporting documentation.
2. Complete the application form.
3. Attend a visa application appointment. Here, you will submit your application form and supporting documents, and pay the application fee.
4. Wait for your visa application to be processed.

Depending on the relevant embassy or consulate, you may also be able to apply online through the E-Visa Portal or through an intermediary system operated by VFS Global.

One of the benefits of the D3 visa is fast-tracked processing, meaning that you can get started with your new life in Portugal more quickly. You can expect processing to take around 30 days. It has also been reported that Portugal is now aiming to have work visas in priority sectors, such as tech, construction and healthcare, processed within 20 days.

The application fee for the Portugal D3 visa is €90.

Issues with your application or your eligibility for a D3 visa could cause your application to be rejected. Common reasons for a rejection include the following:

• You have missing or invalid documentation. Documentation not in English or Portuguese will usually not be considered.
• Failure to prove that you can support yourself in Portugal.
• A missing job offer or work contract.
• You have been offered a role with insufficient pay or in an insufficiently senior position.
• You have a criminal past in Portugal or your home country.
• Authorities suspect you will overstay in Portugal.
• You do not have a suitable address in Portugal.

However, some options are available to transform your visa rejection into an acceptance. Firstly, you can resubmit your application, having amended any issues, such as by including missing documentation. However, you will need to pay the application fee again, which can get expensive if you resubmit your application multiple times. Alternatively, you can consider legal proceedings. These include the following:

• Take your case to the Administrative Court in Lisbon. You may be able to persuade them to overrule the decision.
• Go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to make an appeal.
• Issue a formal criticism. This needs to be done within 15 days of receiving the rejection.

As with all Portuguese residency visas, the D3 visa has a limited validity period. To properly live in the nation and work for a Portuguese company, you will need to successfully apply for a temporary residency permit. This is done by attending an appointment at your local Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF) office. You will also need to visit a registration office to obtain your Social Security number.

After attending your residence permit appointment, you will need to wait for processing, which is usually around 60 days. If your D3 visa expires during this time, evidence that you have attended the residence permit appointment will be enough to prove your right to live and work in Portugal while you wait for your residence permit card.

To make your residence permit application, you will need to submit the following documents:

• Your D3 visa. This must be valid when you apply.
• A valid passport and passport-style photographs.
• Evidence of your health insurance or right to access Portuguese National Health Service care.
• A police verification certificate confirming you have not broken laws in Portugal.

Your dependents will also need to get a residence permit so that they can remain in Portugal. Your dependents that are children will need parental consent before their application can be processed.

Like the Portugal D3 visa, your residence permit application is not free. Instead, you will need to pay the general fee of €90 and an issuance fee of €72.

You will need to renew your residence permit before it expires or after less than six months of its expiry. This can often be done online via the AIMA Portal. You may also be able to book an appointment for an in-person renewal.

You will need to renew your temporary residence permit card every few years. More stability is possible if you upgrade your status to permanent residency. This allows you to remain in the country for periods of ten years before a renewal is needed. You can apply for permanent residency after spending five years or longer in Portugal.

A more advanced status is achievable after you have lived in Portugal for six years or longer. Citizenship will allow you to access full political rights, such as the ability to vote and the unrestricted freedom to live, work and study anywhere inside the European Union. It also gives you greater security and stability in the country, as you can’t be deported as a citizen. Portugal also allows dual citizenship, so you may be able to retain your initial nationality.

To apply for citizenship by naturalisation, you must pay the standard fee of €250. You must also fulfil the following requirements:

• You have Portuguese language skills of A2 level or higher on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages scale. This is the ‘pre-intermediate’ level essential for everyday use.
• You have paid any outstanding Portuguese taxes.
• You can show that you have properly integrated with the Portuguese community.
• You have followed the law in Portugal.

Processing time for a Portuguese citizenship by naturalisation application is usually around a year. Make sure that you maintain a valid residence permit throughout this time so that you have a legal right to remain in Portugal.

Another immigration status that a D3 visa can help you obtain is the EU Blue Card. It will allow you to expand your skilled work to the other European Union nations. Please note that Denmark and Ireland are not part of the Blue Card scheme.

To succeed in your EU Blue Card application, you will need to meet the following requirements, most of which are similar to the D3 visa:

• You have a valid employment contract or binding job offer for at least a year.
• The role meets the minimum salary threshold in your desired European Union country. Each nation has a different threshold calibrated to its labour market, and it is usually 1.5 times the gross average national salary. This is reduced to 1.2 times the average salary for selected professions.
• You have relevant higher professional qualifications.
• You have a valid passport. You should also present your residence permit if appropriate.
• Proof of health insurance, or having applied for it.
• You will not be a threat to public policy or security in the EU country you want to move to.

If you meet these application requirements, you will receive an EU Blue Card. In Portugal, the Blue Card is issued for a period of two years. It can then be renewed across three-year increments. The standard processing time is 90 days.