Moving to Portugal - What you need to know about Visas and tax

Moving to Portugal what you need to know

Living in Portugal is a dram many shared by many and why not. This lovely country offers all the things you need to live the good life. 

The whether is fantastic all year round, the beaches are some of the best you can find in Europe and the world, for that matter. The cost of living is fairly low, the country is one of the saftest in the world and the health and school system is well developed. 

Ad to all this the friendly Portuguese people and one of the best cuisines in the world and you have all the ingredients for living long and well. 

Moving to Portugal from a EU country 

If you are a EU citizen you can move to Portugal with out any bigger issues. The EU treaty gives any EU citizen the wright to move and live in any of the member countrys. 

You must however regrister whitin 30 days of entering Portugal if you intend to stay for more than 3 months. 

The cost of getting your recidansy papers is €15 for adults and €7.5 for children below six years of age. When you go to the local consel you will need to bringe your passport and rental contract og utilety bills to show your adress in Portugal. 

The Registration certificate is valid for five years from the date of issue, or up to the date envisaged for the citizen's stay in Portugal, if less than five years.

You can find out more about the prosess on the SEF website.

If you stay in Portugal for more than 3 months without applying for the certificate, you may be fined between €400 and €1.500.

Moving to Portugal from a non-EU member state 

If you are planing to move to Portugal and you are not an EU citizen, you will need to a apply for a residency visa to live, study or work in Portugal. 

Your residence visa allows you to enter Portugal for the purpose of applying for a residence permit. Basically, that visa is the first step to getting permanent residency. The name of the department responsible for processing and issuing residence visas is the servico de estrangeiros e fronteiras (SEF).

The next thing to do after you have arrived in Portugal is to visit SEF in person and apply for your residence permit. Residence permit and residence visa is two different papers and must not be mixes up.

Different ways og optioning Portuguese residency

Residency by investment
Portugal offers one of the most successful residency-by-investment schemes in Europe. Commonly known as the Golden Visa Program, the program offers residency permits to individuals that invest in Portugal.

There are several ways of opptaing a golden visa trough investments, but by far the most popular method is through investing in real estate. Requirements are different depending on the type of investment you choose.

To get a Golden Visa you must expect to invest around €500,000 but it can be less in certain circumstances.

Different ways to get Golden Visa via investment: 
€350,000 in scientific research
€250,000 in Portuguese arts and culture
€250,000 into the creation of a business that employs at least 10 people
​​​​​​​€500,000 in a small to medium enterprise (SME)
€500.000 in property 

Work residency in Portugal 

A nother way to get portuguese residency is through employment. This means moving to portugal, then living and working in the here with an approved work visa.

Citizens of some non-eu countries that have bilateral agreements with portugal are allowed to apply for work residence visa in portugal within 90 days of arriving in Portugal. In other words you do not have to have a job lined up before moving to Portugal. 

These countries include:

  • USA
  • Canada
  • Australia
  • New zealand
  • Japan
  • Israel

Other non-eu nationals must have a job lined up in portugal as a prerequisite, before applying for a residence work visa in their home country.

After getting a portuguese work visa, you will eventually have to change it to a residence permit.

Family reunification residency in Portugal

Under Portuguese law, holders of a residence permit have the right to be joined by their immediate family members or dependants.

As holder of a residence permit valid in portugal you will have to apply to SEF for family reunification before any family menber can enter the country. 

Some of the documents you will need to present to SEF when applying for Family reunification residency in Portugal include following:

  • Authenticated supporting documents proving the family links involved
  • A​​​​​​authenticated copies of the identification documents of the applicants family members
  • Proof of accommodation
  • Proof of means of subsistence
  • A criminal record certificate from the country of origin or the country where the applicant resided for more than one year

For more information on the different ways og optioning Portuguese residency, we recommend you visit the SEF website or that you content a solicitor og other professional expat service that can help you with the prosess.