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Employment · PortugalPortugalEUSchengen

Work permit in Portugal

From €1,30010–30 working days

Government fees are paid separately at cost and are listed below with their source.

Indicative prices; the final quote depends on your case.

  • Eligibility check against the job offer and salary rules
  • Employer document checklist
  • Application file and filing
Processing time
60 daysChecked onsource

For non-EU workers with a Portuguese employment contract or a qualified-work profile.

Check your eligibility

The residence permit for employment under article 88 of the Aliens Act runs 2 years and renews for 3-year periods; our reference puts the decision at about 60 days. Since Lei 61/2025 the general job-seeker visa has been replaced by a 120-day visa for qualified work only.

Updated

Route status

ChangedResidence permit for employment (Aliens Act art. 88.º) and qualified job-seeker visa

Updated

Changed by Lei 61/2025

Lei 61/2025 replaced the general job-seeker visa with a 'qualified work' job-seeker visa (specialised technical skills defined by ministerial order; 120 days). The 'manifestação de interesse' route was abolished by DL 37-A/2024 (3 June 2024); remaining transitional applications had to be filed by 31.12.2025.

Lei Orgânica n.º 1/2026, de 18 de maio — amends the Nationality Law (Lei 37/81)

The manifestação de interesse route was abolished in June 2024; transitional applications had to be filed by 31 December 2025.

Other open routes

  • PortugalResidence visa for remote work abroad ('digital nomad', Aliens Act art. 88.º(1)/89.º)€3,680/monthChecked on
  • PortugalResidence visa for retirees and people living on own income (D7 / passive income)€920/monthChecked on
  • PortugalEU Blue Card (Aliens Act art. 121.º-A ff.)Not publishedno data in EUR — salary must be at least 1.5x the national average gross annual salary (1.2x in shortage cases under art. 61.º-A(2)); the current euro amount was not verified.Checked on
  • PortugalPermanent residence permit (art. 80.º) / EU long-term resident status (art. 125.º)

Dated list of changes

Portugal work permit in figures

PortugalEUSchengen

Processing time
60 daysChecked onsource
Permit validity
2 yearsChecked onsource
Sources behind each figure

How it works

Contract first; searching in Portugal is now narrower

Two changes in two years closed the easy routes.

Employment permit

Temporary residence for employment lasts 2 years and renews in 3-year periods. After 5 years of temporary residence, permanent residence is open.

No more open job-seeker visa

Decree-Law 37-A/2024 abolished the manifestação de interesse on 3 June 2024. Lei 61/2025 then replaced the general job-seeker visa with a qualified-work visa of 120 days, for specialised technical skills defined by ministerial order.

Who this is not for

  • People planning to arrive as tourists and regularise later
  • Job seekers without specialised technical skills
  • Remote workers for foreign clients: the digital nomad visa fits

How we handle it

We check the contract or the qualified-work profile, prepare the visa file and the residence permit application.

What you getEUSchengen

What the permit gives

  • 2 years2 years, then 3-year renewalsChecked onAIMA
  • 5 yearsPermanent residence after 5 yearsChecked onAIMA
  • YesSchengen travelChecked on

Requirements

Who qualifies

Two routes remain.

Legal basis:Vistos nacionais — prazos (residence visa decision 60 days)Autorização de residência — regime e requisitos gerais (art. 77.º, n.º 1)Autorização de residência permanente (art. 80.º)

Employment permit

  • Employment contract in Portugal
  • Visa for work, then the residence permit
Reasons for refusal

Qualified-work job-seeker visa

  • Specialised technical skills defined by ministerial order
  • 120 days to find work

Manifestação de interesse

Abolished; no new filings.

Who this is not for

  • Unqualified job seekers

Where files usually break

Applicants relying on the abolished routes.

Cost

Cost

Our fee from the package; Portuguese state fees are not in our reference.

Who appliesOur fee fromGovernment feeTotal
Single applicant€1,300Not publishedNot publishedPortuguese state fees are not published in our reference.
Couple€1,300Not publishedNot publishedPortuguese state fees are not published in our reference.
Couple with two children€1,300Not publishedNot publishedPortuguese state fees are not published in our reference.
Who appliesOur fee fromGovernment feeTotal
Single applicantNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedPortuguese state fees are not published in our reference.
CoupleNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedPortuguese state fees are not published in our reference.
Couple with two childrenNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedPortuguese state fees are not published in our reference.

Renewal every 3 years:2 yearsChecked on

Government fees are paid separately at cost and are listed below with their source.

State fees are paid directly.

No investment is required.Conditions

Portuguese contract in hand?

Indicative prices; the final quote depends on your case. We usually reply within one business day.

From €1,30010–30 working days

Check your eligibility

Process

From contract to residence permit

Four steps.

  1. 01We

    Route check

    We check the contract or the qualified-work profile.

    Route note

  2. 02We

    Visa

    We prepare the work visa application.

    Filed visa

  3. 03You

    Entry

    You enter Portugal on the visa.

    Entry

  4. 04Authority

    Residence permit

    The migration authority decides on the permit.

    Residence permit

    What you receive

    • Route note
    • Visa file
    • Permit
Our part
10–30 working days
AuthorityPortuguese consulate and migration authority
60 daysChecked onsource

After arrival

  • Renew for 3 years before the first permit ends.

Check your eligibilityDocuments

Refusals

Why applications fail

Two grounds.

Checked on

Reason for refusalWhat closes itLegal basis
Filing through an abolished routeWe use the employment visa or qualified-work visa only.Not published
Job-seeker profile not within the qualified-work listWe check the ministerial order.Not published

After the permit

  • Permanent residence after 5 years.5 yearsChecked on

Long term

From work permit to citizenship

Naturalisation now needs 10 years for most applicants.

  1. Permit validityNot published
  2. Years to permanent residence5 yearsChecked onsource
  3. Years to citizenship10 yearsChecked onsource
  • 10 years of legal residence; 7 for CPLP and EU nationals
  • Language, culture and civics test
Nationality Law:Lei Orgânica n.º 1/2026, de 18 de maio — amends the Nationality Law (Lei 37/81)

Changes

Dated changes in Portugal

Updated

Residence permit for employment (Aliens Act art. 88.º) and qualified job-seeker visaChanged

DateWhat changedApplies toSource
ReformNationality Law amended (Lei Orgânica 1/2026): naturalisation now requires 10 years of legal residence (7 for CPLP/EU nationals) instead of 5, plus language, culture and civics tests; pending applications keep the old rules.Whole countryDiário da República
ReformIRC rate cut to 19% for 2026 (18% in 2027, 17% from 2028); SME rate on the first EUR 50,000 down to 15%. Minimum wage raised to EUR 920, lifting the digital nomad threshold to EUR 3,680/month.Whole countryDiário da República
ReformAliens Act amended (Lei 61/2025): 2-year wait for family reunification (exemptions for ARI, Blue Card, highly qualified), job-seeker visa limited to qualified work, startup residence without prior visa.Whole countryDiário da República
ReformVAT small-business exemption reformed: threshold EUR 15,000 and new cross-border EU exemption scheme (EU turnover up to EUR 100,000).Whole countryAutoridade Tributária e Aduaneira
ClosureDecree-Law 37-A/2024 abolished the 'manifestação de interesse' route to residence for people already in Portugal (transitional filings closed 31.12.2025).Whole countryDiário da República
TransitionNHR regime repealed by the 2024 State Budget (Lei 82/2023) with a transitional window for people resident by end-2024 with pre-existing ties; replaced by IFICI (20% flat rate for 10 years on qualifying activities).Whole countryAutoridade Tributária e Aduaneira
ClosureGolden Visa reformed by Lei 56/2023 (Mais Habitação): real estate, rehabilitation and EUR 1.5M capital-transfer routes abolished; fund, research, culture and job-creation routes remain.Whole countryDiário da República

Check your eligibilityHow often we check changes

Documents

Documents

Four documents.

Checked on

DocumentWho issues itApostilleTranslationWho prepares
Worker
Valid passportCountry of citizenshipNoNoYou provide
Employment contractPortuguese employerNoNoYou provide
Criminal record certificateCountry of residenceYesYesYou provide
Visa applicationPortuguese consulate formsNoNoWe prepare

Send us the contract.Get a quote

Request

Check your Portuguese job route

Contract or skills profile is enough.

Privacy Policy

We use your details only to answer this request.

We usually reply within one business day.

Legal disclaimer

The information on this site is general and is not legal advice for your specific situation.

Legal disclaimer

Questions

Portugal work permit: short answers

Rules after Lei 61/2025.

Rules

Can I still move to Portugal to look for work?

Only on the 120-day qualified-work visa for specialised technical skills; the general job-seeker visa was replaced by Lei 61/2025.

Is the manifestação de interesse still possible?

No. It was abolished on 3 June 2024.

How long is the Portuguese work residence permit?

2 years, renewable for 3-year periods.

Sources

Where the figures come from

Portuguese law behind this page.

3Sources
SourcePublisherTypeChecked on
Government sites
Vistos nacionais — prazos (residence visa decision 60 days)Ministério dos Negócios EstrangeirosGovernment sitesChecked on
Autorização de residência — regime e requisitos gerais (art. 77.º, n.º 1)AIMAGovernment sitesChecked on
Autorização de residência permanente (art. 80.º)AIMAGovernment sitesChecked on
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Portugal work permit after Lei 61/2025: job-seeker visa narrowed | Clearfile