Moving to Portugal

Visas, residence permits and EU registration: which route applies to you and where to check the current rules.

The 25 de Abril bridge over the Tagus in Lisbon
Photo: Svetlana Gumerova / Unsplash

Planning the move

What to sort out before you leave: documents, belongings and pets.

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens

No visa needed — but a registration and a few numbers are.

Visas for non-EU nationals

The national visas people use most to move to Portugal.

Residence permits and citizenship

Life after the visa: renewals, family and the long-term path.

Temporary protection

For people displaced from Ukraine.

The essentials

Your nationality decides the route

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens can live in Portugal with a passport or national ID card. If you stay longer than three months, you register your residence and get a registration certificate, the CRUEThe registration certificate for EU, EEA and Swiss citizens who live in Portugal for more than three months. It is usually issued by the municipal council (Câmara Municipal).. This is usually handled by the municipal council (Câmara MunicipalThe municipal (town or city) council. Among other things, it usually handles registration of EU citizens (CRUE).) for your address rather than by AIMA. Check

Everyone else usually applies for a national visa (a "D visa") at a Portuguese consulate before travelling, then turns it into a residence permit (Autorização de residênciaA residence permit for non-EU nationals, issued by AIMA. It is temporary at first and has to be renewed.) in Portugal. The visa category depends on what you will do here — for example living on a pension or other passive income, remote work for employers abroad, a job with a Portuguese employer, study or family reunification. Requirements change, so check the Visa Portal for the current list for your category and consulate. Check

Who handles what

  • AIMAThe public agency that handles residence permits for non-EU nationals. It replaced SEF for these matters in 2023. handles residence permits for non-EU nationals. It took over these functions from the former immigration service, SEFThe former immigration and borders service. It was restructured in 2023 and its residence-permit work passed to AIMA — older guides that mention SEF may be out of date., in 2023 — many older articles still mention SEF.
  • Portuguese consulates issue national visas before you travel.
  • Your municipal council usually registers EU citizens.

Communications from AIMA — by email, letter or through its portal — are the authoritative source for your own case. Keep copies of every document you submit.

Before you go

Foreign certificates (birth, marriage, criminal record) often need an ApostilaAn apostille: a certificate under the Hague Convention that confirms a public document from one country for use in another. Foreign certificates often need one, plus a certified translation. and a certified translation. It is usually easier to arrange these in the country that issued them, before you leave. Most people also need a tax number, the NIFPortugal's nine-digit taxpayer number, issued by the Tax and Customs Authority (AT). You need it for leases, bank accounts, employment and most contracts., early on — see how to get a NIF.

Still choosing a city? Compare the best places to live in Portugal on housing, jobs and climate.

Guides by situation

Official sources

We check our guides against these official pages. If something has changed, the official source wins.

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