What to do before you move to Portugal

A checklist for the months before moving to Portugal: documents, apostilles, money, health insurance and where to stay first.

What this guide will cover

Choose your route
Documents to bring
Apostilles and translations
Money and banking
Health insurance
Your first accommodation

Official sources

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

gov.pt — public services portal gov.pt
Portuguese Visa Portal (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) vistos.mne.gov.pt

Need help?

Official bodies and services related to this guide. Sponsored listings are always labelled.

Official Immigration & residency

AIMA — Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum

The public agency that handles residence permits and renewals for non-EU nationals. It took over these functions from the former immigration service, SEF, in 2023. Start here for current procedures and appointment channels.

Languages
Portuguese, English

Where
Nationwide

aima.gov.pt
Official Immigration & residency

Portuguese Visa Portal (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Official information on national (D) and short-stay visas, the documents required and applying through consulates abroad.

Languages
Portuguese, English

Where
Nationwide · online

vistos.mne.gov.pt
Official Immigration & residency

gov.pt — Public Services Portal (formerly ePortugal)

The government's single entry point for public services, with step-by-step guides to registrations and certificates, and the list of in-person Citizen Spots (Espaços Cidadão).

Languages
Portuguese, English

Where
Nationwide · online

gov.pt

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