Moving to Portugal? Many of us have found the process confusing, contradictory and changeable, not to mention geared toward EU citizens. This article combines research and authoritative input to clarify the Type 1 Visa, most common residency process for retired or non-working US Citizens. There is an alternative to the standard process in the form of the Golden Visa Program as Portugal recently joined many other countries in 'selling' residency and nationality. The Golden Visa leads to a Residence Permit with the possibility of receiving Portuguese nationality, yet it requires a qualifying investment in Portugal, such as: transferring funds of 1,000,000€ or more; creating a minimum of 10 jobs; or, acquiring property valued at 500,000€.
If you're not currently pursuing citizenship or investing at this level, you'll start by getting your Residence Visa from the US. This entitles you to travel to Portugal to obtain your Temporary Residence Permit.
I've made three assumptions about why you want a Residence Visa Type 1, the most common Visa for relocating to Portugal:
- First, that you want to move to Portugal more or less full-time; that is, you want to be able to stay for more than 180 consecutive days in a given year.
- Next, I assume you aren't related to a Portuguese citizen (Visa Type 2 and 3 are for resettlement of relatives of Portuguese citizens, with different documentation and requirements).
- Finally, I assume that you are not coming here to get a job ...that doesn't exclude you from continuing your own business here; rather, this article isn't focused on persons seeking a work permit and to then become beneficiaries of the state social security system. Again, different documentation and requirements.
Timing is one of the most stressful aspects of applying... compiling the required documentation can take several months, but you can only submit your application within three months of the date you'd like to come to Portugal; and, once you have your Visa, you must come to Portugal to convert it into a Residence Permit within four months. Gain some control over the timing by applying for the Criminal Background Report (item three under Documentation) first, as the FBI is currently requiring and several months to process them. Or, use a 'channeler' as mentioned in the FBI site to get your Criminal Background Check within days.
The Application:
- Each applicant completes an Application for a Schengen Visa. Do this online or print, complete and submit a paper (pdf) version. According to the online application site, an online application lets you track its status in the system.
- While requirements state that you must complete this Application in Portuguese, some Portuguese Consulates have accepted them completed in English.
- If completing the paper (pdf) version of the application, prepare two copies of the Application Form for each applicant. Affix passport-style photos, taken within the last six months, to each copy. [If you are not applying in person at your Consulate, your signature on this form must be notarized. Applicants who are more than 2 hours driving distance from their respective Consulate are permitted to apply via the mail.]
- Submit one copy of this Application per applicant, along with all of the documents listed in the Required Documents section below, to the Portuguese Embassy's Consulate Office having jurisdiction over your place of US residence (see table at end of article).
a. If you filed an online application, your Consulate will request that you bring the complete set of supporting documents with you to an in-person meeting.
b. If filing a paper application, make an in-person appointment with the respective Consulate and bring all supporting documents in duplicate with you.
c. Since May 2014, Consulates have collected biometric data (fingerprints and photos) on applicants. This is one reason that in-person appointments are prefered. These records are kept for 5 years and can be used when you file an extension of your stay.
- Bring the remaining copy of your Schengen Visa Application and documentation with you to Portugal.
Required Documents:
Documents that must be included with your Application are explained below. Your application is not processed until all of these documents are received and approved by the Consulate. Additional documentation can be required:
- Personal Statement for each applicant, dated and signed, indicating your reason for settling in Portugal, where you intend to reside and what type of accommodations (rental, buy) you'll have initially. This can be as simple as "I wish to live in Portugal as a retiree because it is a beautiful country. I will live in Lisbon and rent an apartment for a few months while searching for something to purchase or rent longer term." The statement is judged by its likelihood of success.
- Proof of Financial Means / Proof of Sufficient Funds: What constitutes 'sufficient' varies; some Consulates have required that each applicant has 50,000€ available in any combination of accounts, income and savings while others have requested proof of at least the equivalent of 40€ of funds per day for each day you'll be in Portugal plus 75.00€ per entry into the country. Whichever amount of funds you're asked to demonstrate, these assets must be accessible to you from Portugal over the next six months, the period for which a Temporary Resident Permit is valid. Use an original statement or electronic printout and consider any combination of the following:
a) Bank statements {must be for the most recent three months and show the name and address of account owner(s)--applicants with joint accounts may both use the same account statements yet both names must appear on the statement); Travelers checks, letter of employment showing income, international credit card showing credit limit; investment reports; income from property or non-property assets or from intellectual property
b) Retirees might use a company pension certificate or notarized letter confirming a pension from the responsible authority and/or a Social Security Benefit letter
c) Self-employed persons can use their tax return from the previous fiscal year or proof of previous economic activity and of an income during previous fiscal year
If you fail to provide proof of sufficient financial means, you'll be required to have a guarantor in Portugal. A guarantor is a Portuguese citizen or permanent resident who will guarantee your accommodations and financial support for a year as well as your return transit to the US. As the guarantor's name, financial number and address are required and it carries legal risk, a guarantor is difficult to obtain.
- Criminal Record Certificate: This is obtained from the FBI and requires that you complete an application called the FBI Identification Record Request / Criminal Background Check. You must submit a recent, original set of your fingerprints with your application. Get fingerprints from your local police department. This Certificate currently costs $18 per applicant. You need to receive a clean criminal record statement from the FBI to include in your Application package. As it can take up to three months to receive, start this application early. Bring 2-3 copies of your Certificate with you as your original remains with your Application at the Consulate. The Certificate is valid for one year. You might also be asked to sign a request form for a criminal record check in Portugal, which the Consulate will process for you.
- Copy of your Marriage Certificate or license if you are married. About half of recent applicants have not been required by their Consulate to provide this.
- Passports: Copy of the photo page (showing personal data and dates of validity) from your passport, notarized. The passport must be valid for at least three months after the expiration of the visa for which you are applying. The passport or travel document must be recognized by all parties of the Schengen Agreement. NOTE: Passports must be issued within the last 10 years and must have at least two blank pages. A passport older than ten years that has been extended for a period exceeding ten years from the date of issuance cannot be accepted. Each copy of the passport photo page must bear a Notary seal. Bring a couple of extra, notarized copies with you for the Temporary Residence Permit process to avoid Portugal's high notary costs.
- Proof of Health & Insurance: A letter from a doctor stating that you are in good health and free from any communicable disease is required; if your Consultate doesn't request this with your Visa application, be assured that the SEF in Portugal will want it for your Residence Permit application. Regulations for the Schengen Visa state:
"...applicants shall prove that they are in possession of adequate and valid travel medical insurance to cover any expenses which might arise in connection with repatriation for medical reasons, urgent medical attention and/or emergency hospital treatment or death, during their stay(s) on the territory of the Member States. The insurance shall be valid throughout the territory of the Member States and cover the entire period of the person's intended stay or transit. The minimum coverage shall be EUR 30,000" (per applicant)
If you have existing insurance coverage that includes the features noted above, your proof of health insurance can be an invoice of your annual statement showing the name of the insurance company, policy holder names, the dates that this coverage is valid and proof of repatriation and evacuation coverage. If you don't currently have insurance with these features, look into a travel insurance plan or an annual plan that covers you in Portugal with the above coverage requirements. Many sources provide travel insurance policies to support Schengen Visa applicants. - Proof of Accommodations: This can be a rental contract showing your name as it appears on your application and documents, the property address, owner's name and the contract period; a paid hotel confirmation stating name, address and telephone number of the hotel, including confirmation number; a home purchase agreement; or, a letter from someone with whom you'll stay. If staying with family or friends, an official letter of invitation (Term of Responsibility Form) signed by your host must be submitted. The host's signature must be notarized by the local Portuguese authorities and a copy of his/her Identity Card included. The duration for a rental contract or hotel stay is not currently defined. Most people choose a contract start date that is 30-40 days from when they plan to submit their application and that coincides with the airline ticket, explained in point 8, below.
- Travel Reservations or Tickets: Half of the Consulates are requiring proof of a pre-paid outgoing and return travel, with the return travel scheduled prior to the expiration of your one year residency, and half are not...so ask yours! Some Consulates have accepted reservations versus purchased tickets, but a proof of purchase is often preferred and is specifically called for in the regulations. Buying plane tickets when you don't know for certain when you'll get your Visa seems risky, but keep in mind that you your Visa is good for six months, thus providing a wide travel window and you can assume that the process -- if you use the FBI versus a channeler -- might take 20 weeks at the outside and plan your departure based on that. Many SEF offices in Portugal prefer to see return travel tickets because it indicates that you didn't assume you'd be granted a permit.
Items 1-8 are a full package of documents that you need to submit in duplicate to the Portuguese Consulate that oversees your state (see list at end of article). Consult the current Fees table (scroll to bottom of screen) regarding the payment to include with your application package.
What's Next
In approximately 3 to 4 weeks you should receive a letter from the Portuguese Consulate approving your Visa application and requesting that you submit your passport along with an addressed, pre-paid return envelope. The Consulate will affix a Type 1 "Temporary Resident Visa" to your Passport and return it to you within two weeks. This Visa expires in four months and allows you to re-enter Portugal two times during the 4 months.
On arrival in Portugal, make an appointment at your local Servico de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras (SEF) office to complete the process for a Titulo de Residencia Temporaria (Temporary Residence Permit). Regulations tell you to go in person to your nearest SEF office to request the appointment, yet if the volume of applications warrants, you will be redirected to call the SEF Customer Contact Center to set your appointment. Phone (+351) 808 202 653 or (+351) 808 202 653. The Center is open from 09:00am to 05:30pm. You'll get a recorded menu. If you wait until the end of the recording a person who speaks English will come on the line. Appointments are typically set within 30-35 days of your request, yet recent volume has pushed them out beyond 120 days, past the date your Temporary Visa expires. In this case, SEF will automatically extend your visa and email you a notice of your appointment that you can print and keep with your passport to prove your Visa didn't expire.
The appointment itself takes less than an hour, but you might spend the entire day waiting, as many SEF offices give you an appointed time to get an appointment, not to meet with the official. This is when all of your extra copies and Application forms will be required. Be overly prepared:
- Some SEF offices request that you provide two more passport-style photos while others have photographing equipment on site that they prefer to use or are accessing the biometric data from the Portuguese Consulate where you applied.
- The SEF will also require proof of accommodations, such as a rental contract or letter from a hotel.
- Bring copies of birth certificates for each applicant. If the SEF doesn't ask for them, they might be required later to register locally for bank accounts and so on.
- Documentation requirements actually change a bit depending on the whim of the officials with whom you are working so being prepared with all of your original documents will save you a return visit to the SEF.
(Please contact author for full details on getting the Titulo de Residencia Temporaria (Temporary Residence Permit)
Within two weeks after SEF approval, your Titulo card will be ready...arriving at your home, your local post office or your local SEF office. Your first Resident Permit is granted for one year, then two consecutive two-year permits are granted and finally, as you're at 5 years, you can apply for a Permanent Resident Permit that is renewed every 5 years. A minimum language proficiency (A2) is not required to obtain a Permanent Residence Permit in addition to the ongoing financial means, proof of accommodation, Portuguese criminal record check and health coverage requirements you must provide at each renewal.
With your Residence Permit in hand, you can obtain the all-important NIF: your personal Numero de Identificacao Fiscal issued by your local tax office (Financas). The NIF is required in order to open a bank account, buy a car or apply for a credit card, among many other transactions. Regulations say you only need a passport to get the NIF yet most of us have been turned away without our Titulo /Residence Permit and many have been asked to produce recent (no more than two-months' old) statements from accounts we used as proof of financial means.
Regulations cited:
- Health Insurance: Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009, which entered in force on April 5, 2010.
- Schengen Visa Application Information
- Proof of Financial Means: Act 23/2007 of July 4, amended by Act 29/2012 of August 9; Chapter 1, Article 11. http://www.sef.pt/documentos/56/LeideImig(Lei29_2012)EN.pdf#1