Angola student visa

The SME describes the study visa as the visa for foreigners attending school, vocational training, a higher-education degree or an internship in Angola. The exemption decree confirms that study is outside the tourist exemption, so even nationals of visa-exempt countries need this visa for courses that lead to a qualification.

The visa must be used within 60 days of issue and allows multiple entries during a stay of one year. It can be extended once for the same period and further until the course of study ends. It does not create residence rights, and paid work is allowed only where it is part of an internship related to the training.

For every visa the SME online system asks for a passport valid for at least one year with four blank pages and a recent white-background photo, and originals are checked at the consulate together with biometrics and an interview.

The Angolan Consulate General in Lisbon publishes a full study-visa list under Law 13/19: application form and information sheet, two colour passport photos under six months old, a passport valid for at least nine months with copies of its entry and exit stamps, proof of legal residence for non-nationals of the host country, the international vaccination booklet, a return booking, and a reasoned letter to the consulate with a notarised signature. Academic proof means enrolment or a guarantee of attendance at an officially recognised school, stating study conditions and length, and where relevant the internship programme, training contract or proof of the research exchange.

The same list adds a criminal record certificate from the country of origin or current residence, a medical certificate from a health centre, a signed declaration of commitment to obey Angolan law, proof of accommodation or a hotel booking, and a bank statement showing means of subsistence equal to 200 per day of stay (the list does not name the currency).

Apply at the Angolan embassy or consulate in your country of origin or habitual residence. The application can be pre-filed through the SME portal, but the consular visit remains necessary because the applicant must attend in person.

In Lisbon the study visa costs EUR 145.80 with a 30-working-day delivery time or EUR 180 for 15 working days. Fees there are paid by card at the consulate or by bank transfer, are not refundable, and the receipt must be attached to the application.

For an applicant under 18 the Lisbon consulate also wants a copy of the birth record, a medical statement for babies under one year without a vaccination certificate, and, if the child travels with the parents, their tickets or bookings and passports. Family members who accompany a study-visa holder do not go on the study visa: Law 13/19 lists accompanying the holder of a study visa as a ground for the temporary stay visa.

The Lisbon consulate asks for originals plus one photocopy of each document, and the form must be completed in black ink and capital letters and signed in front of a consular officer. Documents in another language must be translated into Portuguese by an official translator; in Lisbon the translation is notarised and legalised by the Portuguese foreign ministry. Missing documents can lead to refusal, the consulate may ask for further papers or call the applicant to an interview, and submitted files are not returned.