Portugal student visa (D4): requirements and how to apply

The D4 residence visa covers higher education (bachelor, master, PhD and post-doc), secondary-school study, student exchanges, internships and volunteering. University students must meet the admission conditions or have been accepted by a higher-education institution and have enough resources for the course. Secondary pupils must be between 14 and 21, admitted to a recognised programme and hosted by a family or in suitable accommodation.

If the course lasts less than a year, for example one Erasmus semester, the temporary stay visa for study in a certified institution or student exchange applies instead.

Study checklists ask for the acceptance letter, proof of payment to the Portuguese university and its payment plan for degree students, a signed letter explaining the purpose, a letter from your home university and your student certificate. Accommodation must be shown, for example with a hotel booking for the first days if the acceptance letter does not mention it.

Students admitted by a higher-education institution recognised under the special regime of the Foreigners Law can be exempted by law from proving insurance, admission conditions and means, but your mission’s checklist may still list funding documents, so prepare them.

Means for national visas are measured against the Portuguese minimum wage of EUR 920 a month in 2026. Accepted proof includes a scholarship declaration with bank statements showing the payments, an employer letter with payslips if you work, or a letter of undertaking from a parent with proof of kinship and the parent’s bank statements and payslips. Erasmus students show the grant.

The visa costs EUR 110. Students with a Portuguese state scholarship and Erasmus exchange students pay no visa fee. The residence permit itself is charged by AIMA: EUR 133.00 for receiving and analysing the request plus EUR 114.30 for granting a temporary permit (in-person rates in the fee table updated 26 February 2026; 25% less through a digital channel).

By law the consulate decides a residence visa within 60 days and a temporary stay visa within 30 days, so apply well before your start date. Request your appointment as soon as you receive the acceptance letter.

Within the four-month validity of the residence visa you apply to AIMA, in person by appointment at an AIMA office, with your passport and visa, proof of address, proof of means, criminal record, proof of enrolment, proof of tuition payment and health insurance or National Health Service coverage. The permit is valid three years and renewable, or for the length of a shorter programme.

A refused national visa can be challenged by a complaint to the consulate within 15 days, a hierarchical appeal to the Minister of Foreign Affairs within three months, or an action before the Administrative Court of Lisbon within three months. The routes are not mutually exclusive, and each appeal procedure costs EUR 75 (except for visas following a family reunification approval). Since Lei 61/2025, a visa is also refused to anyone who entered or stayed in Portugal illegally and is subject to an entry ban.