Portugal work visa (D1 subordinate work)

You need a job offer from an employer in Portugal in the form of an employment contract or a promise of an employment contract. If the profession is regulated in Portugal, for example in health or engineering, you also need the professional certificate or recognition that allows you to practise. The general conditions apply: no entry ban, no conviction for a crime punishable in Portugal by more than one year, means of subsistence and travel insurance.

Since Lei 61/2025 there is no longer a visa for entering Portugal to look for work without qualifications, so the D1 depends on having the job first.

The MFA checklist asks for the work contract, promise of contract or demonstration of interest from the employer, and the professional certificate for regulated professions. The salary in the contract counts as proof of means, and the employer can sign a statement of responsibility with a certified signature. Missions may also ask for a signed and stamped invitation letter from the Portuguese company, a letter explaining the purpose, accommodation proof (hotel booking, a lease arranged by the employer or a host’s Term of Responsibility) and recent bank statements and payslips.

The visa costs EUR 110. 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.

Within the visa’s four-month validity you apply to AIMA, in person at an AIMA office by appointment, with your passport and visa, a sworn declaration from the employer confirming the employment relationship, a declaration of your address with the owner’s registry certificate or the landlord’s declaration, and proof of registration with the tax authority and Social Security. The permit is valid two years and renewable for three-year periods.

Under Lei 61/2025, a holder of a work permit can apply for family reunification after holding the permit for two years, or 15 months for a spouse who lived with them for at least 18 months before they moved. Minor or incapacitated dependent children, and a spouse who is a parent of such a child, are exempt from the waiting period. AIMA must decide within nine months.

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.