It is possible that you will need to apply for a visa in order to travel to Portugal. Your nationality, the purpose of your travel, and the length of time you want to stay in the country all play a role in determining whether or not you are required to obtain a Portugal visa before entering that country.
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Portugal Visa |
Find out how to apply for a Portugal visa, the documents that must accompany your application, and the length of time that you are permitted to remain in the country.
Should I Obtain a Visa Before Traveling to Portugal?
If you are a citizen of the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, or any of the majority of European nations, then you are exempt from needing a visa to enter Portugal for stays of up to ninety days provided that your country has a visa-free travel agreement with Schengen. You are only required to submit an application for a visa in the following circumstances:
- If you are traveling from a nation that does not have a reciprocal agreement with Schengen, you will need a visa to enter the Schengen area.
- In the event that you intend to remain in Portugal for longer than three months.
Portugal Schengen Visa
If you are a citizen of one of the nations that are required to obtain a visa in order to enter the Schengen Area, then you will need to apply for a Portugal Schengen Visa in order to visit the country for a brief length of time. You are able to obtain a Portugal Schengen Visa for visits of up to 90 days that are for purposes such as tourism, business, visiting family, and other similar reasons.
Along with the other 25 nations that make up Europe's Schengen Area, Portugal is one of those countries. These nations have made it possible to travel freely inside their borders and have standardized their visa requirements into a single document known as the Schengen Visa. This indicates that if you obtain a visa for one of the Schengen nations, such as Portugal, you will also be able to travel to the other countries that are a part of the Schengen Agreement.
If you plan to stay in Portugal for an extended period of time (for example, if you plan to work or study there), then you will require a Portugal National Visa and not a Schengen Visa.
Portugal Visa Requirements
The following items, among others, must be included in your application for a visa to Portugal:
- Your passport. It needs to be valid for at least another three months after you leave Portugal or the Schengen Area, beginning on the day you leave Portugal.
- The Application for a Visa to Portugal Form. On the website of the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, you may download the form (here).
- Photographs conforming to the specifications of the Schengen area's passports they must have been taken not too long ago.It is required that the background be white.Your face must be totally visible.
- A valid health insurance policy for international travel is required by Schengen.It is necessary that it be legitimate throughout the entire Schengen Area.Emergency medical care and transportation costs must be covered to the tune of at least €30,000.
- Evidence that you have already paid the Visa Fee for Portugal. Your planned route of travel. Simply making reservations for the flight tickets is sufficient; you are not need to actually pay for them.
- Portugal Visa Cover Letter. The purpose of your trip, the dates of your arrival and departure, if you will go to another Schengen nation, the activities you have planned, and other relevant information must all be included.
- Evidence that there are sufficient finances. You are need to provide evidence that you will be able to maintain your current standard of living throughout the entirety of your trip.
- Evidence that you have accommodation in Portugal. This can take the form of a hotel reservation or an invitation letter (if you are visiting friends or relatives).
- If you are currently working: Documentation proving that you are working, such as a work contract if you are employed by someone else or a certificate of business registration if you run your own company or are self-employed.
- Work time off (if you have an employer).
- The most recent three months' worth of bank statements
- If you are a student, you will need to present a certificate of enrolment from your college or university.
- Your pension certificate, in the event that you are retired.
The following are the requirements for minors who are traveling alone:
- Certificate of birth issued to the minor
- A copy of either the parents' or legal guardians' passports is required.
- A handwritten and signed letter of consent from the parent(s) or legal guardian(s)
If you are going to Portugal to see friends or family, the following applies to you:
- A letter of invitation from a member of your family or a close friend is required.
When traveling for work, the following applies to you:
- A letter of invitation from the Portuguese corporation to visit their office. The aim of your travel as well as its length need to be stated in the letter.
- A letter from your company outlining the nature of the relationship between the two businesses
Document guidelines:
Either English or Portuguese must be used for all of the documents. If they are not already translated, you are required to have a professional translator do it for you.
Legalization of any civil documents, such as birth certificates, must be accomplished either by the use of an Apostile Stamp or the Portuguese Embassy.
How Do I Apply for a Visa to Visit Portugal?
To submit an application for a visa to enter Portugal, you are need to:
Get a Portugal visa by downloading the application form and filling it out. On the website of the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, you will discover the Application Form, which you can then download.
Collect the necessary paperwork to apply for a visa to Portugal. See Portugal Visa Requirements above.
Please forward the documents. It is possible that you will be required to present the documents at the Embassy of Portugal, the Consulate of Portugal, or the Visa Application Center of Portugal.
Make the payment for your Portugal visa. The cost of a visa to Portugal is listed below.
Attend your turn while the visa is processed. This takes approximately 15 days, although the time it takes could be significantly longer depending on the circumstances.
Take possession of the visa. You will find out whether or not your application was successful, and then you will have to go pick up your passport in order to get the visa affixed to it. This depends depend on where and how you applied for the visa.
Travel to Portugal. You will be able to enter Portugal once you have obtained the necessary visa.
* Please be aware that the procedure for applying for a long-term visa, such as a work visa, a student visa, or a visa for family reunification, is a little bit different from the procedure for applying for a shorter-term visa. Please consult the section below regarding Portugal National Visas.
Where should I send my application for a visa to Portugal?
The application for the visa must be submitted to the Portuguese Embassy or Consulate that is geographically located closest to you, or to a Visa Application Center. If there is no Portuguese diplomatic representation in the area in which you live, then you will be required to submit the documents at the embassy or consulate of one of the other countries that are part of the Schengen area.
Find out where you should send your application for a Portugal Visa here, based on the nation in which you now reside.
When Should the Application for a Portugal Visa Be Submitted?
You need to send in the application at the very least fourteen days before the date you want to leave. Your application will not be accepted any earlier than three months before the date of your trip by the Portuguese Embassy. If you do not want your plans to be disrupted by a delay in the processing of your visa, you should ideally give it more than two weeks to complete.
The Time Required to Process an Application for a Portugal Visa
Processing time for a Portuguese Visa is often no more than 15 calendar days. However, the time it takes could be significantly longer depending on a variety of factors, such as the time of year, whether or not you have all of your documents in order, etc. Therefore, you should submit your application approximately one month before the day you plan to travel, but no earlier than three months in advance.
Portugal Visa Fees
When you submit your application for a visa to Portugal, you are required to pay the processing fee, which is broken down as follows:
- Portugal Schengen Visa (adults and children over 12) – €80
- Portugal Schengen Visa (children between 6 and 12) - €40
- Portugal Schengen Visa (children under 6) - Free of charge
- Citizens of Azerbaijan and Russia are required to pay €35 for a Schengen visa to enter Portugal. This fee applies to adults and children over the age of 12.
The following situations will exclude you from paying the price for your Portugal visa:
- You are traveling with or paying a visit to a member of your immediate family who is a national of the EU or EEA.
- You are either a student or a teacher who is going on a trip for educational purposes.
- You are a researcher who is traveling for the goal of conducting scientific research.
How Long Is the Validity Period for the Portugal Visa?
If you have a Schengen Visa, you are permitted to stay in Portugal for a maximum of ninety days during any period of one hundred and eighty days. The length of time that your visa will be valid is determined by either the Portuguese Embassy or the Portuguese Consulate.
The following categories of visas are available to applicants:
Single-entry visa. You are only allowed one entry into Portugal (or the Schengen Area), and your stay is limited to the duration of the visa's validity (one week, two weeks, one month, etc). After you leave, you cannot re-enter.
Multiple-entry visa. You are permitted repeated entries into Portugal (as well as the other countries in the Schengen area) during the period of time that the visa is valid, provided that the total number of days spent in Schengen does not exceed 90.
Can I Extend a Portugal Visa?
Technically speaking, one can extend a Portugal visa; nevertheless, this extension cannot be granted for just any cause. If you have a valid reason, such as an illness or a natural disaster, you may submit an extension request for your visa, but this will only be granted if you already have the valid reason. You will need to get in touch with the Portuguese Immigration Services if you want to request an extension on your Schengen visa for Portugal (SEF).
Keep in mind that if you are in Portugal on a Student or Work Visa, you will need to apply to renew your Residence Permit and not for an extension of your visa if you want to stay longer.
Portugal Airport Transit Visa
Even if you do not exit the international transit region, you are required to apply for an Airport Transit Visa if you are a citizen of one of the following countries and you want to change flights in a Portuguese airport:
- Afghanistan
- Bangladesh
- We are citizens of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Iran
- Iraq
- Nigeria
- Pakistan
- Senegal
- Somalia
- Sri Lanka
You need to submit the following documents in order to apply for a visa to transit via an airport:
- Form for Applying for a Visa to Visit Portugal
- Your passport
- Your airline tickets.
- Photographs the size of a passport that conform to the Schengen regulations
- The necessary visa for the country that you will be visiting (if a visa is required)
- Certificate attesting to the applicant's status as a resident in good standing in the event that the applicant does not share the nationality of the nation from which the visa is being requested.
- Your employment certification and annual salary, respectively.
- Statements from your bank for the past three months
- If you are a citizen of a country that does not have a visa-free agreement with Portugal and wish to leave the international transit area of the airport, you will first need to apply for a visa to transit in Portugal. Only then will you be allowed to do so.
Portugal National Visas (Long-Term)
Long-term visas called Portugal National Visas can lead to residency in Portugal in either a temporary or permanent capacity, depending on the applicant's situation (by means of a Residence Permit).
The following are the primary categories of Portuguese National Visas:
Portugal Work Visa. This kind of visa is presented to non-EU citizens who have been successful in securing work with a Portuguese organization. Usually in a position requiring specialized knowledge.
Portugal Student Visa. If you have been accepted into a Portuguese educational institution, you will be eligible to apply for this sort of visa.
Visa for Reunification of Family in Portugal. If you are not a citizen of the EU but wish to join a family member who is already residing in Portugal, either as a citizen or a resident, you are eligible to submit an application for this category of visa.
Portugal Retirement Visa. You are able to live in Portugal as a resident if you hold this sort of visa, even if you do not work or attend school there, providing that you have the income to support your stay.
Portugal passive income visa. Freelancers who want to work for an employer from another country while they are in Portugal are eligible to apply for this sort of visa.
In most cases, you will be able to renew your Portuguese National Visa. You are eligible to submit an application for a work visa if you find employment in Portugal after you have completed your studies here; however, visas awarded for work or family reunification do not lead to permanent residency in the long run.
Covid 19 Tips
- Under the Vaccinated Travel Framework (VTF), all countries/regions will be classified under the General Travel or Restricted Category and accord border measures by individual traveller’s vaccination status. Currently, all countries/regions come under the General Travel Category. There are no countries/regions in the Restricted Category at the moment.
- Advisory for Singaporean students studying overseas can be found on the MOE website and the Travel Advisory on the MOH website. Common concerns pertaining to the advisory have been addressed here. FAQs on the MOH website (under Border Measures) also provide information for students on overseas studies.
- Updates on Singapore’s border control measures in response to COVID-19 can be found on the ICA website. Information on the SG Arrival Card with Electronic Health Declaration can be found here.
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