Portuguese StartUp Visa

Access to Healthcare and Education Systems

Portugal offers high-quality healthcare and education services that cost relatively low than some EU countries. As a foreign entrepreneur, you can access services from public facilities.

Alternatively, you can choose the private ones if you need a unique approach: A faster medical procedure or English-conducted classes for your children.

Dependents’ Inclusion in the Visa

A StartUp visa to Portugal allows you to add your dependents to the visa. After obtaining the Residence Permit, your eligible family members can apply for residence permits. They include parents (yours and your spouses), spouses, and children under 18 years.

Your spouse must have a clean criminal record and be in an officially recognised marriage or legal partnership.

However, children over 18 years can be eligible if they’re studying full-time in Portugal, are unmarried, and they are Portugal parents financially dependent.

To learn more, speak to our legal experts today by calling; +44 (0)333 305 9375, or contact us online.

Eligibility for Permanent Residency or Citizenship

You may qualify for Permanent Residency or citizenship after staying in Portugal for five years. Nevertheless, you must be able to speak at least A2 level of the Portuguese language and have clean criminal records.

Consequently, you can move in and out of Portugal without restrictions, travel to more than 180 countries (including the US and UK) and move to the Schengen area without a prior residency application.

Visa-Free Access to Schengen Area

This StartUp visa allows you to travel freely and stay in the Schengen area for 90 out of 180 days. Thus, you have a chance to expand your business across the zone.

You apply for StartUp Visa Portugal by following the steps below:

Step 1: Create a detailed business plan that’s innovation and technology-oriented with the potential to boost the economy and create a Portuguese business venture.

Step 2: Gather all the necessary documents. They include a motivation letter, a project presentation, a CV, and all the application’s supporting documents. You also need a taxpayer and social security number (an Immigration Invest lawyer helps you to get them).

Step 3: Fill out your application. Include the needed details on the application form on the IAPMEI website and upload copies of the required documents.

Step 4: Find a certified business incubator. Get various incubators to accelerate your project. Once you obtain approval from at least one of them, complete your application form and submit it to the StartUp Visa Platform.

Step 5: Wait for approval. It takes about 30 working days for IAPMEI to process the application. You can track the progress from your account on IAPMEI’s online platform. Once approved, you get a StartUp Visa Program’s declaration of participation, valid for six months.

Step 6: Book an appointment with your country’s Portuguese Consulate. Present your application and all the required documents on the scheduled date and get your StartUp Visa after approval.

Step 7: Apply for residency once you get to Portugal. You or your legal representative should schedule an appointment with SEF, Portugal’s Foreigners and Border Service. Here, you’re required to visit Portugal and submit your application and biometrics.

Step 8: Obtain a residence card. You get your card after your residency application is approved. The initial Residence Permit is valid for two years, while the subsequent issue’s validity is three years.

Note that if you’re already in Portugal, you don’t have to go to the Consulate in your home country to apply for a StartUp Visa. Instead, you should submit your documents to SEF directly.

If you’re stuck in your visa application or want to have it done correctly and in the shortest time possible, contact our experienced immigration lawyers.

You need the following documents for your StartUp Visa Application:

• Two recent, identical, and coloured photographs that are easy to identify (for appointments at Odivelas, Aveiro, or Braga SEF bureau only).
• A copy of a valid passport and a residency card (if applicable).
• A solid business plan and a project presentation.
• A letter of motivation: Shows an interest in developing an innovative idea in Portugal.
• A criminal record clearance certificate from your countries of residence and origin.
• A bank statement showing that you have at least €5146.8 for your upkeep.
• A Portuguese taxpayer’s number, known as NIF.
• A Social Security Number, Seguranca Social.
• Proof of adequate accommodation
• An updated CV.

After successfully applying for your StartUp Visa, IAPMEI sends you a declaration of participation in the StartUp Visa scheme. This step is a requirement to obtain a Residence Permit.

Additionally, you must prove your financial ability before applying for the residency. Hence, you need to show that you have sufficient funds for use and acquiring proper accommodation.

Once approved, you can apply for the Residence Permit to stay in the country.

You can become a Portuguese citizen under the StartUp Visa after obtaining a five years residency in the country. One year is equivalent to six continuous months or eight months in total.

Other eligibility requirements include the following:

• Sufficient funds for use and rented or owned housing to live in the country.
• Proof of Portuguese language proficiency (CEFR A2).
• Having a clean criminal record.

You don’t have to renounce your country of origin’s citizenship, as Portugal allows multiple citizenships. However, if your home country doesn’t permit dual citizenship, you’ll have to be willing to abandon your previous citizenship to move to Portugal permanently.

After obtaining citizenship in Portugal, you can travel to 187 countries without a visa and live in any part of the Schengen area. A Permanent Resident Permit can function like a passport but maintains its lifetime status.