Before you leave: the month-by-month plan
What to sort out, and in what order, from the day you decide to come to Portugal until your first month here. The exact documents and amounts depend on the visa — this plan tells you when to deal with each thing.
6 months or more before
Decide and prepare
☐ Choose the right visa
The type of visa sets the documents, the means of subsistence you must prove and the deadlines. Answer the quiz — it tells you which one applies to you and creates your list of documents.
☐ Find out where to apply
You apply at the Portuguese consular post (or the external service provider, such as VFS) designated for your country of residence — the list is on vistos.mne.gov.pt. Check now how to book an appointment and what slots are available.
☐ Check your passport’s validity
Consular checklists ask for a passport valid for at least 3 months beyond the planned stay. If yours expires soon, renew it before you apply for the visa.
☐ Start gathering documents from your country
Certificates, criminal record, diplomas, proof of income. They may need an apostille (or legalisation) and a certified translation — request them early. See how to prepare the documents from your country.
☐ Gather your means of subsistence
Almost every visa requires proof of means (income, savings or an employment contract). The amount depends on the visa — see the page for your visa. Also count on money for housing and the first months: see how much money you need.
3 to 6 months before
NIF and preparing the application
☐ Get your NIF remotely
The NIF (tax number) is essential for jobs, contracts, bank accounts and Social Security. From abroad, a legal representative with a power of attorney requests it for you through the e-balcão of the Portal das Finanças (tax portal). Powers of attorney granted to a lawyer or solicitor do not need the signature to be certified. To get the NIF as a non-resident you do not have to appoint a tax representative; that obligation (or signing up for electronic notifications) arises within 15 days if, for example, you sign an employment contract or own a home or a car in Portugal (Tax Authority leaflet).
☐ Accommodation
Check your consulate’s checklist to see whether your visa requires proof of accommodation and which documents it accepts (lease, booking or statement of responsibility). Do not pay for a home you have not seen, or to someone you cannot identify. See also what the law says about renting.
☐ How to prove your means
Check your consulate’s checklist for how to prove your means of subsistence (statements, declarations, bank account). If you need an account in Portugal, see opening a bank account.
☐ Travel insurance
Consular checklists ask for valid travel insurance covering medical expenses, including emergency care and possible repatriation (example checklist). For some visas, CPLP citizens are exempt — check your checklist.
1 to 3 months before
Applying at the consulate
☐ Criminal record certificate
Issued by the authority of your country of nationality, or of the country where you have lived for more than a year, with an apostille or legalised. Some consulates require it to have been issued in the 3 months before the appointment (for example, Toronto) — check your consulate’s rule and do not request it too early.
☐ Submit the application
Bring everything your consulate’s checklist lists, in the order given, and pay the application fee.
☐ Wait for the decision
Decision deadline: 60 days for the residence visa and 30 days for the temporary stay visa, except where the law provides otherwise (MNE). Avoid buying non-refundable tickets before you have the visa.
With the visa in your passport
Before you travel
☐ Mind the 4-month deadline
The residence visa is valid for 2 entries and 4 months; within that period you must apply to AIMA (the immigration agency) for the residence permit (MNE). Check whether you already have an appointment date at AIMA; if not, request one at aima.gov.pt as soon as you arrive.
☐ Carry the originals with you
Keep the original documents (with apostille and translation) in your hand luggage and keep a digital copy of everything.
Your first weeks in Portugal
You have arrived
☐ Go to your AIMA appointment
Attend on the scheduled date with the documents requested and keep the proof of the appointment or of the application.
☐ Update your address with the Tax Authority
Once you become a tax resident (more than 183 days in Portugal in a 12-month period, or a home suggesting habitual residence), you have 60 days to report your Portuguese address. Your NIF stays the same. You can use the residence permit or the proof of the AIMA appointment or application for this (Tax Authority leaflet).
☐ NISS (Social Security number)
You need it to work and to access benefits. If you do not have it yet, request it at seg-social.pt or at a Social Security office. See where to deal with documents.
☐ Bank and health centre
You are entitled to a basic bank account. Register at your local health centre.
☐ Your children’s school
See how to enrol your children — you do not need to wait for the residence permit.
☐ If in doubt, call first
The Migrant Support Line (808 257 257, or 218 106 191 from a mobile) gives free information in several languages and books appointments at the CNAIM (immigrant support centres).
Official sources (in Portuguese)
- MNE — Where to apply for the visa
- MNE — Visa decision deadlines
- MNE — Types of visa (residence visa validity)
- Tax Authority — NIF for non-resident foreign citizens (July 2025)
- Embassy of Portugal in Tokyo — example residence visa checklist
- Consulate General of Portugal in Toronto — residence visa
Checked in October 2026. The rules may change and each consulate has its own checklist — that checklist prevails.
Still have a question about preparing your move?
Ask the community — other immigrants have been through the same, and you will get an email when someone replies. Most answers are in Portuguese.