Foreigners Law and Immigration
Our office provides legal advice to foreign Clients, according to their specific needs and full assistance in obtaining residence permits, family reunification and Portuguese nationality having already worked with clients of different nationalities such as South Africans, Brazilians, Chinese, among others.
Residence
The Portuguese law establishes the following visas that give access to the Portuguese residence:
- Residency Visa for Subordinate Professional Activity Exercise (D1) – For those who come with a promise of work or contract of employment from Portugal.
- Residence Visa for Independent Professional Activity and for Entrepreneurial Immigrants (D2) – For those who come to carry out an independent professional activity or for those who want to make an investment here, for ex. a company.
- Residence Visa for Research Activity or Highly Qualified (D3) – For Ph.D. students or anyone who has a highly qualified profession.
- Residency Visa for Study, Exchange of Students of the Secondary Education, Internship or Volunteering (D4) – For students of higher education (undergraduate, masters), internships or volunteers with a duration of more than one year.
- Residence Visa in the Field of Higher Education Students’ Mobility (D5) – For residents in the territory of a Member State of the European Union, not applicable to Brazilian citizens.
- Residence Visa for Retired Persons or People with Income (D7) – For retirees, pensioners, or people who prove sufficient income to support the household.
- Also foresees Residency Permit for Investing Activities (Golden Visa) – For those who undertake an investment in Portugal, for example, acquisition of property worth € 500,000.00 (five hundred thousand euros) or more.
Nationality
The Portuguese law establishes who can acquire the Portuguese nationality. We highlight the following ones:
- A foreigner (adult or emancipated) who has been legally residing in Portugal for at least six years
- A foreigner who has been married for more than three years to a Portuguese national or has been cohabiting for more than three years with a Portuguese national
- Descendants of Portuguese (must have a parent or grandparent that is Portuguese)
- Members of communities of Portuguese ancestry like India (Goa, Damão, Diu, Dadrá and Nagar Aveli), Angola, Mozambique, Guinea Bissau, Cape Verde, Sao Tome and Principe, Macao, and Timor
- Descendants of Portuguese Sephardic Jews