Visa

If you are an exchange student coming from outside of the European Union you are required to obtain a visa for your period of stay in Portugal.

Students participating in study programs, student exchange, training, unpaid internship or volunteer work purposes should apply for a temporary stay visa.

Temporary stay visas allow entry and stay in Portugal for less than a year. They are valid during the entire stay and allow for multiple entries.

 

General documentation

• Official form;
• Passport or other travel document, valid for an additional 3 months following the duration of the intended stay;
• Two identical passport photographs, up-to-date and in good condition, allowing proper identification;
• Transport document (return ticket);
• Document certifying the third-country national is in a regular situation when the applicant is from a different nationality than that of the country where the visa is being requested;
• Valid travel insurance covering necessary medical expenses, including emergency assistance and repatriation;
• Form authorizing access to Portuguese criminal record by the Immigration and Border Services (SEF);
• Criminal record from country of origin or country of residency for over one year (minors under 16 years of age are exempt from producing any criminal record related document);
• Proof of housing conditions;
• Proof of means of subsistence, as stipulated by law.
• Proof of subsistence means can be made through a statement of responsibility, signed by a Portuguese national or by a foreign national legally resident in Portugal.

 

Besides the general documentation, there are also additional documents required, depending on the purpose of your stay.

• For study purposes for less than a year in a certified institution, or in the framework of a student exchange program, for a similar duration, the following documentation is necessary:
• Document issued by the institution and document certifying enrollment;Statement signed by the host family; or,
• Proof of housing.
• To determine means of subsistence, means obtained through grants or scholarships should be taken into consideration. Proof of means of subsistence can be produced through a statement of responsibility issued by the workers hosting entity.
• For professional internship purposes, the following documents are necessary, document issued by the company or professional training facility, officially recognized, certifying acceptance to the program, and when necessary, training contract and calendar. Proof of means of subsistence can be produced through a statement of responsibility issued by the organization hosting interns.
• For volunteer work purposes, there is a minimum age requirement as set by the relevant ordinance issued by the Government entity responsible for home affairs. Additionally, the following documents are necessary: document issued by an officially recognized institution in charge of the volunteer program, in Portugal, certifying admission to the program. Proof of means of subsistence can be produced through a statement of responsibility issued by the organization hosting volunteers.

 

If you need more information please visit: https://www.vistos.mne.pt

You will need to obtain the visa before your arrival to Portugal.

If you wish to extend your residence permit in Portugal you will need to do it at the SEF office.

 

General documents required:

• Two recent, identical photographs, in colour with blank background, and easily identifiable (only for appointments at Odivelas, Aveiro or Braga SEF bureau)
• Passport or any other valid travel document
• Whenever the applicant is a minor or legally disabled person, the application should be submitted and signed by his/her legal representative
• Evidence of sufficient means of subsistence, as per the provisions of Order number 1563/2007, of 11/12. The supporting evidence of the means of subsistence may be done by the submission of a written consent form of the host entity of the internships or workers, as well as by the organization responsible for the student exchange or voluntary work program (see n.º 2, article 12-A of the Regulatory Decree 84/07 of 5/11, as amended)
• Evidence that the applicant has adequate accommodation
• Permission for checking criminal records, where the stay is intended to exceed 90 days (except people under 16 years old)
• Return travel ticket, or, in duly proven and well-documented situations, booking travel arrangements with clear return date, where the stay is intended to exceed 90 days

 

Regarding Course in a Teaching Establishment / student exchange:

• Document issued by the respective teaching establishment, supporting the enrolment / registration and attendance of the course
• In the case of foster care in a family, a declaration proving the respective foster situation, as provided in subparagraph c), n.º 5, article 62 of the Aliens Act

 

Regarding Professional Training:

• Document issued by a company or by a professional training establishment officially recognized, declaring that the applicant is attending a training course in accordance to the pre-defined schedule

 

Professional internship:

• Document issued by a recognized vocational training company or body, attesting the attendance at the internship program according to the Schedule defined

 

Voluntary work:

• Evidence of the minimum age defined by the member of the government responsible for the interior, accompanied by a document issued by the recognized organization responsible in Portugal for the voluntary work program attesting his/her continuation for no more than one year

 

For more information please visit: https://imigrante.sef.pt