Student visa requirements to study in Portugal depend on your nationality. The rules are different for EU and non-EU citizens.
EU students
EU students do not need a student visa to study in Portugal, but if your stay in Portugal for longer than 90 days, you must apply for a registration certificate (Certificado de Registo) upon arrival at the local town hall. You must bring a national identity card or passport, as well as a valid European Health Insurance Card to be officially added to the population register. EU students must communicate their arrival and receive their registration within the first four months in Portugal. This type of students can work in Portugal without any restrictions.
Non-EU citizens
Non-EU students wishing to study in Portugal will need a student visa and a residence permit for the duration of their studies. International students should visit the Portuguese embassy or consulate in their home country to apply for a visa. Non-EU students should obtain their visas before travelling to Portugal. Your visa application can take some months to be processed, so make sure you apply as soon as possible! As soon as non-EU students arrive in Portugal, they should make an appointment with the local office of the Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA) to apply for a residence permit.
Check for info about the types of Visa here.
If you are applying for any type of visa, you will also need to apply for a residence permit once you arrive in Portugal.
CPLP Students
If you are a student from a CPLP Member State, please check the information available online on the following websites:
Residence permit for higher education students
A higher education student who holds a residence visa issued in accordance with the provisions of Article 62 and who meets the general conditions of Article 77 shall be granted a residence permit, provided that he or she proves that he or she meets the admission conditions or has been accepted into a higher education institution to attend a study programme and that he or she has sufficient resources to attend the programme.
A residence permit may be granted to a higher education student who does not hold a residence visa issued under the terms of Article 62, provided that he/she has entered national territory legally and meets the other conditions established in Article 91 (cf. Article 91.4 of the REPSAE).
Required Documents
The application for a residence permit is made by appointment (or through an electronic platform – currently being implemented for residence visa holders) and is submitted in person with a specific form signed by the applicant or his/her legal representative. It can be submitted at any AIMA office, which can forward it, after processing and decision, to the services in the applicant's area of residence. It must be accompanied by:
• Two identical passport-size photographs, in colour and with a plain background, updated and in good condition for identification (if the appointment is made at the AIMA offices in Odivelas or Aveiro);
• Passport or other valid travel document;
• Valid residence visa, issued under the terms of article 62 of the REPSAE, except in the case of applications for a residence permit without a visa (under the terms of the provisions of paragraph 4 of article 91 of the REPSAE);
• Declaration, under oath, of the address of residence, stating the terms under which the person resides in the indicated property (e.g. owner, tenant, subtenant, usufructuary, borrower, among others) (printed forms and templates); and
o In situations where you live in the location as an owner or usufructuary, you must present a land registry certificate or provide the respective access code to prove the right of ownership or the right of usufruct, or
o In situations where you live in the location as a tenant or lessee, among others, a declaration from the landlord of the property or the accommodation entity, mentioning the legal situation underlying the right to use the property.
• Proof of means of subsistence, as provided for in Ordinance No. 1563/2007, of 11/12 (how to provide proof).
• Criminal record from the applicant's country of nationality or criminal record from the country where he/she resided for more than one year, before residing in Portugal (how to authenticate documents).
Specific documents:
• Proof of legal entry into national territory, in the cases referred to in Article 91, paragraph 4, of Law 23/2007 – REPSAE (waiver of residence visa).
• Proof of enrolment in a higher education institution.
• Proof of payment of tuition fees required by the higher education institution; if applicable, to be certified by means of a declaration from the educational institution.
• Health insurance or proof that you are covered by the National Health Service.
Notes
• Higher education students admitted to a higher education establishment approved under the terms of paragraph 5 of article 91 of REPSAE are not required to present their means of subsistence and proof of payment of tuition fees.
• Higher education students who are beneficiaries of a scholarship awarded by Instituto Camões - Instituto da Cooperação e da Língua, IP, are exempt from presenting proof of enrolment, payment of tuition fees, health insurance and proof of means of subsistence (no. 2 of article 57 of Regulatory Decree no. 84/2007 of 5/11, in its current wording).
• The granting of a residence permit implies: the absence of any fact that, if known by the competent authorities, should prevent the granting of the visa; Absence of conviction for a crime that in Portugal is punishable by a custodial sentence of more than one year; The applicant is not within the period of prohibition of entry and residence in national territory, following a removal order; Absence of an indication in the Schengen Information System; Absence of an indication in the SII UCFE for the purposes of refusing entry and residence or return, under the terms of articles 33 and 33-A.
• The residence permit granted under article 91 to higher education students is valid for three years, renewable for equal periods and, in cases where the duration of the study programme is less than three years, is issued for the duration of its duration (no. 2 of article 91 REPSAE).
• The residence permit granted to higher education students covered by European Union or multilateral programmes that include mobility measures, or by an agreement between two or more higher education institutions, is for two years or the duration of the study programme if this is shorter, and may be for one year if the conditions set out in Article 62.4 are not met at the time of granting (Article 91.3 REPSAE).
• Holders of a residence permit for study may carry out professional activity, whether subordinate or independent, in addition to the activity that gave rise to the visa (article 97.º REPSAE).
Check for more information at AIMA (Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum): https://aima.gov.pt/pt/estudar
AIMA Contact Center:
Monday to Friday - 8:00 am to 08:00 pm
(+351) 217 115 000
(Attention: This information does not replace the need to consult oficial Portuguese authorities directly).
