How to Apply for Residence Permit in Portugal

Applying for Residence Permit in Portugal

In this guide, we explain the basic steps to gaining residency in Portugal. The following is a brief explanation of what is required to complete the second step which is applying for a Residence Permit. The first step which is How to Apply for Residence Visa in Portugal is detailed on that page. To learn the difference between the two visas please read on.

If you have already applied for your Residence Visa you are all set to make your move to Portugal to begin the second part of becoming a resident.

National Contributions Number

If you are a newcomer to Portugal you will soon learn that you will need a Contribution Number for a range of transactions in the country: The NIF (Número de Identificação Fiscal), also known as “Número de Contribuinte“. You can get this in person by visiting the local tax office called “Finanças” or going to a citizen’s shop “Loja do Cidadão” if that is closer to where you are staying. 

You can also use the online service route for a nominal fee, using this method you can skip the queuing at the Finanças or Loja do Cidadao and complete the process from anywhere including from the UK. It is an easy process and costs nothing but you can find out more in this post about applying for a Portuguese Fiscal Number.

Becoming. Portuguese Resident

The second step in the process of becoming a Portuguese begins after you have arrived in Portugal. You will need to visit the nearest SEF office (Border Immigration) or the local town hall (Camara Municipal) to apply for your Residence Permit. Please note, this is different from your Residence Visa. Again it’s a simple process and nothing to be worried about.

Persons Exempt from Residence Visa

Please note citizens of the EU and the European Economic Area (EEA), as well as Swiss nationals, don’t need a Residence Visa to live in Portugal.

Also if you already have documents proving you were resident in Portugal before the December 2021 deadline you do not need to go through this process. Please see the following guide to apply for your New Portugal Residency Permit for existing residents.

Portuguese Residency Permit Application

The Residency Permit is usually valid for one year and can be extended twice for a further two years giving you 5 years in total.

After living in the country for a period of five years on this permit you can apply for a Permanent Residency Permit or even get a Portuguese Passport by applying for Citizenship.

Before going to apply for your Residency Permit, please note you will need to provide evidence that you have sufficient funds by way of bank statements and provide proof of your accommodation status.

Showing the Required Documents

The documents you will be required to show will depend on the reason behind your stay, but normally you will need to show your passport or ID card, a tax number, proof of address and social security number as well as your completed application form.

For your Residence Permit, you can expect to pay around €160,00.

You can find out more about what you will need for each different application on the SEF website.