Applying for residency in Portugal during the pandemic

GFDL Advogados
2 min readNov 16, 2020

In this unstable time, Portugal gives everyone a new opportunity to move to a sunnier and safer place or start their path to a second passport.

Notwithstanding the current pandemic, the Portuguese Immigration Authorities continue to issue residency visas to foreign citizens who meet the requirements.

Portuguese borders are open for E.U. citizens and holders of a Residency Visa or Permits, such as the Golden Visa.

Nevertheless, an ordinary Schengen visa will not be enough to allow entry to Portugal unless the foreign citizen can qualify under one of the entry ban exemptions.

Indeed, most types of residency permits must be commenced in the foreign citizen’s country of origin.

Contrary to other residency permits where the process has to start in the state of origin, the applicant can start the Golden Visa application while in Portugal.

Golden Visa applicants do not require an entry visa. A pre-existent appointment for the biometric data collection is still needed after the eligible investment has been made.

As for E.U. citizens, the borders are open, and the residency can be established at any time once meeting the requirements.

Disclaimer

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GFDL Advogados

GFDL Advogados is an international law firm based in Lisbon. We advise corporations and individuals with complex needs and innovative projects. www.gfdl.legal