Avenida António Augusto de Aguiar, N183, 1 Esq, Lisboa, Portugal
We are a law office located in Lisbon, Portugal

The Portugal work visa or Job Seeker visa

Mail us to get a comprehensive brochure on this: info@cscadvogada.com

The Portugal work visa entitles its holder to enter and remain only in Portugal for the purpose of looking for job; authorizes him/her to carry out a subordinated / to work for an employer, until the visa expires or until the residence permit is granted.

This visa is granted for a period of 120 days, renewable for another 60 days and allows only one entry into Portugal.

The issuance of this visa supposes the attribution of a date of scheduling in the competent services, within the period of validity of 120 days of the visa, and it allows the applicant, after the formalization of the employment contract throughout that period, the right to apply for a residence permit.

To do so, you must fulfil the general conditions for granting a temporary residence permit, under the terms of article 77 of the Law.

Once the maximum validity limit of the visa for looking for work has expired, without an employment relationship having been established nor the process of requesting the granting of a residence permit having begun, the visa holder must leave the country.

In these situations, you can only re-apply for a new visa application for this purpose, one year after the expiry of the previous visa's validity.

The request for a visa extension by a Portugal work visa holder must be accompanied by proof of registration with the IEFP, I.P., and a declaration by the applicant indicating that the conditions of the planned stay are maintained, which will be assessed considering the reasons that justified its issuance.

How to get the Portugal Work Visa?

The Portugal work visa is requested at the Portuguese local embassy that serves your country of origin.

You can check which Portuguese embassy serves your country of origin by visiting this thisse website and scrolling until you find your country and establish the location and the contact of the Portuguese local embassy .ite and scrolling until you find your country and establish the location and the contact of the Portuguese local embassy. The request can also be done online here.

After you make a booking for the Portuguese embassy you need to prepare several documents and forms in order to take them with you for the interview and to allow your passport to be stamped with the portugal work visa / job seeker visa.

What is the list of needed documents for the embassy visit?

National Visa form filled and duly signed by applicant;

Passport valid for more than 3 months after the estimated date of return and a copy of the same

2 Photos, passport type, recent and in good condition to identify the applicant (1 to be glued to the previous form);

Residence visa if residence in a country other than the country of current nationality;

Request for criminal record enquiry signed form by the Immigration and Border Services (SEF)

Criminal record certificate, issued by the competent authority of the country of the applicant’s nationality or of the country where the applicant has resided for over a year (except for applicants under sixteen), with the Hague Apostille (If applicable) or legalised by the Portuguese consultate;

Valid travel insurance, covering necessary medical expenses, including urgent medical assistance and possible repatriation;

Flights to arrive Portugal and depart- Roundtrip flight reservation showing date of departure and date of return;

Proof of financial resources equivalent to at least the sum of three guaranteed monthly minimum salary - 705 euros per months.

Proof of the financial resources may be waived upon presentation of a term of responsibility with recognized signature made by a Portuguese citizen or a foreign citizen, with a legal residence authorization in Portugal, which guarantees food and accommodation for the visa applicant, as well as the repatriation costs, in case of irregular stay.

Other documents  

Declaration with indication of the conditions for the estimated stay.

Proof of presentation of a declaration of expression of interest for enrolment in the IEFP (EN)/ (PT) / (FR) / (ES).

What to do at the IEFP website? How should i proceed?

If you are a citizen of the third state and intend to enter and stay in Portugal to look for work, you must express your interest in registering with the Instituto de Emprego e Formação Profissional (IEFP), the Portuguese public employment service, before submitting your visa application.

In order to declare your interest in enrolling in the IEFP, you must complete the following form:

https://formularios.iefp.pt/index.php/929227?lang=pt


After submitting the form, you will receive an extract (by email) and you can apply for a visa to look for a job, "online" and/or at the nearest Portuguese consulate, mediating prior appointment.


If the visa is granted for 120 days, which can be extended for another 60 days, you must present proof that you are registered with the IEFP to apply for work. Apply at the nearest Employment Service.

At this website you may need to translate it to English using google chrome because it is not written in English. becausethese websites

How long does it take to get the IEFP declaration?

It takes around 6 hours to receive it via email.

How long does it take for the Portuguese Embassy to decide on the Portugal Work Visa?

It takes around 60 days.

How much does it cost at the embassy?

The Portugal Job seeker visa costs 75 euros.

I got a work contract during the period of validity of the visa. What happens?


You must apply for a residence permit, provided you meet the following cumulative conditions (Article 77 of Law No. 23/2007, of July 4)


Possession of means of subsistence;
Accommodation;
Absence of any fact that prevents the granting of the visa;
Absence of conviction for a crime that in Portugal is punishable with deprivation of liberty
lasting more than one year;
You are not within the period of prohibition of entry and stay in the national territory,
subsequent to a removal order;
Absence of indication in the Schengen Information System and in the Integrated Information System
from the SEF


Note: The residence permit may be refused for reasons of public order, public security or public health. The visa already has a scheduling date at the competent services for granting the residence permit.

I could not get a job contract during the period of validity of the visa. What to do?


At the end of the validity of the visa without having an employment relationship, you must leave the country. You can only apply for a new job search visa one year later.

I'm still out of Portugal, but I want to start looking for work. How should I do?


If you want to move to work in Portugal, we recommend the following steps:


1. Apply for job offers on websites and Portuguese job exchanges that allow it.

We suggest, for example, the following:


www.jobsinlisbon.com

www.jobinporto.com

www.expressoemprego.pt

http://emprego.sapo.pt

www.itjobs.com.pt

Inform the employer of your situation (residence outside Portugal). Ask for the possibility of an interview via Skype / GoogleMeet / Zoom or another video call method;

If the employer selects you and makes you a proposal for an employment contract, you can apply online and/or at the nearest Portuguese consulate, by appointment, to request a Visa that enables you to work in Portugal;


I want to start learning Portuguese. Where can I find courses?


You can consult information or search for courses at:
High Commission for Migration: http://pptonline.acm.gov.pt ;

http://www.portuguesmaisperto.pt

Instituto Camões: www.instituto-camoes.pt


CAPLE - Center for the Assessment and Certification of Portuguese as a Foreign Language:

http://caple.letras.ulisboa.pt/

Websites:
www.practiceportuguese.com

www.portugueselab.com

www.portugalist.com

After the Visa is granted at embassy level, what should i do?

At this stage you can visit Portugal.

After you arrive you shall visit the IEFP location and register to seek for a job. A job may be offered by the Portugal work entity from one of the several available options.

You can see the locations here.

What types of work visas exist other than the job seeker?

Subordinate seasonal work

Temporary stay visa for seasonal work for a duration of over 90 days.

Independent work

Temporary stay visa for independent work.

Highly qualified activity

Temporary stay visa for scientific research, higher education professorial activity or highly qualified activity purposes for a period of less than a year.

Remote Work / Digital Nomad

Temporary stay visa for the exercise of a professional activity done remotely - "digital nomads"

Professorial activity

Temporary stay visa for scientific research, higher education professorial activity or highly qualified activity purposes for a period of less than a year.

Amateur sports activity

Temporary stay visa for amateur sports purposes

.Transfer of workers or service providers when the applicant has been working for over one year

Temporary stay visa for transfer of workers purposes for state parties to the WTO, for provision of services or professional training.

Investigation

Temporary stay visa for scientific research, higher education professorial activity or highly qualified activity purposes for a period of less than a year.

Is it necessary to apply for a work visa on a Portuguese embassy? Is there another way? The expression of interest in Portugal.

In Portugal, for some time, those who arrived without a Consular Visa and perhaps had the opportunity to receive a job offer or perform independent paid activity, needed to return to their country of origin to apply for an appropriate Visa.

One of the amendments of Law 23 /2007, or “Immigration Law”, the possibility of applying for a Residence Permit directly in Portugal for the purpose of remunerated activity began to be foreseen.

However, it was a right with subjective analysis, recognized as an exceptional measure. This means that the analysis of the process did not comply with objective criteria, but with the interpretation of the SEF agent, according to his own understanding of what would be necessary for the applicant to prove residence conditions.

After the aforementioned Law, which took place in 2018, the processes of what we know today as “Expression of Interest” became less bureaucratic and more objective.

Please check this article on out website.

How Can We Assist?

We provide a one-stop shop for all your needs in connection with your relocation to Portugal, including your residence permit, tax affairs, settling-in support.