Do you need a visa?
With a passport from outside the European Union, the visa comes first and is filed at the consulate before you travel. Everything else follows from it.
| Your passport | To enter and study |
|---|---|
| Passport of the European Union, the European Economic Area, Switzerland or Andorra | No visa. After 3 months in Portugal you register at the town hall, within 30 days, and you receive a registration certificate.AIMA — Registration certificate for EU citizens; gov.pt — Request the registration certificate for an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen |
| Any other passport | A residence visa for studies from the Portuguese consulate before you travel: valid 4 months, 2 entries, a decision within 60 days.Law 23/2007 on foreigners, consolidated text (articles 52-A, 57-A, 58, 87-A, 91, 91-A, 96, 97); Portuguese consular portal — Documents for a residence visa |
| Passport of a Portuguese-speaking country | The residence visa remains the way in. The consular portal has its own page of documents for these nationals, and the means are waived once you are admitted to higher education.Portuguese consular portal — Documents for a CPLP visa; Portuguese consular portal — Documents for a residence visa |
Since 11 September 2026, Lei 62/2026 has removed the right of a higher-education student who entered Portugal without a residence visa to apply for the permit on site. The visa is taken at the consulate before you leave, so your admission must come before the consular deadlines.
Law 62/2026 — amendment of the foreigners law (Diário da República)
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No page read gives a list of countries exempt from the study visa, nor a national amount of means for a student. A consulate delay of 45 days quoted by some posts is not found at the source. No national medical examination requirement was found for the study visa.
The residence permit
The visa lets you enter. The permit is then issued by AIMA, the agency for migration and asylum.
- Validity
- 3 years
- Law 23/2007 on foreigners, consolidated text (articles 52-A, 57-A, 58, 87-A, 91, 91-A, 96, 97)
- or the length of the course if it is shorter
- Decision
- within 60 days
- Law 23/2007 on foreigners, consolidated text (articles 52-A, 57-A, 58, 87-A, 91, 91-A, 96, 97)
- higher-education students
If you study in another EU state first and move here, tell AIMA at least 30 days before: you may stay up to 360 days, and AIMA can object within 30 days of your notice.
Law 23/2007 on foreigners, consolidated text (articles 52-A, 57-A, 58, 87-A, 91, 91-A, 96, 97)
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The AIMA scale for 2026 is not read on an official page: the base text sets €121.95 to receive and analyse and €104.82 for a temporary permit, updated each 1 March, and two third-party sites give different values for the issue of the permit. The number of days to file after you enter is not found either.
Getting a place
There is no single national application for an international student. You apply to each institution.
- Special competition
- once a year, at each institution
- University of Porto — Special competition for international students
- bachelor’s and integrated master’s degrees
- Not eligible
- EU and EEA nationals
- Decree-Law 36/2014 — Status of the international student (Diário da República)
- and their family members, and some long-term residents
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The calendar of the next intake of the special competition, the list of establishments recognised under article 91-B and the official registers of Portuguese exam centres are not published in a readable form. The DGES charges €32.20 for its recognition route, read on a single page.
From place to permit
- Choose the institution and the programme
- Apply to the special competition
- Get your qualification recognised
- Prove admission, means and insurance
- Prepare the visa documents
- File the visa application
- Get your NIF
- Apply for the residence permit
- Register at the town hall
- Get your health service number
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No official page read gives the total time from admission to the permit in hand.
Costs
Public universities set their own fees, at least the legal maximum of the cycle for a student from outside the EU. The visa fee comes on top.
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The certificate fee of €15 for EU citizens is read on one page and not cross-checked. No official page read gives the cost of the apostille, translations or insurance, so no amount is shown for them.
The Camões scholarship
The Portuguese state funds bachelor’s students from a short list of countries. The application is made in your home country.
- Countries
- Angola, Cape Verde, Colombia, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Timor-Leste
- Camões Institute — Cooperation scholarships for studies in Portugal
- Where to apply
- in your home country only
- Camões Institute — Cooperation scholarships for studies in Portugal
- renewal is yearly
A scholarship holder has a lighter visa file: the consular portal lists the case.
Source: Portuguese consular portal — Documents for a residence visa
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Other levels and other public scholarships are not covered by the page read.
Health
| Your situation | Cover |
|---|---|
| Residence visa, before you leave | The visa asks for a travel insurance, and a health insurance or equivalent for the planned stay. A student admitted to an institution approved under article 91 is exempt.Law 23/2007 on foreigners, consolidated text (articles 52-A, 57-A, 58, 87-A, 91, 91-A, 96, 97) |
Not verified
Without a valid permit, care is charged to you except vaccination, maternal health and minors. The official page for this rule is not cited here.
Working while you study
- Work alongside studies
- allowed
- Law 23/2007 on foreigners, consolidated text (articles 52-A, 57-A, 58, 87-A, 91, 91-A, 96, 97)
- salaried or self-employed
- Weekly hours
- no cap in the text
- Law 23/2007 on foreigners, consolidated text (articles 52-A, 57-A, 58, 87-A, 91, 91-A, 96, 97)
Not verified
Any limit your institution sets is not covered by the text read.
The companies and registers for your file
For each need of your file: the official rule, the register that lists the approved providers, and the companies that serve students.
After the degree
After a higher-education degree, the law gives you a way to stay in Portugal without a new visa, to work or to look for work for up to 12 months.
| Your situation | What comes next |
|---|---|
| During your course | The permit is valid 3 years, or the length of the course if shorter.Law 23/2007 on foreigners, consolidated text (articles 52-A, 57-A, 58, 87-A, 91, 91-A, 96, 97) |
| You finished a master’s or a doctorate | A residence permit without a new visa, for up to 12 months to look for work or set up a company in line with your qualifications. AIMA asks for a valid passport, proof of address and of means, a criminal record and the institution’s statement that you finished.Law 23/2007 on foreigners, consolidated text (articles 52-A, 57-A, 58, 87-A, 91, 91-A, 96, 97); AIMA — Permit after a master’s, a doctorate or research (art. 122, n.º 1, p) |
Not verified
The law speaks of studies at a higher-education institution, while the AIMA page on the search period names master’s and doctorate graduates: after a bachelor’s without a job, ask AIMA which route applies. The fee of these permits is not read.