Are you a foreigner and want to build a life in Portugal? In Catarina S.Gomes – Lawyers in Braga can find lawyers who will assist you with administrative procedures at SEF to obtain residency visas, residence permits, acquisition of Portuguese citizenship, among many other services.

O que é o SEF?

O Immigration and Borders Service (SEF) it is the body that controls the legalisation of foreigners in Portugal and, if you intend to live in Portugal, whether temporarily or permanently, you should consider contacting a lawyer.

Legalisation of foreigners and nationality

Immigration and nationality acquisition lawyers provide various legal services, such as:

• Document research at the District and Central Archives;
• Advice on the administrative procedure for a residence visa extension request;
• Advice on tax and social security matters – obtaining a Tax Identification Number (NIF) and Social Security Identification Number (NISS)
• Searching for documents at the Civil Registry Offices;
• Legal advice and consultancy throughout the process of attribution and acquisition of Portuguese nationality.
• Assistance in the management and processing of the entire administrative procedure for obtaining a residence permit from the Immigration and Borders Service (SEF):
  • Obtain a Residence Permit for Investment Activity (Golden Visa).;
  • Obtainment of Residence Permit for Entrepreneurial Immigrants (Startup Visa);
  • Obtaining a residence permit for the exercise of professional activity;
  • Obtaining a residence permit for research, study, professional internship, or volunteering;
  • Obtaining a residence permit for family reunification.;
  • Obtaining a residence permit for a holder of long-term resident status in another Member State of the European Union.;
  • Obtaining an EU Blue Card residence permit.

Are you looking for a solicitor with experience in the legalization of foreigners?

Contact us! We are located in Braga!

Visas

To enter Portugal, foreign nationals require a valid visa appropriate to the purpose of their stay in the country, with the exception of citizens from European Union Member States, who benefit from the right to free movement and residence, or nationals of countries that benefit from this exemption under international conventions to which Portugal is a party.

Four types of visas can be granted:

• Airport transit visa: allows its holder, when making an international connection, to pass through an airport in a Schengen Agreement State.
• Short-stay visa: issued for tourism, transit, visiting or accompanying family members, or seasonal work of less than 90 days, and may be used for one or more entries. Exempt for nationals of various countries such as Brazil, Venezuela and the United States of America.
• Temporary stay visa: allows entry and stay in Portugal for a period of less than one year for seasonal work for a period exceeding 90 days, or to engage in independent, scientific, highly qualified or amateur sports professional activity in national territory, for medical treatment or to accompany a family member, and to attend a vocational training or educational course.
• Residence visa: allows the foreign national to remain in Portugal for a period of four months, in order to apply for a residence permit.

Residence permit

The residence permit may only be granted for one of the legally designated purposes:

• Residence permit for the exercise of subordinate professional activity, requiring a work contract or a promise of a work contract;
• Residence permit for the pursuit of an independent professional activity or for immigrant entrepreneurs, requiring a written contract or proposal for the provision of services or the undertaking of investment operations;
• Residence permit for teaching, highly qualified, or cultural activity, requiring a work contract, a promise of a work contract, a service provision contract, or an invitation letter issued by the educational institution, the company carrying out a cultural activity, or the research centre.;
• Residence permit for highly qualified activity exercised by a subordinate worker, requiring the holder to have an employment contract or a promise of an employment contract with a remuneration of 1.5 times the national average gross annual salary;
• Residency visa for research, study, secondary school student exchange, internship, and voluntary work, requiring an employment contract, admission to a research centre or higher education institution, admission to an educational establishment, admission as an intern by a certified host entity, or a contract with entities responsible for a voluntary programme.;
• Residence permit for the purpose of family reunification.

Residence permit

To obtain residency authorisation, the applicant must:

• To hold a valid residence visa;
• Absence of any fact which should prevent the granting of the visa;
• To be on Portuguese territory;
• To own accommodation;
• Be registered with Social Security;
• Absence of a conviction for a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, according to Portuguese law;
• Among other aspects.

As well as the visa, a residence permit can also be granted for various purposes such as:

• Employment under a contract of employment;
• teaching activity, highly qualified or cultural;
• investment activity; investigation;
• Employee transferred within the company for long-term mobility;
• among others.

Long-term resident status

The long-term resident status grants equal treatment to Portuguese nationals in terms of professional activity, tax benefits, healthcare, freedom of access to all national territory, among others.

This statute is valid for five years and is automatically renewable.

To obtain this status, it is necessary to:

• To have legal and uninterrupted residence in national territory for the five years immediately preceding the lodging of the application;
• To have stable and regular resources that are sufficient for your own subsistence and that of your family members;
• To have accommodation;
• To have health insurance;
• To have knowledge of the Portuguese language;
• Do not compromise public safety.

Lawyers for Portuguese Citizenship

To obtain Portuguese citizenship, it can be quite useful to contact a lawyer, as they are present throughout the entire process, assisting the client.

Acquisition of Portuguese nationality

Portuguese nationality can be acquired by declaration of will, by operation of law, or by naturalisation.

By declaration of will, Portuguese nationality may be granted to:

• Minor or incapacitated children of a mother or father who acquires Portuguese nationality;
• Foreign national married for more than three years to a Portuguese national;
• Foreign national cohabiting with a Portuguese national in a de facto union (judicially recognised) for more than three years.

By operation of law, individuals fully adopted by a Portuguese national may already be Portuguese citizens.

Finally, and upon request, Portuguese nationality by naturalisation is granted:

• To foreigners of legal age who, cumulatively, reside legally in Portuguese territory for at least five years and who have a sufficient knowledge of the Portuguese language.
• To foreign minors, born on national territory, children of foreigners, provided that one of their parents has been resident in Portugal, regardless of the title, for at least the five years immediately preceding registration, or that the minor has completed at least one cycle of basic or secondary education in Portuguese territory;
• To foreigners of legal age born on Portuguese territory, children of a foreigner who, at the time of birth, regardless of title, had residence in Portugal, when they reside in national territory, regardless of title, for at least five years;
• To individuals over the age of majority who have had Portuguese nationality;
• To members of communities of Portuguese descent;
• To the ascendants of Portuguese citizens by origin;
• To the descendants of Portuguese people;
• To the descendants of Portuguese Sephardic Jews.

 

Here at Catarina S. Gomes – Lawyers in Braga, we have a team of lawyers for Portuguese citizenship!