Relocation plan: PortugalDo you need a visa?
No. An EU citizen (or a citizen of the EEA or Switzerland) can live and work in Portugal without a visa or work permit.
- If you stay more than 3 months, apply for the EU citizen registration certificate at the town hall (câmara municipal) where you live, within 30 days after the first 3 months. It is valid for 5 years (gov.pt).
Documents and where to get them
From your country
- ID card or passport, valid.
- European Health Insurance Card from your country, for the first weeks.
- Birth and marriage certificates: between EU countries, many need no apostille and can come with a multilingual form.
In Portugal
- NIF (tax number): requested from the tax office (gov.pt). Needed for the contract, the bank and renting.
- NISS (social security number): the employer needs it to register you; requested from Segurança Social.
- SNS user number: registration at the health centre where you live.
Step by step
Before you arrive
- Sign the contract and confirm in writing the gross annual salary, whether it is paid in 12 or 14 instalments, the start date and the relocation support.
- Find housing: rents in Lisbon and Porto have risen sharply; a deposit and rent in advance are usual.
- Ask the employer whether the job qualifies for the tax incentive for scientific research and innovation (IFICI) and check the conditions on the Portal das Finanças.
First week
- Get your NIF at the tax office.
- Open a bank account and get your NISS, if the employer has not done it.
First month
- Register at the health centre to get your SNS user number.
- If you will stay more than 3 months, prepare the registration certificate at the town hall.