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Relocation plan: Portugal

For the vacancy Talent Acquisition Partner at GoCardless. See the vacancy

Reviewed in November 2026. General information, not legal or tax advice: confirm on the official pages linked here before you decide.

Your citizenship
The vacancy does not state an annual salary in EUR; enter the offer you have or expect.

How much you take home

Enter a gross annual salary above to see an estimate of the net pay.

Do you need a visa?

Yes. To work as an employee, you apply for a residence visa at the Portuguese consulate in the country where you live. For tech, the most common routes are:

  • Visa for highly qualified activity, with a contract or a promise of contract.
  • EU Blue Card, for highly qualified jobs with the minimum salary set by law.
  • Visa for employed work, for other jobs.
  1. The residence visa lets you enter and stay for 120 days.
  2. During that time, you apply for the residence permit at AIMA (the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum).

Visa portal: types of visa

Documents and where to get them

From your country

  • ID card or passport, valid.
  • Criminal record certificate from your country of nationality and wherever you lived in the last year, usually with an apostille or legalisation.
  • Degree and certificates, with an apostille or legalisation and a translation, if the consulate asks.
  • Contract or promise of contract and proof of accommodation.

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

  1. 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.
  2. Apply for the visa at the Portuguese consulate with the contract and documents.
  3. Find housing: rents in Lisbon and Porto have risen sharply; a deposit and rent in advance are usual.
  4. 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

  1. Get your NIF at the tax office.
  2. Open a bank account and get your NISS, if the employer has not done it.

First month

  1. Register at the health centre to get your SNS user number.
  2. Book and file your residence permit application at AIMA, within the visa's 120 days.