Family Reunion Visa

Portugal’s family reunion regime allows foreign residents who hold a valid residence permit to bring certain family members to live with them legally in Portugal. This framework ensures that individuals relocating to Portugal for work, investment, study, or other purposes can maintain family unity while residing in the country.

Eligible family members may include spouses or partners, minor or dependent children, and in certain situations dependent parents or other relatives, subject to the conditions established under Portuguese immigration law.

Important Legal Update – Transitional Rule Until April 2026

Portugal’s immigration framework was updated through Law No. 61/2025, which entered into force on 23 October 2025, introducing stricter requirements for family reunification applications.

Under the new rules, most residence visas must now be obtained through Portuguese consulates abroad, and family reunification generally requires the main applicant to have at least two years of legal residence in Portugal, with some exceptions.

However, the law also created a temporary transitional period.

Until April 2026, family members who entered Portugal legally and are already present in the country may still submit their family reunification residence permit application from within Portugal.

This transitional measure provides an important opportunity for families already in Portugal to regularise their residence status before the deadline.

At any time after having been granted a Portugal residence permit, the main applicant may apply for residence permits for the following family members, afforded by Portuguese law and the Portugal family reunion visa requirements and rules.

For family members of non-EU residents (such as those holding D1, D2, D3, D4, D7, or D8 residence visas), the following individuals are eligible to apply:

• The spouse or civil partner
• Minor or dependent children, including adopted children
• Dependents over 18, as long as they are unmarried and enrolled as full-time students in Portugal (or in any other country in the case of the Golden Visa)
• Dependent parents of either spouse or partner
• Under-18-year-old siblings of either spouse or partner if legally under their supervision

For family members of Portuguese or EU citizens residing in Portugal (who apply for an Article 15 Residency Card), the eligible categories are slightly broader and include:

• The spouse or life partner. While spouses have no minimum relationship duration requirement, life partners must provide proof of at least two years of cohabitation, duly certified by a competent authority from their former country of residence.
• Direct descendants (such as children) who are under 21 years of age.
• Direct descendants over 21 years of age, provided they are financially dependent on the Portuguese or EU citizen. This eligibility also extends to the descendants of the spouse or life partner.
• Direct ascendants (such as parents), as long as they are financially dependent on the citizen or on their spouse/life partner.
• Other family members in specific circumstances, such as when it is duly proven that they are dependent on the citizen, share the same household, or have serious health conditions that strictly require the citizen's personal care and assistance

Under existing law in Portugal, criteria and documentation will need to be met in order to prove the stability and quality of a partner looking to join a Portuguese resident. If these criteria are not met, the family reunion visa will not be issued for partners and all subsequent dependents.

The reunification of an under-aged or dependent incapable child of only one of the spouses must be authorised by the other parent or by the official body that decreed the custody of the child by the applicant parent.

Those who were granted a residence permit on the basis of study, internships or voluntary work may only apply for the Portuguese family reunion visa for the spouse, partner and under-aged or other dependent children.

The following documents must be submitted with the application for a family reunion visa in Portugal:

• Passport having a minimum validity of 6 months;
• Criminal record certificate (or Police clearance letter), except for those under 16 years of age and for the family members of an EU/EEA/Swiss citizen;
• Residence permit card of the main applicant, except in the case of the Golden Visa;
• Portugal taxpayer identification number;
• Certificate of no debts to the Portuguese State;
• Certificate of residence issued by the local parish (Junta de Freguesia), except in the case of the Golden Visa;
• Health insurance policy valid in Portugal (or Portuguese National Health Service card, except in the case of the Golden Visa);
• For the spouse of the main applicant, a marriage certificate; or, for the cohabitant or “common law spouse” who has been so for over 2 years, an attestation of this status issued by an official entity, such as a court of law;
• For each child, a birth certificate and, if over 18 years old and unmarried, a marital status certificate and proof of enrolment as a full-time student (at a Portuguese education institution, except in the case of the Golden Visa);
• For each dependent parent, the main applicant's (or the spouse's) birth certificate plus, if under 65 years old, a certificate of no income issued by the tax authority of the country of origin.

The permanent or temporary resident of Portugal may also be required to provide documentation of sufficient funds to support the applicants. The Portuguese resident will also be responsible for providing accommodation for family members.

Except for the passport, in order to be accepted by the Portuguese authorities each foreign-issued document has to be legalised and, if it is not in Portuguese, translated into Portuguese by means of a certified translation.