Moving to Portugal – an overview for newcomers

• EU, EEA and Swiss citizens can move without a visa. If you stay more than three months, register at your town hall for the EU registration certificate (CRUE) within 30 days after the first three months. See Living in Portugal as an EU citizen.
• Everyone else usually needs a residence visa from a Portuguese consulate before moving — for work, highly qualified work, studies, retirement or passive income (often called D7), remote work for employers or clients abroad (often called D8), or family reunification. The visa is valid for four months; in that time you apply to AIMA for a residence permit. Visa-free entry to the Schengen area does not allow you to settle. See Visas and residence permits in Portugal.

• NIF – tax number from Finanças: needed for leases, bank accounts, contracts and phone plans. Many people get it before or right after arrival.
• NISS – social security number: needed if you work or claim benefits; employers can request it for you.
• SNS user number – for the National Health Service, created at your first visit to a public health unit.

Foreign residents with a regular status can request all three together at some Citizen Spaces. See Getting your NIF and NISS and Using Portugal's National Health Service.

Open a Portuguese bank account once you have a NIF; every bank must offer a basic banking services account, capped at €5.37 a year in 2026. The guaranteed minimum wage is €920 a month in 2026, and residence visas use it as the reference for means of subsistence. When you become tax resident, update your NIF address within 60 days; the yearly income tax return is due between 1 April and 30 June. See Opening a bank account and Income tax in Portugal.

Rents in Lisbon are the highest in the country (median of €17.42 per m² for new leases in the first quarter of 2026, INE data reported by ECO). Leases must be in writing; under the law in force in October 2026, deposits and advance rent are each capped at two months, but a reform was being discussed in Parliament. See Finding a flat to rent in Lisbon and Tenant rights in Portugal.

Residents use the SNS: register at the health centre for your address and ask for a family doctor. Call SNS 24 (808 24 24 24) when you feel ill and 112 in emergencies. Non-EU newcomers need travel or health insurance for the visa and first months.

Register with the public employment service IEFP if you are looking for work, and check whether your profession is regulated. Employees have at least 22 working days of paid leave and receive holiday and Christmas allowances. See Looking for a job and Your rights as an employee.

Free Português Língua de Acolhimento courses are available to migrants; an A2 certificate later counts for permanent residence and nationality. See Learning Portuguese.

Schooling is compulsory from 6 to 18 and free in public schools; foreign school records need equivalence before enrolment. Creche places are free for children up to three in the Creche Feliz network. See Moving with children.

1. Choose your residence route and gather documents (apostilled certificates, criminal record, proof of income).
2. Get a NIF, then apply for the visa (non-EU) and book temporary accommodation.
3. In the first weeks: bank account, transport pass, NISS, SNS number, long-term flat.
4. Within the visa's validity: AIMA appointment (non-EU) or, after three months, CRUE at the town hall (EU).
5. Within 60 days of becoming resident: update your NIF address.
6. Over the first year: Portuguese course, family doctor, first tax return.