Are you a highly qualified expert in your field and seeking to obtain residency in Portugal based on your skills and qualifications? If so, the Portuguese D3 Visa category could be an excellent option to consider.
Find out more about this visa category for qualified professionals below, and also learn more about:
- The HQA Visa Program, a low-input, concierge style business incubator program that leverages the D3 Visa category.
- The Portugal Global Talent Residency Program, another option that also leverages the D3 Visa category.
Crucially, both of these programs offer the fastest route to a Golden Visa equivalent residency in Portugal — for only around 25% of the total capital layout associated with a standard Golden Visa (the latter being priced at €500,000, excluding fees, registration costs, maintenance and management fees, etc.)
These D3 based programs typically see applicants approved within 30-60 days, whereas the Golden Visa process is currently taking as long as three years (or longer) to get to the biometrics appointment stage.
Let’s get into the details below…
The Portuguese D3 Visa at a glance
The D3 Visa is a priority settlement visa aimed at attracting highly qualified professionals to the Portuguese territory. The visa category offers fast-track processing and a clear path to obtaining either the EU Blue Card, Portuguese permanent residency, and/or Portuguese citizenship — without the hassles and delays typically associated with the country’s regular employment based visa category (the D1 Visa).
The D3 Visa comes in two “flavors”:
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For “Subordinate” Highly Qualified Activities, i.e. for suitably qualified applicants who will be employed by a Portuguese company or institution – i.e. for the Portugal Global Talent Residency Program.
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For Non-subordinate Professorial Activities, Highly Qualified Activities, and Cultural Activities, i.e. for HQA Visa Program participants. (More details on how the HQA Program meets the relevant requirements below.)
The D3 Visa is ideal for suitable skilled and qualified applicants who already have either an employment contract, or a formal offer of employment, in Portugal. It is also an excellent option for candidates seeking to conduct Highly Qualified Activities, as stipulated by the relevant legislation.
The requirements for the D3 Visa category can also be met through participation in the Highly Qualified Activity (HQA) Visa Program and the Portugal Global Talent Program, which we discuss in more detail below.
Key program benefits
FASTEST PORTUGUESE RESIDENCY:
Issuing D3 Visas is a priority for the Portuguese government. Consequently, its legislation requires that all D3 Visa applications are processed within 30 days. In practice, this means that you can obtain your D3 Visa within 6 days, and obtain Portuguese residency permits for you and your family within approximately 4 months.
SCHENGEN VISA FREE TRAVEL:
As a Portuguese resident, you’ll enjoy the ability to travel to the other EU Member States, visa-free, for up to 90 out of every consecutive 180 days. You won’t even need to present your current passport to do so; only carrying your Portuguese national ID card will suffice.
FULL FAMILY ELIGIBILITY:
The D3 Visa affords such applicants the opportunity to obtain Portuguese residency status for their spouse, minor children, adult dependent children (provided that they are single and studying full time at a Portuguese learning institution), as well as their elderly dependent parents.
EU BLUE CARD ELIGIBILITY:
Once your D3 Visa has been granted, and you’ve held legal residency status in Portugal for a period of 18 months, you can become eligible to apply for the EU Blue Card. Obtaining the Blue Card will enable you to relocate, along with your family, to any other EU Member State for the purposes of exercising a highly qualified activity.
FAST PATH TO CITIZENSHIP:
Portugal offers the fastest path to EU citizenship through naturalization; after only 5 years. In contrast, you will have to hold legal residency status for 7 years or more in Greece, and 10 years or more in Spain (unless your country of origin is in Spanish speaking Latin America, or a handful of other countries).
PUBLIC HEALTHCARE ACCESS:
Once you and your family become Portuguese residents, you can access the country’s healthcare service as any other resident or citizen would, subject to registration. Up until that point, however, you will be required to purchase comprehensive health insurance without any co-payments or holding periods for coverage.
NO PROPERTY INVESTMENT:
Unlike with the Golden Visa Program, no property investment is required to obtain the D3 Visa. If you opt to go for the “subordinate” Highly Qualified Activity route, aka by taking up specialized professional employment, you won’t need to make an investment at all. (However, with the non-subordinate route, aka via the HQA Visa Program, you’ll be required to invest €175,000.)
BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP:
EU citizenship is one of the greatest gifts you can give your children. If you have a child after holding legal residency in Portugal for at least 12 months, they will automatically become Portuguese citizens at birth.
Legal basis and key requirements
Article 61 of Portugal’s Immigration Act (REPSAE) serves as the legal basis for the Portuguese D3 Visa, as well as for the HQA Visa, which is essentially a “packaged” version thereof.
Subordinate Highly Qualified Activities (art. 61.º-A): For suitably qualified employees / those with a job offer.
For suitable qualified and experienced employment-based applicants, the key requirements for the D3 Visa are summarized below:
You must have:
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A valid employment contract or formal job offer, which must be valid for a minimum period of 12 months, and pay a salary that is at least 1.5X the Portuguese annual minimum gross salary, or 3X the indexed value of social welfare support (IAS).
(In 2021, the minimum monthly wage in Portugal is €665, so you’ll have to earn at least €997,50 per month. Given that the current minimum annual wage in Portugal is €7,980, you’ll therefore have to earn at least €11,970 annually. However, for professions where Portugal is suffering from a shortage of specialized foreign labour, this income requirement can be dropped to only 1.2X of the minimum wage, or 2X the indexed value of social welfare support. In such instances, you’ll be required to earn a minimum of only €798+ per month, or €9,576+ per year.) -
A professional certificate, where required, for regulated, highly qualified professions, as stipulated by Law n.º 9/2009, 4 March, or by specific legislation governing the recognition of professional qualifications necessary for the specific professional role you’ll be hired for, as clearly outlined in the employment contract or formal job offer;
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In the case that you’ll be working in an unregulated profession, you’ll require a professional certificate, deemed to be adequate for the field of work or sector in which you’ll be employed, as outlined in your employment contract or the formal job offer, for professional activities in the first and second international category types (CITP) groups, as stipulated by the Council of Ministers, and following the opinion of the Permanent Commission for Social Harmonization (CPCS).
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Proof of means of subsistence, in the form of your employment contract or formal job offer. (Proof of means of subsistence can be made through a statement of responsibility signed by the employee’s hosting entity.)
Professorial Activities, Highly Qualified Activities, and Cultural Activities (art. 61.º): For HQA Visa Program applicants.
You must have:
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A work contract, job offer or service provider contract; OR,
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An invitation letter issued by a higher education institution or professional training institution; OR,
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A statement of responsibility provided by a certified company as stipulated by law; OR,
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An invitation letter issued by a company or institute developing a relevant cultural activity, in the Portuguese territory, recognized by the government agency responsible for cultural activities, or as stipulated by law; OR,
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An invitation letter issued by a research center;
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To determine means of subsistence, your means obtained through a work contract or formal job offer should be taken into consideration. Proof of means of subsistence can be made through a statement of responsibility signed by the hosting entity that will be hosting you.
Under the relevant European law, professionals holding the following qualifications and positions are eligible to apply for the Portuguese D3 Visa:
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Applicants holding management positions: This category includes senior executives, senior public administration officers, legislators, senior directors, senior administrative and commercial managers; senior services managers, company directors, etc.
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Subject matter experts in intellectual and scientific activities: This category includes scientists, engineers, health professionals, professors, senior legal professionals, advanced level teachers, business and management professionals, information and communications technology professionals as well as cultural professionals, etc.