Family & Spouse Visas in Portugal
Sponsoring a partner, children, or parents
Family reunification is a legal right for legal residents, extends further than in most of Europe — to parents and to adult children in education — and the reunited family member receives a permit with the same validity as the sponsor's.
| Who qualifies | Spouse, partner, minor children, dependent parents, adult children in education |
| Sponsor requirement | Legal residence, accommodation, and means of support |
| Right of appeal | Yes, refusals may be appealed |
| Work rights | The reunited family member may work |
Who can be brought
- A spouse or a legally recognised unmarried partner.
- Minor children of either partner, including adopted children.
- Adult children who are dependent and in education.
- Parents of the sponsor or the spouse, where they are dependent — a genuinely broad provision that most European countries do not offer.
- Minor siblings under the sponsor's guardianship.
How it is applied for
The sponsor files in Portugal with AIMA; the family member may in parallel apply for a family reunification visa at the consulate. Approval of the reunification generates instructions for the consulate to issue the visa.
Documents must be legalised or apostilled and translated into Portuguese. Marriage and birth certificates issued more than six months earlier are frequently rejected as stale, so order fresh copies late in the process rather than early.
Family of EU citizens
If your sponsor is an EU citizen exercising free movement rights in Portugal rather than a non-EU resident, a different and considerably lighter regime applies. Do not follow the third-country national procedure in that case.
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Official sources
Checked against these pages in September 2026. Fees and processing times change without notice — confirm before you act.