Family Reunion Visa

Family reunion visas have a variety of requirements, depending on where you are attempting to move from and the original nationality of the individual you are attempting to join in Portugal. Belion Partners are experts at obtaining visas for investors and their families.

A family reunification or family reunion visa application will need to be presented in person by the applicant in their country of residence. A family reunification or reunion visa is valid for two years for all successful applicants. In most cases, individuals will be eligible for another means of residency or citizenship before the two years are up.

Children who are family reunion visa holders are typically eligible for permanent residency. This means children will become entitled to the same employment, education, healthcare, tax and welfare benefits in Portugal as citizens. 

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:

• A spouse or partner
• Children under 18
• 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

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.

Please note, 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.