Immigration 18 July 2026

ETIAS is slipping to 2027 — and Europe's border chaos is why

ETIAS is unlikely to launch in 2026: eu-LISA admits the timeline no longer works and Brussels won't commit to a date. What it means for visa-exempt travellers to Portugal.

If you have been counting down to ETIAS, you can stand down: Europe’s new travel authorisation is now unlikely to launch this year. eu-LISA, the agency building the system, has acknowledged that a fourth-quarter 2026 start is no longer feasible, and the European Commission is refusing to commit to a new date — which in practice pushes ETIAS into 2027. Officially, the calendar only changes when Brussels says so; until then, late 2026 remains the date on paper, though few still believe it.

Why has ETIAS been delayed?

Blame the system next door. ETIAS depends on the EES, the biometric entry-exit system that replaced passport stamping — and whose rollout caused serious queues and delays at European borders this summer. Until the EES runs without hiccups, plugging another system on top is asking for trouble, and Brussels has chosen to ease off the accelerator.

Do I need ETIAS to visit Portugal?

No — not yet, and that is the practical good news. Visa-exempt travellers, including Americans, Britons and Brazilians, keep entering exactly as before, with no pre-authorisation and no fee. Once it does launch, ETIAS will be a one-off electronic authorisation valid for three years, with a grace period of around six months before it becomes strictly mandatory. The official word lives on the EU’s travel portal.

If family are planning to visit you in Portugal in 2026, the summary is short: a valid passport is enough. The rest can wait until next year — probably.

By Juliana Castilho

Image: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)

Immigration 18 July 2026

Emigrant families get priority places at Portuguese universities — but the special deadline is July 27

Portugal's priority quota for emigrants, their families and Portuguese descendants in university admissions closes on July 27, before the general August 6 deadline. Who qualifies and how it works.

If your family lives outside Portugal and there's a teenager dreaming of a Portuguese university, this year's calendar hides a friendly trap: the priority quota for emigrants closes on July 27 — ten days before the general first-phase deadline of August 6. It's a reserved share of places within the National Access Competition (Concurso Nacional de Acesso) for Portuguese emigrants, family members living with them, and Portuguese descendants — a way of…

Immigration 17 July 2026

Married to a Portuguese citizen? How residency and nationality actually work in 2026

Marriage or a civil partnership with a Portuguese citizen opens the door to residency (via AIMA) and to nationality after 3 years — but the 2026 law raised the bar. The full guide.

Yes — marrying or living in a recognised partnership (união de facto) with a Portuguese citizen is still one of the most direct routes to legal residency and, later, to nationality. But they are two separate processes, handled by two separate institutions, and the nationality law that took effect in 2026 made the second one stricter. Let's take it step by step. The foreign spouse or partner of a Portuguese citizen applies for residency through family…

Immigration 17 July 2026

Portugal's Equality Statute gives Brazilians near-citizen rights — and applying costs nothing

The Equality Statute lets Brazilian citizens legally resident in Portugal live with rights equivalent to Portuguese nationals. Who qualifies, how to apply and how long it takes — the 2026 guide.

The Equality Statute (Estatuto de Igualdade de Direitos e Deveres) lets any adult Brazilian citizen legally resident in Portugal live with rights and duties equivalent to a Portuguese national's — and applying is free. It's one of the most generous mechanisms in Portuguese immigration law, and still one of the least known: plenty of people live here for years without hearing of it. The foundation is the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Consultation…

Immigration 17 July 2026

The EU Blue Card is Portugal's door for skilled workers — the 2026 guide

The EU Blue Card is the residence permit for highly qualified workers in Portugal: it requires a contract of at least six months and a salary of 1.5 times the national gross average (1.2 for shortage professions). Here's how it works, who qualifies and what rights it gives.

The EU Blue Card is Europe's residence permit for highly qualified workers from outside the Union — and with Portugal having tightened its entry routes for work without a contract, it has become one of the most solid paths for professionals with higher education or specialised experience. The short answer: you need a contract (or binding job offer) of at least six months for a highly qualified role, paying at least 1.5 times the national average gross…

Immigration 16 July 2026

Your child was born in Portugal — are they Portuguese? The rules for minors after the 2026 law

Since 19 May 2026, a baby born in Portugal to foreign parents is only Portuguese at birth if one parent has been legally resident for at least five years. For minors already born, naturalisation requires five years of parental residence plus school attendance.

Short answer: being born in Portugal is not enough. Since 19 May 2026, a baby born to foreign parents is only Portuguese at birth if, at that moment, one parent has been legally resident in the country for at least five years — triple what the previous law required in some cases, and one of the highest-impact changes in the new nationality law. The rule applies to births from the law's entry into force. Children born earlier fall under the regime in place…

Immigration 16 July 2026

Temporary protection for Ukrainians now runs to March 2028 — but not everyone can apply anymore

EU member states agreed to extend temporary protection for people fleeing Ukraine until 4 March 2028. Current beneficiaries keep everything; new applications from men aged 23-60 with pending military obligations are excluded.

Anyone who fled the war in Ukraine and now lives in the European Union can breathe a little easier: temporary protection has been extended until 4 March 2028. Member states sealed the decision this week, covering the roughly 4.38 million people who held the status at the end of May. For those already here — including Ukrainians settled in Portugal — the essentials stay the same: the status rolls over, with the access to residence, work, healthcare and…

Immigration 16 July 2026

AIMA tracker: deadlines, backlog and updates

A running tracker of AIMA — case backlog, renewal deadlines, biometrics, golden visa and service changes. Updated whenever there is news.

If you are dealing with residence or nationality, this is the page to bookmark. Instead of one article per announcement, we gather the essentials of AIMA here: case backlog, renewal deadlines, biometrics, golden visa and service changes. For the citizenship rules, see the new nationality law. Official information is at AIMA. For investors, the dust from the new nationality law has settled with an important clarification: the golden visa remains in force…

Couple loading suitcases into a car boot

Immigration 16 July 2026

Bring your car to Portugal without paying ISV — the 2026 guide to the residence-transfer exemption

Moving to Portugal? You can import your car with a full ISV tax exemption: at least 6 months living abroad, 6 months owning the vehicle, and a 12-month window to apply. Here's the step-by-step for 2026.

Yes, you can bring your car to Portugal without paying ISV, the vehicle tax — and the saving can run to several thousand euros. The residence-transfer exemption exists precisely for people moving to Portugal who want to keep the car they already drove abroad. But it comes with strict rules, unforgiving deadlines and the odd trap along the way. Here's the full guide. According to the official service page on gov.pt, the exemption applies if you meet all of…

Immigration 15 July 2026

Your NISS now comes automatically at AIMA, so that's one queue gone

From late July 2026, anyone regularising their immigration status at AIMA gets their Portuguese social security number (NISS) issued in real time — no separate trip to request it and another to collect it.

If you go to AIMA to regularise your status from the end of this month, you'll walk out with your social security number already assigned, without having to go anywhere else to ask for it. It's one of those changes that makes no headlines and changes a lot of lives. Until now the NISS was a separate errand. You had to go to a Segurança Social desk to request the number, wait, then go back a second time to collect it — all before you could close your file…

Immigration 14 July 2026

Permanent residence for EU citizens: AIMA's new portal is now open

Since 1 July 2026, EU citizens and their families can apply for a permanent residence certificate or card in Portugal through AIMA's Renewal Portal. Full guide.

If you are a citizen of another European Union country and have lived in Portugal for a few years, here is something that concerns you: since 1 July 2026, you can apply for permanent residence directly online, through AIMA's Renewal Portal. No more booking an in-person appointment just for this step. As a rule, any citizen of an EU member state (and of the European Economic Area) who has lived legally in Portugal for five consecutive years is entitled to…

Senior couple looking out at the sea, illustrative image

Immigration 12 July 2026

D7 visa Portugal: how much passive income you need in 2026 — the full guide

Portugal's D7 visa requires proven passive income of at least 920 euros a month in 2026 — the minimum wage. Pensions, rents and dividends count. Step-by-step guide.

Portugal's D7 visa requires, in 2026, proven passive income of at least 920 euros per month — the equivalent of the Portuguese national minimum wage. This is the country's door for retirees and for anyone living off rents, dividends, interest or royalties: you prove the income, apply at the consulate in your country of residence and, once in Portugal, convert it all into a residence permit. It sounds simple, and the logic really is that simple — but the…

Immigration 12 July 2026

School enrolment in Portugal 2026/27: a guide for newly arrived families

How to enrol your children in Portuguese public school: July deadlines, the Portal das Matrículas, documents, and every child's right to a school place.

If you have just arrived in Portugal with school-age children, here is the short answer: enrolment for the 2026/27 school year is done online through the Portal das Matrículas, several July deadlines are still open, and every child has the right to attend Portuguese public school — regardless of the family's documentation status. The calendar, set by government dispatch 4472-A/2026, staggers applications by school year. The main windows for pre-school and…

Business owner at the counter of a small shop

Immigration 12 July 2026

D2 visa Portugal: the 2026 guide to starting a business and moving over

Portugal's D2 visa is the route for entrepreneurs and freelancers who want to live in Portugal. Business plan, around €11,000 in personal funds and a consulate application: the numbers and steps for 2026.

The short answer: the D2 is Portugal's residence visa for people who want to live here on the back of their own business — starting a company, moving an existing one over, or working as an independent professional — and you apply at the Portuguese consulate (or VFS centre) in the country where you live, armed with a credible business plan and proof you can support yourself. There is no fixed minimum investment in the law; there is a project that has to…

Immigration 11 July 2026

Portugal is now the EU's 9th most populous country: INE revision counts 11.4 million residents

Portugal has risen to ninth most populous country in the EU, with 11,424,031 residents at the end of 2025, after the INE revised its estimates and fully counted 1.6 million foreign residents.

Portugal has 11,424,031 inhabitants and is now the ninth most populous country in the European Union, climbing one place in a year. The figure comes from the resident-population estimates for 31 December 2025, published by the INE statistics office with a deep revision of the series back to 2021 — one that finally counts in full the roughly 1.6 million foreigners living in the country. More than anyone thought. The new estimates point to 11,424,031…