Visa for accompanying family members
The Family Accompaniment Visa is for family members who wish to accompany the person requesting the main visa to Portugal, to live there with them.
Requirements
What are the requirements to obtain this visa?
As with other residence visas, the general requirements are:
- Official Form, duly filled out and signed;
- Two passport photos;
- Valid travel insurance;
- Criminal record;
- Request for Portuguese criminal record;
- Proof of accommodation;
- Proof of means of subsistence;
- Simulation of flight itinerary;
- Personal statement;
As well as the specific requirements for this type of visa:
- Proof of family ties to the main applicant.
About the Family Accompaniment Visa
The visa for accompanying family members is a national residence visa, which allows the bearer to enter Portugal and request the corresponding Residence Permit.
This visa must be applied for in the Portuguese Consulate in the applicant’s country of legal residence, or in the country of the applicant’s origin, in certain cases.
The legal deadline for the Consulate to decide about the concession of the visa application is 60 business days, and it should cost around 90€, although additional fees may apply in jurisdictions where the Portuguese Government has engaged a visa provider service (e.g., VFS or BLS).
Once the visa has been obtained, the bearer should enter Portugal and attend an appointment at the Foreigners and Borders Service (AIMA, formerly SEF), which normally occurs within the 4 month validity of the visa, in order to request the corresponding residence permit.
The first residence permit is valid for 2 years and renewable for three years at a time. The holder of this residence permit should aim to actually move to and reside in Portugal, and therefore the minimum stay limits reflect this: the bearer should not be absent from Portugal for more than 6 months consecutively or 8 months non-consecutively within the validity of the card. Longer absences may be permitted if previously justified to AIMA, and if the applicant can prove that the absence is due to a professional or business activities or activities of a cultural or social nature.
Advantages and Benefits
The residence permit allows the bearer access to the following advantages and benefits:
- Allows the bearer to work in Portugal, either as a self-employed worker/freelancer or as an employee for another entity;
- Access to healthcare;
- Access to education;
- Visa-free entry and circulation throughout Schengen area;
- Access to either the Permanent Residence Permit or Portuguese Nationality after 5 years.
Family members who are entitled to family reunification with the main applicant include:
- Spouses (including same-sex spouses, as same-sex marriage is recognised and legal in Portugal);
- A person with whom the foreign resident citizen has a civil union, duly proved under the law, in Portugal or in other country;
- Minor children or children with disabilities over the age of 18, who are under care of the applicant and/or of their spouse or partner;
- Minor children adopted by the applicant and/or by their spouse, as per a legally enforceable decision by the competent authority of the country of origin, on the condition that the country of origin’s laws attribute identical rights and duties akin to natural parenthood to the adoption and as long as the decision is recognised in Portugal;
- Adult children who are financially dependent on the applicant and/or their spouse, on the condition that they are single and study in a teaching establishment in Portugal;
- Adult children who are financially dependent on the applicant and/or their spouse, on the condition that they are single and study in a teaching establishment (in Portugal or internationally) – only for Golden Visa applicants;
- Parents of the applicant and of their spouse, if financially dependent on the applicant and/or their spouse;
- Minor siblings under care of the applicant and/or of their spouse, per a legally enforceable decision made by the competent authority of the country of origin and as long as the decision is recognised in Portugal.
How can we help you?
Contact us today to set up a free consultation with one of our immigration lawyers to find out if this visa is suitable for you.