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Country guide · Portugal
Living and working in Portugal
A guide for international candidates
Unless you're an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, you'll need a residence visa that lets you work, usually applied for at a Portuguese consulate before you travel. Routes include work with a job contract, highly qualified activity, the EU Blue Card and the Tech Visa. Since October 2025 the general job-seeker visa has been replaced by a skilled job-seeker visa.
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Euro
Currency
€, EUR
Lisbon
Capital
WET
Time zone
UTC+0, summer UTC+1
112
Emergency number
Types C and F
Plug
230 V
Last checked 12 October 2026. Estimates are labelled.
Where the jobs are
All regions lets you pick a place and see rent, jobs and the sectors in this guide. Choose a sector to see that industry in every place.
Cyan is the region you picked. Navy is everywhere else.
Region
Norte
€7.96/m²
- Rent
- €7.96/m²
- Vs regions in this guide
- -13%
- People in work
- 1,789.5
Sector strength vs average for Portugal
- Techn/a
- Healthcaren/a
- Engineeringn/a
- Financen/a
- Hospitalityn/a
Main places
- Porto
- Vila Nova de Gaia
- Braga
- Matosinhos
- Guimarães
Job links open all Portugal roles for now. Rent compared with the other regions in this guide.
View the map as a table
| Region | People in work, 2025 (thousands) | Sector groups above average (LQ 1.05 or more) | Median rent, new leases, Q1 2026 | Municipalities over 100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norte | 1,789.5 | Industry, mainly manufacturing 1.42 | €7.96/m² | Porto, Vila Nova de Gaia, Braga, Matosinhos, Guimarães |
| Centro | 825.0 | Industry, mainly manufacturing 1.33, Public services incl. health and education 1.11 | €6.52/m² | Coimbra, Leiria |
| Oeste e Vale do Tejo | 411.7 | Trade, transport and hospitality 1.09 | €7.36/m² | None over 100,000; largest Torres Vedras, Santarém, Alcobaça |
| Grande Lisboa | 1,093.8 | Finance 1.98, Tech 1.73 | €14.38/m² | Lisbon, Sintra, Cascais, Loures, Amadora |
| Península de Setúbal | 406.5 | Finance 1.38, Tech 1.33, Trade, transport and hospitality 1.12, Public services incl. health and education 1.05 | €11.35/m² | Almada, Seixal, Setúbal |
| Alentejo | 224.9 | Public services incl. health and education 1.35 (Tech: Estimate 0.42, lowest published region, cell withheld) | €6.08/m² | None over 100,000; largest Évora, Beja, Odemira |
| Algarve | 243.8 | Trade, transport and hospitality 1.40 (Finance: Estimate 0.39, lowest published region, cell withheld) | €10.71/m² | None over 100,000; largest Loulé, Faro, Portimão |
| Azores | 120.0 | Public services incl. health and education 1.27, Trade, transport and hospitality 1.07 (Tech 0.42 and Finance 0.39: Estimates, lowest published region, cells withheld) | €6.02/m² | None over 100,000; largest Ponta Delgada, Angra do Heroísmo, Ribeira Grande |
| Madeira | 130.0 | Trade, transport and hospitality 1.36, Public services incl. health and education 1.19 (Tech 0.42 and Finance 0.39: Estimates, lowest published region, cells withheld) | €11.97/m² | Funchal |
Cities
Pay, rent and the share of pay that rent takes. Estimates stay labelled.
Portugal
Lisbon
- Rent
- €17.22/m²
- Pay
- €1,935.68
- Rent share
- 53%
- Finance 1.98
- Tech 1.73 (Grande Lisboa)
Portugal
Porto
- Rent
- €14.29/m²
- Pay
- €1,474.68
- Rent share
- 58%
- Industry 1.42 (Norte)
Portugal
Coimbra
- Rent
- €9.48/m²
- Pay
Tools
Step 1 of 2
Visa route finder
A route to read about, not a decision on your application. Figures are the ones in this guide.
Rent and pay
The pay and rent figures already in this guide. This is not a tax calculation.
Rent a month in Lisbon
€17.22/m²
- Pay
- €1,935.68
- Rent share of pay
- 53%
Take-home pay
The Portuguese Tax and Customs Authority hosts the IRS simulators. This guide does not calculate Portuguese tax.
Open the tax simulatorsVisa routes to read about
These describe the route. They do not say whether you qualify.
- Source
Residence visa for subordinate work
People with a job contract or promise of a contract. Job contract or promise of a contract.
- Source
Highly qualified activity (Lei n.º 23/2007 art. 90) and EU Blue Card (arts 121-A and following)
Highly qualified workers. Blue Card: pay of at least 1.5 x the national average gross annual salary (1.2 x for listed shortage occupations).
- Source
Tech Visa
Highly qualified staff hired by IAPMEI-certified companies. Certified firms: up to 50% of staff under the programme (80% in the interior).
Little-known facts
Daily life
- PayGetting a tax number (NIF), a social security number (NISS) and a bank account. (NIF, NISS and SNS number in one request at an Espaço Cidadão).
- Good to knowSNS access with the user number (número de utente), which can be requested together with NIF and NISS (gov.pt).
- Good to knowSNS 24: 808 24 24 24 for non-urgent advice. 112 in emergencies.
Family, school and pets
- FamilyFamily reunification after two years of valid residence for most permit holders (15 months in some spouse cases), with no wait for minor children, a spouse who co-parents a minor child, or families of holders under articles 90, 90-A and 121-A of Lei n.º 23/2007 (Lei n.º 61/2025, art. 98(3)).
- Good to knowArt. 90 is highly qualified activity (also teaching and cultural activity), art. 90-A is investment residence, and art. 121-A is the EU Blue Card (AIMA).
- School
From job offer to settled in
1
Residence visa → travel → NIF → bank account → find a rental → AIMA residence permit appointment (included with the skilled job-seeker visa) → NISS → register with a health centre (SNS user number) → schools
Questions
Can I still go to Portugal on a job-seeker visa?
The general job-seeker visa ended on 23 October 2025. Its replacement, a skilled job-seeker visa for highly qualified people, can't be applied for until its implementing rules are published, which hadn't happened by 12 October 2026.
Can my family join me straight away?
For most residence permit holders, family reunification now comes after two years of valid residence. Minor children are exempt, and so are the families of holders of some permit types, including highly qualified activity and the EU Blue Card.
What is the Tech Visa?
A route for highly qualified staff hired by companies certified by IAPMEI.
What is the minimum wage?
€920 a month in 2026.
Do I need a visa before I travel?
Usually yes: residence visas are applied for at a Portuguese consulate, and the residence permit is then issued by AIMA in Portugal.
Does every employer on Global Sponsor Hub sponsor visas?
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