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Student visa for Portugal
Money to show for the visa: €920 a month (100% of the 2026 national minimum wage). Work while you study: Employed or self-employed work allowed alongside study. Checked against the official pages on 24 September 2026.
The numbers
- Money you must show
- €920 a month (100% of the 2026 national minimum wage)
- Work while you study
- Employed or self-employed work allowed alongside study
- Stay after you graduate
- Up to 1 year to look for work or start a company
Rule in Portaria 1563/2007: for 12 months or the length of stay. Can be halved if your accommodation is guaranteed. The consular visa site still shows the 2024 base of €820.
Portuguese consular visa portal (MNE) / Portuguese Government, checked 2026-09-24
No weekly hour cap is stated in the official guidance we could read. Your permit renewal still depends on academic progress.
NOVA FCT (Universidade NOVA de Lisboa), checked 2026-09-24
Article 122(1)(p), Law 23/2007: for master's and PhD graduates who held a student residence permit.
AIMA, checked 2026-09-24
Worth knowing: The one-year job search permit is only for master's and PhD graduates. Living costs are the University of Minho's estimate for Braga and Guimarães; Lisbon and Porto cost more.
The visa
You need a residence visa for study (the national D visa) from the Portuguese consulate or its visa centre in your country. After you arrive you apply to AIMA (the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum, which replaced SEF in 2023) for a residence permit for higher education students under Article 91 of Law 23/2007.
The money. Portugal does not publish a single student figure. The rule, in Portaria 1563/2007, is that you must show means of subsistence equal to 100% of the national minimum wage per month for 12 months or the length of your stay. The minimum wage rose to €920 a month from 1 January 2026, so the working figure is €920 a month, or €11,040 for a year. The Portaria allows this to be cut to half (€460 a month) if you prove your accommodation is guaranteed, and further if food is also covered.
Be aware that the consular visa portal's means-of-subsistence page still quotes the 2024 minimum wage of €820. Consulates apply the current minimum wage; showing only €820 a month is a risk you do not need to take.
Visa fee: we could not verify it. The consular fee table on the Portuguese visa portal was not accessible when we checked, and fees were revised in 2025. Confirm the current fee with the consulate or visa centre where you apply before you pay.
Processing. The Universidade NOVA de Lisboa's international office warns that the visa process "can take several months" and tells students to apply as early as possible. Build in the AIMA step too: appointments for residence permits have been a long-running bottleneck.
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens
No student visa is needed: citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland may live and study in Portugal. For more than three months you normally register your residence after you arrive, and show that you are enrolled, insured and can support yourself.
Where to apply
At the embassy or consulate of Portugal that covers your country, or through the visa application centre it names. Book early: in the busiest months appointments can be weeks away. Apply only through the official website; nobody can sell you a faster place in the queue.
Official pages: vistos.mne.gov.pt · fct.unl.pt · aima.gov.pt · sites.google.com · portugal.gov.pt · diariodarepublica.pt. Rules change: confirm on the official page before you apply.
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From ZimbabweQuestions students ask
How much money do I need to show for a Portugal student visa?
€920 a month (100% of the 2026 national minimum wage). Rule in Portaria 1563/2007: for 12 months or the length of stay. Can be halved if your accommodation is guaranteed. The consular visa site still shows the 2024 base of €820. (Portuguese consular visa portal (MNE) / Portuguese Government, checked 2026-09-24).
Can international students work in Portugal?
Employed or self-employed work allowed alongside study.
Can I stay in Portugal after I graduate?
Up to 1 year to look for work or start a company.
Do EU citizens need a student visa for Portugal?
No. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens may live and study in Portugal without a student visa. For a stay of more than three months they normally register their residence after arriving.
This page is general information from official sources, not immigration advice. For a decision about your own case, the official source or a regulated adviser is where that belongs.