Last checked: 5 October 2026 · By Haider Shah, accounting technician in Portugal
Short answer: no, not at the moment. Since 23 October 2025 Portuguese consulates and visa centres don’t accept job-seeker visa applications. The law now allows only a qualified job-search visa, and the government order (portaria) that would define who qualifies hadn’t appeared when we checked. This guide explains what changed, what the law says, and which legal routes to work in Portugal still exist.
This is general information, not legal advice. We checked the law and the Foreign Ministry’s visa portal on 5 October 2026. Visa rules can change quickly, so always confirm on vistos.mne.gov.pt or with your Portuguese consulate before you pay for anything.
What changed in October 2025
Law 61/2025, in force from 23 October 2025, replaced the old job-seeker visa with a visa to look for qualified work (visto para procura de trabalho qualificado, article 57-A of the Foreigners Law). The Foreign Ministry (MNE) published a notice saying that, from 23 October 2025, consulates and the external providers VFS Global, BLS and TLScontact no longer accept job-seeking visa applications, and that appointments already booked for this visa were cancelled.
Is the job seeker visa open in 2026?
No. The Foreign Ministry’s page for this visa (archived copy of 4 October 2026; live page) says it is “not yet available at Portuguese consular posts”, while it waits for the regulation required by article 57-A. Article 57-A(5) says the specialised technical skills that qualify are defined by a portaria of the ministers for foreign affairs, migration, education and labour. We did not find that portaria in the Diário da República when we checked on 5 October 2026.
What the new qualified job-search visa will look like
When the portaria is published and consulates open applications, article 57-A (as written after Law 61/2025) sets these rules:
- It is only for people with specialised technical skills, as defined in the portaria.
- You must meet the general visa conditions of article 52, including means of subsistence, a valid travel document and travel insurance. Since Law 62/2026, you also need a return ticket.
- It is valid for 120 days, can be extended by 60 days, and allows one entry into Portugal.
- It includes an appointment with AIMA within those 120 days. If you start working in that period, you can apply for a residence permit if you meet the general conditions of article 77.
- While the visa lasts, you can do highly qualified professional work.
- If the visa ends and you haven’t started working and your paperwork, you must leave Portugal, and you can only apply again for this visa one year after the old one expired.
We don’t know yet which professions, degrees or experience the portaria will require. Treat any list you see online as a guess until it appears in the Diário da República.
Legal ways to come and work in Portugal instead
The Foreigners Law still has residence visas for work, which you request at a Portuguese consulate. The main ones, by the article titles in the law, are:
| Visa | Who it is for | Law |
|---|---|---|
| Residence visa for employed work | Working for an employer in Portugal | Article 59 |
| Residence visa for self-employed work or entrepreneurs | Freelancers and immigrant entrepreneurs | Article 60 |
| Residence visa for teaching, highly qualified or cultural work | Teachers, highly qualified and cultural professionals, including highly qualified employees | Articles 61 and 61-A |
| Residence visa for remote work | Employees or freelancers working for clients or employers outside Portugal | Article 61-B |
The documents for each visa are on vistos.mne.gov.pt. After you arrive, the visa leads to a residence permit with AIMA; see temporary residence permit requirements. Pakistani citizens can also read residence permit for Pakistani citizens.
Finding a job from abroad
Without a job-seeker visa, the realistic route is to get a job offer first and then apply for a work visa. Our guides on the best job sites for foreigners and jobs for South Asian workers in Portugal explain where employers actually post vacancies, and what a real offer looks like. A real employer never asks you to pay for the job.
What about people already in Portugal on the old job-seeker visa?
Holders of an older job-seeker visa who found work should follow what AIMA told them in their appointment. Note that the Social Security guide still lists the job-seeker visa as a document accepted for a NISS request, and has an exception when AIMA requires a NISS before granting a permit (see NISS rejected or delayed). For anything else, ask a lawyer: we did not find official guidance for these transitional cases.
FAQ
Can I enter Portugal as a tourist and look for a job?
A tourist entry is not a work visa. Since Decree-Law 37-A/2024 ended manifestação de interesse in June 2024, you can no longer turn a tourist stay into a work permit that way. Article 52(10) of the Foreigners Law also says a residence or job-search visa is refused to someone who entered or stayed in Portugal illegally, in the cases set out in article 144.
When will the qualified job-search visa open?
No date has been announced. The visa needs a portaria that, as far as we could find, hasn’t been published yet.
Do I need a return ticket?
Yes, for the qualified job-search visa. Law 62/2026 added a return ticket to the requirements in article 52(2).
Can I apply through VFS, BLS or TLScontact?
Not for this visa. The MNE notice says these providers stopped accepting job-seeking visa applications from 23 October 2025.
Need help with this?
Moving to Portugal with a job offer? I can help with the tax and Social Security side: NIF, NISS, your first payslips and your IRS.
Contact meOfficial sources
- MNE – Change to the job-seeking visa regime (from 23 October 2025)
- MNE – Documentation for the job-seeking visa (Wayback copy, 4 October 2026)
- Diário da República – Law 61/2025
- Diário da República – Law 62/2026 (article 52(2): return ticket)
- Foreigners Law (Lei 23/2007), consolidated (PGDL) – articles 52, 57-A and 59 to 61-B
- Diário da República – Decree-Law 37-A/2024
- Segurança Social – Guia Prático: Pedido de NISS, cidadãos estrangeiros
This guide is general information, checked against official sources on 5 October 2026. Rules and portals in Portugal change often, so confirm the current rules with the official source before you act. It is not legal advice.
