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Portugal Startup Visa: requirements, costs and how to apply (2026)

Portugal Startup Visa as of October 2026: who qualifies, the €6,445.56 funds rule, certified incubators, IAPMEI approval, visa and AIMA fees, timelines.

The Portugal Startup Visa is a programme run by IAPMEI, Portugal's agency for competitiveness and innovation, that lets founders from outside the EU get a residence visa and then a residence permit to build an innovative company in Portugal. You need a technology- or knowledge-based project, an IAPMEI-certified incubator willing to host you and, as of October 2026, own funds of €6,445.56 per founder. The usual sequence is approval from IAPMEI online, an incubation contract, a residence visa from a Portuguese consulate and then a residence permit from AIMA, the migration agency.

Rules, amounts and deadlines below are as of October 2026. The Foreigners Act was amended in October 2025 and again in September 2026, so recheck the linked official pages before filing.

How the programme works

The programme runs under Normative Order 4/2018, with incubators certified under Ordinance (Portaria) 344/2017. The visa is the residence visa for immigrant entrepreneurs in Article 60(2)(c) of the Foreigners Act (Law 23/2007), and the residence permit is granted under Article 89(4).

It is open to founders with a project but no company yet and to founders whose company already exists in their home country. One application can include up to five founders,. IAPMEI accepts applications all year, in Portuguese or English. The programme lasts as long as the incubation contract: 12 months, renewable by agreement while the incubator stays certified.

Requirements

For each founder

  • No permanent residence in the Schengen Area. Startup Portugal describes this as proof that you live in a country outside it.
  • Age 18 or over. IAPMEI's FAQ confirms there is no upper age limit.
  • No criminal record. You need a certificate from your country of origin, or from the country where you have lived for more than a year, translated and legalised or apostilled.
  • No tax or social security debt in Portugal. If you have no Portuguese tax or social security number, you attach a sworn statement instead.
  • Own funds of 12 times the IAS, Portugal's social support index, shown by a bank statement. IAPMEI's programme page gives the 2026 amount as €6,445.56 (12 × €537.13). The application guide also asks each founder for a signed commitment that the money can be moved to a bank operating in Portugal.

Startup Portugal's page still shows €5,146.80 per person, which does not match the 2026 index, so plan around the IAPMEI amount.

For the project

Article 5 of the regulation asks founders to show that the project:

  • is focused on technology and knowledge and aims to develop innovative products;
  • will produce goods or services that can be sold internationally;
  • can create qualified jobs beyond the founders;
  • could reach turnover above €325,000 a year and/or assets above €325,000 within five years of the start of the incubation contract;
  • has a team able to set up a company during the programme where needed, with every founder's contribution necessary to develop it;
  • has at least one certified incubator interested in hosting it physically.

IAPMEI assesses the degree of innovation, scalability, market potential, the management team and the potential for qualified jobs in Portugal. For the turnover test, its FAQ asks for estimated turnover and assets in year five, backed by target segments, expected market share and pricing against competitors.

Extra conditions for existing companies

A company founded abroad must be less than four years old, operate in Portugal, show positive equity in the previous year's accounts and have the potential to create at least five jobs within 24 months, not counting the founders. Applicants must hold executive roles and/or at least 10% of the capital or voting rights.

How to apply, step by step

  1. Prepare the documents. IAPMEI's application guide asks each founder for a motivation letter, a passport copy (plus any residence permit from a non-Schengen country), the criminal record certificate, Portuguese tax and social security certificates or the sworn statement, the bank statement and a CV.
  2. Register and approach incubators. Open an account on the Startup Visa platform and send requests for a declaration of interest to incubators from IAPMEI's certified list. The list dated 23 January 2026 has more than 90 entries, from Unicorn Factory Lisboa and Startup Porto to Madeira and the Azores. There is no limit on requests, but you need one positive answer to continue. Ask for a quote, since the contract must state its price.
  3. Submit to IAPMEI. IAPMEI has up to 30 working days from submission to decide and posts the result on the platform. If it flags missing information, you have three working days to supply it; if the draft decision is negative, you can respond within 10 working days.
  4. Sign the incubation contract. After approval you have up to 40 working days to sign a written contract, normally with an incubator that declared interest. The incubator uploads it within five working days, and the platform then issues IAPMEI's acceptance declaration, which the guide says is valid for 180 days.
  5. Apply for the residence visa. File at the Portuguese consular post for your place of residence. The foreign ministry's checklist includes the application form, two photos, a passport valid three months beyond your planned return, travel medical insurance, a criminal record certificate, proof of means of subsistence and the IAPMEI declaration. The legal deadline for a decision is 60 days, and the visa allows two entries and a four-month stay (extendable in Portugal by 90 days, according to IAPMEI's FAQ).
  6. Apply for the residence permit. AIMA's page for this permit says you apply in person, by appointment, at an AIMA office; an online channel for visa holders is being introduced. Bring your passport, criminal record, a sworn declaration of your address with supporting proof, and proof of tax and social security registration. The permit is valid for two years and renews for three-year periods.

IAPMEI's approval does not bind the consulate or AIMA, which carry out their own checks. Article 89(4) also waives the usual requirement to hold a residence visa for this permit; ask AIMA or your incubator whether applying from inside Portugal suits your case.

How much it costs

As of October 2026, the official sources list these costs:

  • IAPMEI application: the regulation, FAQ and guide mention no application fee.
  • Incubator: each incubator sets its own price, written into the contract. IAPMEI's FAQ gives no average.
  • Funds: €6,445.56 per founder in 2026, money you must hold rather than pay.
  • Residence visa: €110, according to the foreign ministry's fees page.
  • Residence permit: AIMA's fee table, lists €99.80 for receiving and analysing the application and €85.80 for granting the permit at its reduced rates for in-person and digital service (the higher standard rates are €133 and €114.30). Assessing a request to waive the residence visa costs €230.40 at the reduced rate.
  • Other costs: translations, apostilles, travel insurance and accommodation, which AIMA asks you to prove.

Processing time

No single deadline covers the whole process. The rules set these maximum periods:

  • incubator reply: no fixed deadline;
  • IAPMEI decision: 30 working days, plus three to publish it;
  • incubation contract: 40 working days, plus five for the upload;
  • visa decision: 60 days;
  • residence permit decision: 90 days, extendable by 30 in exceptional cases under Article 82(5), as amended in September 2026.

These are legal limits, not promised waiting times, and the time spent collecting apostilled documents and booking appointments comes on top.

Bringing your family

The foreign ministry's checklist lets a spouse, minor or dependent children and certain other dependants apply for a residence visa as accompanying family members, with proof of family ties and of regular income sufficient for everyone. It also says family members of people who already hold a Portuguese residence permit should use family reunification instead. IAPMEI's FAQ, last revised in 2022, takes the stricter view that reunification is requested only once the entrepreneur holds a residence permit. Portugal's family reunification rules were tightened in October 2025 (Law 61/2025), and the general rule now asks for two years of valid residence before applying. Confirm your family's route with the consulate or AIMA before you file.

Obligations after you arrive

  • Incubation must be physical; the programme does not accept virtual incubation.
  • The incubator registers a personalised incubation plan within 20 working days and files quarterly progress reports.
  • You can incorporate the Portuguese company during the contract, but it must exist when the contract ends, and you must keep meeting the eligibility conditions throughout.
  • The permit is valid for two years and renews for three-year periods, so keep the incubation contract and eligibility documents current.

IAPMEI's Startup Visa team can be contacted at startup.visa@iapmei.pt. To compare countries, see our guide to seven other European startup visa programmes and our explainer on Spain's Startup Law and its visas, or follow our Startups and Founders sections.

Frequently asked questions

How much does the Portugal Startup Visa cost?

IAPMEI lists no application fee, but you pay the incubator's agreed price, €110 for the visa and, at AIMA's current rates, €99.80 plus €85.80 for the residence permit. Each founder must also hold €6,445.56 of own funds in 2026.

How long does the Portugal Startup Visa take?

Under the current rules, IAPMEI has 30 working days, you have 40 working days to sign the incubation contract, the consulate has 60 days and AIMA 90 days (extendable by 30), plus however long incubators take to reply.

How long is the Portugal Startup Visa valid?

The visa allows two entries and a four-month stay, during which you apply for the residence permit. The permit lasts two years and can be renewed for three-year periods.

Which incubators can I use for the Portugal Startup Visa?

Only incubators certified by IAPMEI and named on its list, the latest dated 23 January 2026. The programme requires physical incubation, so choose one where you plan to work.

Can I bring my family on the Portugal Startup Visa?

The foreign ministry's checklist allows accompanying family members to apply alongside you, while IAPMEI's older FAQ points to family reunification after you hold a permit. Reunification now generally requires two years of valid residence (Law 61/2025), so check your route with the consulate or AIMA first.