The Manifestação de Interesse Path

What changed in 2024

The old self-submitted Manifestação de Interesse (MI) — the route used by hundreds of thousands of arrivals from Brazil, India, Bangladesh and elsewhere — was suspended on 3 June 2024. Anyone who entered as a tourist after that date can no longer regularise from inside Portugal.

The replacement: visa-first

The government rebuilt the legal-entry pipeline around two visa types issued at consulates abroad.

• Visto de Procura de Trabalho (job-seeker visa) — 120 days to find work and sign a contract
• Standard work visa (D2 / D3 / Tech Visa) — pre-approved employment contract required
• CPLP track — Portuguese-speaking citizens (Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, etc.) keep a dedicated, simpler flow

Practical steps under the new flow

Plan on 9–18 months from first consulate visit to residence card.

• Apply for the job-seeker visa at your home consulate
• Enter Portugal, register at Segurança Social and Finanças within 30 days
• Sign a contract within 120 days (extendable once by 60 days)
• Submit residence permit request via the AIMA portal with payslips
• Wait for biometric appointment, attend, receive card 30–90 days later

Who doesn't need this path

EU/EEA/Swiss citizens use the CRUE process — see the European Citizens guides. Spouses and children of legal residents use family reunification, not MI. Investors use the D2 (entrepreneur) or Golden Visa fund route.