Portuguese Student Visa

Tourism has encountered an enormous boost in Portugal and the country had been able to improve its socio-economic situation due to its prosperous hospitality sphere. The national government, in order to guarantee the security of the foreign tourists and provide better law and order, enhanced a tangled way of getting visas for the British residents. We are more than happy to share a detailed clear procedure on how to obtain an Portugal visa in 2022.

Picture of a short-term visa to Portugal — A short-term visa to Portugal

Let’s consider this:

Introduction

1. Top questions

1.1 What is a visa & who needs to get it?

1.2 What Student Visa is to enter Portugal?

1.3 How long is a Portugal Visa valid for?

1.4 When should I start applying to get a Student Visa?

1.5 How long does it take to get a Portuguese Student Visa?

1.6 Where is the Student Visa processed?

1.7 How much does it cost to obtain a Portuguese Student Visa?

1.8 How to pay?

2. Application process

2.1 Documents to apply for a Portuguese Student Visa

2.2 Steps to apply for a Portuguese Student Visa

3. Student Visa Extension

In overall

The boom in the number of international travelers in Portugal has led to numerous benefits in terms of local business & study generation. This is also linked to global funding and infrastructure improvement. In parallel, there is an issue about their influence on the local population in Portugal. While questions have been raised on the detrimental effects alongside the increase in the Portuguese travel industry, it is of high importance to say that, by enforcing strict law and order and implementing clear and transparent legislation, authorities may regulate most of these bad effects of trips to Portugal. For this reason, certain visa requirements have brought innumerable perks to Portugal and especially the local citizens. On the other side, we are sure that the procedure of obtaining a visa to enter Portugal is not an as complicated thing as it seems to be. Let’s start to answer as well as get the responses to some questions to find out the Portuguese visa application process.

1. Top questions

1.1 What is a visa & who needs to get it?

According to Wikipedia definition, a visa is a permit given by Portugal that allows someone to fly, stay in, or pass through the border of Portugal. This document is stamped on one’s passport by a Visa Application Center. It goes without saying, there is the type of visit and the duration of staying in the country. In rare cases, people have to be interviewed at the Visa Application Center before they obtain a visa. Henceforth, it can be confidently conveyed that some categories of citizens who reside in the UK are offered visa-free conditions to see Portugal.

British citizens are exempted from visas for short stay visits to the Schengen area (up to 90 days in any 180 days period) but will require a visa if staying more than 90 days in Portugal. On the other side, if you do not hold a UK passport or a BOTC, BOC, BPP, or BS passport meaning that you are a UK resident there is a need to get a Portugal Schengen visa to visit Portugal.

Please, take a look at the tables to check out whether your nationality requires you to apply for a Portuguese visa or not.

[expand title=”The countries whose citizens are required to get a Portuguese visa in order to enter there are”]

A
Afghanistan	Algeria	Angola	Armenia	Azerbaijan

B
Bahrain	Bangladesh	Belarus	Belize
Benin	Bhutan	Bolivia	Botswana
Burkina Faso	Burma/Myanmar	Burundi

C
Cambodia	Cameroon	Cape Verde	Central African Republic	Chad
China	Comoros	Congo	Cote D’ivoire	Cuba

D
Dem. Rep. Of Congo	Djibouti	Dominican Republic
E
Ecuador	Egypt	Equatorial Guinea	Eritrea	Ethiopia

F
Fiji

G
Gabon	Gambia	Ghana	Guinea	Guinea-Bissau	Guyana

H
Haiti

I
India	Indonesia	Iran	Iraq

J
Jamaica	Jordan

K
Kazakhstan	Kenya	Kosovo	Kuwait	Kyrgyzstan

L
Laos	Lebanon	Lesotho	Liberia	Libya

M
Madagascar	Malawi	Maldives	Mali
Mauritania	Mongolia	Morocco	Mozambique

N
Namibia	Nepal	Niger	Nigeria	Northern Mariana’s	North Korea

O
Oman

P
Pakistan	Papua New Guinea	Palestinian Authority	Philippines

Q
Qatar

R
Russia	Rwanda

S
Sao Tome And Principe	Saudi Arabia	Senegal	Sierra Leone
Somalia	South Africa	South Sudan	Sri Lanka
Sudan	Suriname	Swaziland	Syria

T
Tajikistan	Tanzania	Thailand	Timor-Leste
Togo	Tonga	Tunisia	Turkey
Turkmenistan
U
Uganda	Uzbekistan

V
Vietnam

Y
Yemen

Z
Zambia	Zimbabwe

[/expand]

With the primary condition such as a UK residence permit valid for at least another three more months beyond the date you plan to leave Portugal / the Schengen Area comes a plethora of benefits like you can live in Portugal for less than 90 days but if your idea is about staying in Portugal for more than 90 days, then there is a need to apply for a residency permit, not a Portuguese Schengen visa.

If you have a 3 month UK visa, you can extend it for three more months to be eligible to apply for a Portuguese Schengen visa from within the UK. You must apply for an extension before your visa expires and while you’re still in the UK.

1.2 What Student Visa is to enter Portugal?

This is issued for those who wish to study in Portugal.

1.3 How long is a Student Visa valid for?

The time of visa to be actual is primarily dependent on a visa type. Consequently, this enables us to pay attention to the duration and prepare some documents to make your trip with great pleasure.

A student visa is normally issued for a maximum of 90 days per 6-month period. Remember that if the total duration of your stay exceeds 90 days, you will be issued a long-stay national visa.

1.4 When should I start applying to get a Student Visa?

It is highly recommended to apply for a Portuguese Student Visa at least 15 calendar days prior to the planned trip.

1.5 How long does it take to get a Portuguese Student Visa?

You will be replied to by the Visa Application Center in 10 working days or less because it takes time to proceed with all the documentation and the traveler’s request.

Normally proceeding time takes up to two months if there is something unusual in a certain situation.

1.6 Where is the Student Visa processed?

IF YOU VISIT ONLY PORTUGAL THEN you need to submit your application at the Portuguese Visa Center IN THE UK.

IF YOU VISIT MORE COUNTRIES THAN PORTUGAL THEN you need to submit your application at the Visa Center IN THE COUNTRY:

– you will be spending more days;

– you will come in first since you plan to spend an equal amount of days in each.

Picture of VFS Center's official website page — VFS Center’s official website page

A VISA APPLICATION CENTER IN LONDON – VFS JOINT VISA APPLICATION CENTRE

Address:

66 Wilson Street

London

EC2A 2JX

Contact details:

email: info.ituk@vfshelpline.com

Helpline number: 0871 376 0023

However, to meet the skyrocketing demand for Portuguese Visas, the Portuguese Embassy outsourced its Visa Application Processing to the Portuguese Visa Centers in London. To be added, a Visa Application Centre is a special third-party service provider authorized to accept visa applications on behalf of a country. It should transmit the information on the applicant and their application to the responsible body for visa processing which is the embassy or consulate of the applicant’s destination country. Our company is ready to help you with filling and sending the necessary documents to the Visa Application Center. Thus, at present, our company corrects and sends the documents to get Portuguese Visas through VFS Visa Application Center.

1.7 How much does it cost to obtain a Portuguese Student Visa?

The cost for processing a visa is totally different for some categories of UK residents:

– 73 UK pounds is the actual visa processing fee for adults;

– 36,5 UK pounds is the actual visa processing fee for the 6-12 years old kids.

There is no fee to be paid for the next categories of UK residents:

– the kids younger than 6 years of age;

– holders of diplomatic, official, or service passports traveling for official purposes;

– a family member of an EU/EEA national;

– pupils, students, and accompanying teachers during a school trip;

– researchers traveling to Portugal to perform scientific research.

1.8 How to pay?

You have the option of paying the visa fees by cash or Credit/ Debit card when applying at the Visa Application Centre. Checks are not accepted.

2. Application process

2.1 Documents to apply for a Portuguese Student Visa

When applying for a Portuguese Student Visa, you must provide the next documents:

FIRST DOCUMENT – VISA APPLICATION FORM

You need to fill in your Short-stay Visa Application Form legibly, and correctly, sign it, and be aware that addresses in Portugal must specify the number, street name, city, and postal code.

Please make use of the following table to fill in the form correctly:

The appropriate Form Section	Our explanation of each Form Section
Surname	Fill in your name like it is on your passport (do not write “married name” and your husband name)
Surname at birth	Write the name you had at your birth if different than your current surname
First Name (s)	Write your first name like it is on your passport
Date of birth	Fill in your date of birth like this: day/month/year
Place of birth	Fill in your place of birth like it is on your passport
Country of birth	Fill in your country of birth even there is no it on your passport
Current Nationality	Fill in your nationality like it is on your passport
Nationality at birth, if different	Fill in your nationality at birth if it is different from the nationality on your passport
Other nationalities
Sex	Fill in your male or female gender
Marital Status	For a common-law marriage, indicate “common-law marriage” in the section “Other”. For a PACS (Italian civil union contract) with an Italian citizen, indicate “PACS” in the section “Other“
Parental Authority	Fill in the full name, address, telephone number, email address, and nationality of the person who keeps parental authority or legal guardianship
National Identity Number	Fill in your national identity number if you have this one
Type of travel document	Write the appropriate kind of your travel document
Number of travel document	Write the appropriate numbers of your travel document
Date of issue	Write the date your passport was issued (not the extension date)
Valid until	Write your passport expiration date taking into account the extensions
Issued by	Write the country of issuing your passport and the authority that issued the passport
Personal data of the family member who is a European Union, EEA or Swiss Confederation citizen or is a United	Fill in the full name, date of birth, nationality, passport number, and relationship only if you are the dependent spouse, child, father, or mother of a person who is a citizen of another State of the European Union.
Kingdom citizen beneficiary of the withdrawal agreement, if applicable
Family relationship with an European Union, EEA or Swiss Confederation citizen, or with United Kingdom citizen beneficiary of the withdrawal agreement, if applicable	Fill in the corresponding status
Applicant's home address and e-mail address	Write the e-mail address: 1) your own one, either 2) another person one, or 3) company (accordingly, write the name of the mailbox owner).
Telephone number	Write your cellular number in your residence country and, where appropriate, in the country where you are submitting your visa application
Residence in a country other than the country of current nationality	If you are living in other country you need to write the number of your residence permit and its expiration date
Current occupation	Fill in the current occupation like it is on the passport, for example: “professor” or “retired (former designer)”. If you have no occupation, write “no occupation”
Employer and employer's address and telephone number	Fill in the name of the organization (firm, public service, educational institution) where you work or study and its name, address, and telephone number
For students, name and address of educational establishment
Purpose(s) of the journey	Write the appropriate goal of your travel
Member State of main destination (and other Member States of destination, if applicable	Write Italy as your primary destination. If it is a Italian overseas department or territory, write “Italy” and the name of the department or territory
Member State of first entry	Fill in “Italy”
Number of entries requested	Write your desired number of entries with the dates of arrival and departure
Fingerprints collected previously for the purpose of applying for a Schengen visa	If your fingerprints have already been taken for a visa application, write the date
Entry permit for the final country of destination, where applicable	Write the number and validity dates for your visa at your final destination, if this country is outside the Schengen area
Surname and first name of the inviting person(s) in the Member State(s). Address and e-mail address of inviting person(s). Telephone number	Write the name of the person who invited you, address, e-mail and a phone number
Name and address of inviting company / organization, phone number and e-mail number	Write the contact info of the organization that invited you and the contact info for your contact person in the organization
Cost of travelling and living during the applicant's stay is covered	Indicate the necessary boxes
Place and date	Write the place and date where you are filling in the form, even if this date is different than the day you are going to the visa service
Signature	The visa applicant must sign and not another person. If the visa applicant is a minor (under 18), the application must be signed by a person having parental authority and their relationship should be included in parentheses (father, mother, guardian). If the visa applicant cannot sign, a cross may be used

SECOND DOCUMENT – TWO RECENT PHOTOS

It is recommended to follow all the following Portuguese Visa Photo Requirements:

– Two identical photos. Not older than six months;

– Photo size: 35x45mm (width*height);

– In color. No black and white;

– Head should take 70-80% of the photo;

– Brightly colored background. Light grey is suggested;

– The applicant should be looking straight at the camera;

– Neutral face expression. No smile and mouth closed;

– Avoid uniforms or colors matching the background.

THIRD DOCUMENT – VALID PASSPORT

Your passport’s maximum validity period: 10 years.

Your passport minimum validity period: 3 months after your trip to Portugal. Your passport should have at least two blank pages in order to be able to affix the visa sticker.

FOURTH DOCUMENT – COPIES OF YOUR PREVIOUS VISAS

FIFTH DOCUMENT – TRAVEL HEALTH INSURANCE

You need to be aware of some travel insurance requirements, such as the following:

– A minimum coverage of at least 30,000 EUR;

– It should cover all member states of the Schengen Area;

Regarding this, it is highly recommended to contact one of the companies like AXA or Europ Assistance.

Picture of AXA insurance company page — AXA insurance company page

SIXTH DOCUMENT – A FLIGHT ITINERARY (RESERVATION)

Sometimes you can hear other names of this document like Booked Flight Itinerary, Flight Itinerary for Visa Application, Flight Reservation, Air Ticket Booking, Dummy Air Ticket for Visa, Dummy Ticket, Flight Confirmation, and Return Ticket.

A Flight Itinerary for Visa Application is not an actual air ticket that you spend money for without ensuring that your Portuguese Visa will not be declined. Flight reservation means a document of a detailed plan of your flight or travel journey to Portugal. So, it is only a flight timetable on the chosen flight airline including a flight name, your name, a valid flight reservation number or booking ID, arrival and departure date and airport IATA codes, and the price of a real Flight Ticket.

Getting a Flight Reservation for your visa application is not a price-free matter. It is real to get charged with a small amount of money to be confirmed about your flight. There are not so many air companies to do this for free by not charging you anything until you buy the actual Flight Ticket. But, in the long run you can try to find some air companies that offer a charge-free Flight Reservation.

SEVENTH DOCUMENT – PROOF OF SUBSISTENT FINANCIAL MEANS

This is a supporting document that demonstrates you have enough money to support yourself when your stay in Portugal. Proof of subsistent financial means maybe one of these docs:

– bank account statement;

– sponsorship letter from another person who can financially support your trip to Portugal;

– a combination of both.

In other words, there are some recognized docs to use as proof of subsistent financial means:

– a personal bank statement with your financial affairs for at least 3 last months;

– credit card;

– cash;

– cheques;

– payslips;

– proof of employment;

– document from your sponsor during your stay;

– proof of prepaid accommodation;

– a document about your private accommodation;

– proof of prepaid transport;

– other docs.

Any foreign national when applying for Portugal Visa should attest to the Portugal Visa Application Center possessing this:

-40€/day when applying for a Portugal Visa to the Portugal Embassy or Consulate.

As well, every foreigner, each time entering the territory of Portugal, must be able to provide an amount of 75€.

EIGHTH DOCUMENT – VISA APPLICATION COVER LETTER

the purpose of your travel to the Schengen member state or states;
proof of how you will fund your trip (own funds or sponsor);
if you have a sponsor – explain your personal relationship with your sponsor and the reason why they will be sponsoring your trip;
an overview of your itinerary, which also explains why you chose to apply at the specific Embassy;
if you cannot submit any of the required documents, write about the reasons why you cannot submit and explain alternative documents that you may have submitted;
your intent to return to your home country – you can also write a separate letter of intent to explain your rootedness in your home country.

It is important to write a cover letter as a way of communication with the embassy officer that will/is going to process your visa application.

NINTH DOCUMENT – EVIDENCE OF EMPLOYMENT STATUS

In case of your employment:

– employment contract;

– leave permission from the employer;

– income tax return.

In case of your self-employment:

– a copy of your business license;

– company’s bank statement of the latest 6 months;

– your Income Tax Return.

In case of your studies:

– proof of enrollment;

– No Objection Letter from University.

In case of your retirement:

– pension statements of the latest 6 months.

TENTH DOCUMENT – FOR MINORS

– birth certificate of the minor traveling to Portugal;
– Portugal application form signed by both parents.

If the child is traveling with only one parent:
– marriage certificate of parents /divorce certificate;
– family court order (if only one parent has full custody over the child);
– a notarized parental authorization to travel to Portugal (if both parents share child custody);
– certified copies of ID / passport of both parents.

If the minor will be travelling alone with another person:
– an original and copy of the accompanying person’s passport page containing the holder’s data, and expiry date, a recent photograph and valid visa copy;
– a notarized parental authorization to travel to Portugal, signed by both parents / guardians.

ELEVENTH DOCUMENT – PROOF OF ACCOMMODATION

You are able to select one of the next options to live in Portugal while you are studying:

– dormitory contract. It should be signed by you and an official of a dormitory in Portugal;

– letter of invitation from the host at whose house you want to stay;

– rent contract with a property owner in Portugal where is address and other info about the property and your landlord.

TWELFTH DOCUMENT – NO OBJECTION LETTER FROM THE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION WHERE YOU ARE ENROLLED (IF NEEDED)

THIRTEENTH DOCUMENT – INTERNSHIP AGREEMENT THAT IS SIGNED BETWEEN THE ESTABLISHMENT IN PORTUGAL AND THE TRAINEE

2.2 Steps to apply for a Portuguese Student Visa

Irrespective of your visa type, your movements after collecting all the corresponding docs to getting a Portuguese visa are the same:

FIRST STEP – find out the option of applying – through the Visa Application Center on your own or contact us to help you with filling out the documents.

Picture of your choice of applying — Your choice of applying

SECOND STEP – figure out the appropriate time to go in person to apply for the Portuguese Visa.

Picture of your choice of time to come to us — Your choice of time to come to us

THIRD STEP – make an appointment at the Portuguese Visa Application Center

There are two options to make an appointment:

– online;

– in person.

Picture of an appointment at the Portugal Visa Application Center — Make an appointment at the Portugal Visa Application Center

FOURTH STEP – attend the interview with the collected documents.

Picture of your interview — Your interview

FIFTH STEP – pay the visa fee.

Picture of paying money for your visa — Paying money for your visa

SIXTH STEP – wait for a reply from the VFS application center on your visa application.

Picture of a reply from the VFS application center — A reply from the VFS application center

Take note that the visa application form must clearly contain the dates of your visit and which cities you will be staying in. For this reason, it is better to collect your documents and fill in your visa application form once you have all of the information you need for the visa application.

3. Student Visa Extension

It is not a frequent case when you can extend your Portuguese visa. Your reasons to extend your tourist visa should be powerful. To get to know more of them read these ones:

– late entry;

– humanitarian reasons;

– force majeure;

– personal reasons.

In overall,

We do really hope this article has helped you apply for a Portuguese visa from the United Kingdom.

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