Can I Move to Portugal Through Article 116?

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Written by / Last updated on January 13, 2025

Already living in the EU with a long-term residence permit but aren’t an EU/EEA/Swiss citizen? Dreaming of making Portugal your next home? Article 116 of Portugal’s immigration code might be your ticket to Portuguese residency.

Let’s dive into what this means for you and how you can make that move to Portugal happen.

Overview of Article 116

Think of Article 116 as the EU’s way of saying “Mi casa es su casa” – if you’ve already proven yourself as a long-term resident in one EU country, Portugal could potentially roll out the welcome mat. This aligns perfectly with the EU’s whole “borderless Europe” vision, making it easier for you to chase that Portuguese dream.

Note: if you’re an EU/EEA/Swiss citizen, you wouldn’t use Article 116. You would move to Portugal and apply for your CRUE instead.

Who Can Apply?

The good news? If you’ve got any of these, you’re in:

  • EU long-term residence card
  • EU permanent card
  • EU Blue Card
  • Family member of any of the above

What Can You Do in Portugal?

This isn’t just a “sit on the beach” permit (though you can definitely do that too). With Article 116 residency, you can:

  • Work for Portuguese companies
  • Start your own business
  • Study at Portuguese universities
  • Bring your family over
  • Invest in Portuguese opportunities
  • Pretty much anything legal that takes your fancy!

The Application Process: Step by Step

Ready to make the move? Here’s how to turn that dream into reality:

  1. Define Your “Why” First things first – you’ll need to explain why you want to move to Portugal. Don’t worry, loving pastéis de nata is a perfectly valid reason (though maybe mention some other motivations too).
  2. Get Your Portuguese Paperwork in Order Before you start dreaming about ocean views, you’ll need:
  • A NIF (Portuguese tax number)
  • Portuguese bank account
  • Proof you’ve got somewhere to live in Portugal (typically an apartment rental, deeds to a property you own, or a terms of responsibility or letter of invitation form)
  1. Book That AIMA Appointment This is your big moment with Portuguese immigration.
  2. Gather Your Documents You’ll need:
  • Your passport (valid, of course)
  • Your current EU long-term residence permit
  • Clean criminal record
  • Any other documents AIMA might request (it’s a good idea to work with a lawyer on this one)
  1. Show Up and Smile Attend your AIMA appointment, give them your biometric data (fancy way of saying fingerprints and photo), and you’re almost there!

What Happens Next?

If all goes well, you’ll receive a shiny new Portuguese residence card valid for up to five years. Not bad, right?

Family Matters

Got family? Bring them along! Once you’ve got your Portuguese residency, you can apply for family reunification.

Is Article 116 Right for You?

This could be your perfect path to Portugal if:

  • You already have long-term residence in another EU country
  • You want full access to live and work in Portugal
  • You’re looking for a straightforward way to relocate within the EU

Alternatives to Article 116

Article 116 is one option for moving to Portugal as a non-EU/EEA/Swiss citizen who’s a long-term resident in another EU country. But it’s not the only option, and it’s also a very underutilised option so you may struggle to find Portuguese immigration lawyers with experience of this particular law.

Alternatively, you could apply for residency in Portugal through one of the standard residency visas, either from your country of residency or nationality.

These visas include:

  • The D7: Aimed at those with a passive income, such as a pension, social security, or rental income.
  • The Digital Nomad Visa: Aimed at those who can freelance or work remotely from Portugal.
  • The Golden Visa: Aimed at those with cash to invest or donate. The most common route is to invest €500k in a qualifying fund.

See a full list of residency visas

Is Portugal Right For You?

This is an important question to ask yourself.

It’s not uncommon for people living in France or Spain, for example, to decide they’d prefer Portugal instead. But are you moving to Portugal or away from another country. If you’re moving because you’re fed up with Spanish bureaucracy, for example, you’re going to find similar issues in Portugal. Yes, more English is spoken in Portugal than France, but if you truly want to settle here, you really should learn the language.

What about those moving from Northern European countries. You will potentially be giving up the possibility of earning higher wages, if you’re still working. Be sure to decide whether the southern European lifestyle is enough to justify that move.

Finally, what about citizenship? Does it make sense to move to Portugal now or should you wait until you’ve obtained citizenship in your current country of residence. After that, you would have an “EU passport” that would allow you to move anywhere in the EU/EEA or Switzerland.

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