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- Immigration, Live in Portugal
Family Reunification in Portugal: Bringing Your Family After the 2025 Changes
👨👩👧 What Is Family Reunification?
It’s the right of a foreign citizen with a valid residence permit in Portugal to bring certain family members to live with them. Family members can:
- Apply from abroad, through a family reunification visa at the consulate, or
- Apply in Portugal, if they’re already legally in the country
👪 Who Can Join You?
- Your spouse or registered/de facto partner (both must be at least 18)
- Your minor children (and those of your spouse or partner), including adopted children
- Adult children who are dependent on you and studying in Portugal
- Dependent parents (yours or your spouse’s)
- Minor siblings under your legal guardianship
Forced, polygamous or child marriages are not recognised.
⏳ The Two-Year Rule (New Since 2025)
Since Law 61/2025 came into force on 23 October 2025, the person living in Portugal must generally have held a residence permit for at least two years before applying for family reunification.
Important exceptions:
- Minor or incapacitated children can join you without waiting.
- The spouse or partner who is the parent of those minor or incapacitated children can also join without waiting.
- Unmarried couples without children together: a shorter period of 15 months of legal residence applies, if the couple lived together for at least 18 months before the move.
- Holders of a Golden Visa, highly qualified activity permit or EU Blue Card are exempt from the minimum residence period.
- In exceptional, duly justified cases, the period may be waived.
Our tip: whenever possible, have your family members apply for their visas at the same time as you. This avoids the waiting period altogether.
💶 Means of Subsistence and Housing
You’ll need to show:
- Sufficient means to support the whole family, without relying on social benefits. The reference is the minimum wage (€920/month in 2026) for you, plus 50% for each additional adult and 30% for each child.
- Suitable housing for the family size, meeting general safety and health standards — owned or rented.
📚 Integration Requirements
The new rules also introduced integration requirements after the permit is granted (and at renewal):
- Portuguese language training
- Training on constitutional principles and values
- Compulsory schooling for minors
Citizens of Portuguese-speaking countries (CPLP) are exempt from the language requirement.
📋 Documents You'll Usually Need
From the family member in Portugal (the sponsor):
- Residence permit and passport
- Proof of income — employment contract, payslips, tax return, pension statements
- Proof of accommodation — rental contract or property deed
From the family members:
- Passports
- Proof of the family relationship — marriage certificate, partnership registration, birth certificates (apostilled and translated)
- Criminal record certificates (for adults)
- Proof of dependency, for adult children or parents
- Health insurance, if applying from abroad
🛤️ The Process
Option 1 – From abroad:
- The sponsor submits the family reunification application to AIMA in Portugal.
- Once approved, the family members apply for the family reunification visa at the Portuguese consulate.
- They travel to Portugal and receive their residence permit.
Option 2 – Already in Portugal legally: the application is submitted to AIMA, and the family members receive their residence permit in Portugal.
AIMA has up to nine months to decide, which may be extended in complex cases. Plan ahead.
🇪🇺 Family Members of EU Citizens
If your family member in Portugal is an EU citizen, different (and generally more favourable) rules apply. Non-EU family members of EU citizens apply for a residence card for family members of EU citizens, and the two-year rule doesn’t apply in the same way.
🚀 Final Considerations
Family reunification is still possible — but since 2025, timing and planning matter more than ever. Knowing the exceptions and preparing your documents in advance can save months of waiting.
📢 Expert Advice: If you’re planning to move with your family, apply together from the start. It’s the simplest way to avoid the two-year waiting period.
Want to bring your family to Portugal? Step Inside Portugal can assess your case and handle the process with AIMA and the consulate — find out more about our immigration services here. ✨
This article is for general information only and doesn’t constitute legal advice. It reflects the rules as of October 2026; immigration rules change frequently, so confirm the requirements that apply to your case.
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