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- Immigration, Live in Portugal
Portugal’s Job Seeker Visa After 2025: What Changed and What Are the Alternatives
🔎 The Old Job Seeker Visa
Until October 2025, the job seeker visa allowed citizens of non-EU countries to:
- Come to Portugal for up to 120 days (extendable by 60 days) to look for a job
- Register with the employment services (IEFP)
- If they found a job, apply for a residence permit without leaving the country
It was open to people of any qualification level.
⚖️ What Changed With Law 61/2025
Since 23 October 2025, the general job seeker visa has been replaced by a visa for qualified job seekers (visto para procura de trabalho qualificado):
- It’s only for people with specialised technical skills and for highly qualified jobs.
- The list of qualifying skills and the detailed requirements are to be set by a ministerial order (portaria).
- It’s valid only for Portugal (not the whole Schengen area) and allows one entry.
- If you don’t start working before the visa expires, you must leave Portugal and can only apply again after one year.
- You’ll need a return ticket.
- People who have previously entered or stayed illegally in Portugal will be refused.
⏸️ Where Things Stand in 2026
At the time of writing, the ministerial order regulating the new visa hasn’t yet been published, and consulates are not accepting applications for it. That means there’s currently no job seeker visa available in practice.
⚠️ Be careful with scams: anyone selling “job seeker visa” appointments or guarantees right now is selling something consulates don’t accept.
📋 What It Will Likely Require
Based on the law and the previous rules, once it opens you can expect to need:
- Proof of qualifications in the areas defined by the ministerial order
- Means of subsistence for the duration of the stay
- Travel/health insurance
- Return ticket
- Criminal record certificate
- Accommodation in Portugal
The exact requirements will only be known once the regulation is published.
🔄 Alternatives If You Want to Work in Portugal
- Find a job before you move → apply for a D1 work visa with a contract or promise of contract.
- Highly qualified professionals → D3 visa, Tech Visa (with a certified company) or EU Blue Card.
- Remote workers → D8 digital nomad visa, if you work for employers or clients abroad.
- Entrepreneurs and freelancers → D2 visa or Startup Visa.
- Students → study in Portugal with a D4 visa and look for work after graduating.
Tips for finding a job from abroad:
- Use job platforms such as Net-Empregos, LinkedIn and the IEFP portal.
- Target sectors with shortages — IT, engineering, healthcare, hospitality and tourism.
- Have your diplomas recognised in Portugal early, if your profession is regulated.
- Learn some Portuguese — it opens many more doors.
🚀 Final Considerations
The days of coming to Portugal as a tourist or job seeker and regularising later are over. Today, the best strategy is to secure a job or the right visa before you move — and stay tuned for the regulation of the new qualified job seeker visa.
📢 Expert Advice: Don’t wait for the job seeker visa to open. If you’re qualified, start applying to Portuguese companies now — a contract opens the door to a D1 or D3 visa straight away.
Want to work in Portugal? Step Inside Portugal can help you find the right visa route for your profile and guide you through the process — 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; the new visa’s regulation may be published at any time, so confirm the current situation before applying.
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