• Not be a resident of any Schengen country.
• Be up to date with tax and social security obligations, where applicable.
• The candidates must not have criminal records in their home country.
• Be over 18 years of age.
• Have sufficient financial means to cover your needs, equivalent to 12 times the Indexante dos Apoios Sociais (IAS) established annually.

The Start-Up project may involve one or more entrepreneurs, with a maximum of five applicants, so the residence visa can only be granted to a maximum of five participants in the entrepreneurship project. Family members’ permits are counted separately through regrouping.

The application must be submitted online at the IAPMEI’s electronic headquarters. It will be this body that will assess the candidacy, taking into account, mainly:

• The degree of innovation of the project presented;
• The capacity for growth;
• The international market potential; and
• The capacity to create skilled jobs in Portugal.

An incubator company is an organization that fosters entrepreneurial projects. Once you submit your application to the IAPMEI and, if one or more of the certified companies shows interest in your idea, an incubation contract between the entrepreneurs and the certified incubator company will be signed.

• Interest in developing entrepreneurial projects in Portugal through the creation of companies with innovative purposes.
• Aim to develop goods and services with an international perspective.
• The entrepreneurship project should focus on the areas of technology and knowledge, with means to develop innovative products.
• Interest from a company certified as an “incubator” by the IAPMEI to incubate the entrepreneurship project.
• Have the potential to create skilled jobs in the next 24 months.
• Demonstrate the potential to achieve, after five years from the start of the incubation contract, a turnover of more than €325,000 per year or an asset value of more than €325,000 per year.
• The contribution of each entrepreneur to the project must be of an essential nature.

Initial: the initial residence visa will be valid for four months and can be extended for an additional ninety days.

Residence: once you enter Portugal with a Start-Up Visa, you can apply for a residence permit in Portugal.

This visa gives you the possibility to:

• Regroup your family members, including spouse, children, parents or dependent siblings of either spouse.
• Unrestricted entry and circulation within the European Union and the Schengen Area, which is composed of 26 European countries, without the need for another Visa. The Start-Up Visa essentially grants you the travel rights of all European Union citizens. It is perfect for those who wish to travel in Europe to establish and expand their personal and corporate contacts.
• Apply to the special non-habitual resident tax regime. Please contact us if you don’t know the advantages of this this Tax Regime and we will explain you what you need to know.
• It allows you to carry out an activity other than the entrepreneurship project, as long as the activity does not compromise the effectiveness of the project.
• Residence in Portugal.
• After five years of residence, you can apply for Portuguese nationality.