VISA

Type of Visas

1. Schengen Visa (Duration between 1 to 90 days);

2. National Visa:

            a) Temporary Stay (Less than 1 year);

            b) Residency (More than 1 year).

SCHENGEN VISA

A Schengen Visa is an authorization issued by one of the Member-States for the purpose of airport transit, transit or an intended short stay in a territory of one or more Member-States, allowing its holder to present him/herself at the external frontier.

The Schengen visa is a short-stay visa for a maximum period of ninety (90) days during any hundred and eighty (180) days period and can be granted for tourism, family visit, business, seasonal work, transit, among others.

There are three types of Schengen visas: (1) Short Stay visa; (2) Seasonal work visa; (3) Airport transit visa.

NATIONAL VISA

Long-stay visas, in compliance with existing domestic law, can be either temporary or for residency authorization purposes, depending on the duration of the stay and granting the visa holder an authorization to stay in the country according to different purposes: study, internship, work, medical treatment, among others.

Third-country nationals are required to hold a long stay visa to enter and stay in Portugal for over 90 days.

To know which visa is the adequate according to both purpose and duration of stay, kindly access the visa website.

DOCUMENTS NEEDED

The necessary documentation to request both the Schengen Visa and the National Visa can be accessed here and here, respectively.

Notes:

In the case of the national visa, the criminal record certificate from the country of origin (PCC) needs to be issued ONLY by the respective REGIONAL PASSPORT OFFICE (RPO) and not by any other department. The original PCC and the respective Portuguese translation needs to be attested with apostille by Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi.

In the case of a study visa, the latest original Educational Certificate has to be attested first by the competent local authorities and thereafter apostilled by Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi. The Certificate will be returned when the visa process is completed. 

In the case of an independent work activity visa and a fixed residency for retirement purposes visa, the proof of accommodation (own or rental agreement) has to be for a minimum period of 365 days. The proof of subsistence needs to be produced by submitting a bank statement from Portugal with sufficient funds.

PRESENTATION OF THE APPLICATION

Kindly note that, effective from the 1^st of December 2023, visa applicants who fall under the jurisdiction of the Consulate-General of Portugal in Goa will have to submit their applications at the VFS Global Office:

VFS Global

Portugal Visa Application Centre,

Gera Imperium Grand, 6th Floor,

Office No. 619 - 621, Behind Ginger Hotel,

Patto Plaza, Pangim - Goa 403001 - India

Ph: 022-67866070 (08:00 a.m. - 17:00 p.m. - Monday to Friday)

Only residents of the states of Goa, Maharashtra, Union Territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli may apply for visas through the Consulate General of Portugal in Goa. Residents of other states, if residing for more than six months in one of the above listed states, may also apply at this Consular Post, subject to presentation of proof of residence.

Applicants resident in Maharashtra may send their applications through VFS Global Services. The contacts are as follows:

VFS Portugal Visa Application Centre

Urmi Axis Building, Second floor,

Behind Famous Studio, Opp. E. Moses Road,

Mahalaxmi (West), Mumbai

400 001 – Maharashtra

Submission of Application:

Monday, tuesday and wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Collection of Passport:

Monday, tuesday and wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For more Information, please call 022-67866070, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays, e-mail infonorth.ptin@vfshelpline.comor access the website.

The residents in a different Indian State, should submit their request at the Embassy of Portugal in New Delhi.

The Consulate General of Portugal in Goa also represents Greece and Slovenia with regards to all types of Schengen Visas.

Information about the deadline for filing the application and for its decision can be obtained here, for Schengen visa, and here, for national visa. 

APPLICATION PROCESS

The form duly filled and printed should be submitted along with all the necessary documents, originals and photocopies, in person, at the respective VFS Centre on the appointed day. In the case of a request for Schengen visa, biometric data will be collected.

If the visa application is rejected, there will be no reimbursement of the fees, since the costs relates to the processing of the visa application, and not to the visa itself. Negative decisions on visa applications shall be notified to the applicants and shall state the reasons on which they are based. Applicants whose visa is refused have the right to appeal against the decision. The complete details of the appeal process are stated in the refusal letter that is handed over to the applicant at the time of Passport collection.

The grant of visa is at the sole discretion of the Government of Portugal.

A visa is not a guarantee to access the Schengen territories as the final authorization remains with the immigration officials at the respective borders. 

Under no circumstance the purpose of stay should be altered once the visa is granted.

Applicants with dual nationality (one being Portuguese) cannot apply for a visa and will have to apply for a Portuguese Passport to travel to Portugal.

At the present moment, due to a high volume of visa applications being received, the processing time for visa applications of short duration may extend to between 30 to 45 days.

For more information, kindly access Visa website.

The above rules and fees are subject to change / modification without prior notice.