Startup Visa and Tech Visa in Portugal: How the Programs for Entrepreneurs and Certified Companies Work

Portugal has two programs designed for innovation and technology that are often confused: the Startup Visa, for entrepreneurs who want to create their startup in Portugal or move it there, and the Tech Visa, for companies that want to hire highly qualified professionals from outside the European Union. Both are managed by IAPMEI, the Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation, and both make the path to a residence visa easier. But they work in very different ways.

This article explains who can use each program, the requirements and amounts in 2026, the steps up to the residence permit, and the precautions that usually make a difference.

Startup Visa and Tech Visa: the difference in one sentence

• Startup Visa: the applicant is the entrepreneur. He or she must be accepted by a certified incubator and approved by IAPMEI. The result is a residence visa for immigrant entrepreneurs (Art. 60(2)(c) of Law 23/2007), the so-called D2 visa.
• Tech Visa: the applicant is the company with its registered office or a permanent establishment in Portugal. Once certified, it issues a statement of responsibility (termo de responsabilidade) for the professional it will hire, who uses it to apply for the visa for highly qualified activity (Art. 61(1)(c)), the D3 visa.

Startup Visa: how it works

The program is governed by Normative Order 4/2018 (Despacho Normativo) and by Ministerial Order 344/2017 (Portaria), amended by Ministerial Order 275/2018, which deals with the certification of incubators (IAPMEI, StartUP Visa).

Who can apply

The program accepts two profiles (Art. 2 of the Normative Order):

• entrepreneurs who want to develop a project in Portugal, even without an incorporated company;
• entrepreneurs who already have a company in their home country and want to carry out the activity in Portugal.

Each application may include up to five entrepreneurs (Art. 5(5)).

Personal requirements

Under Art. 5(1) of the Normative Order, each applicant must:

• not have permanent residence in the Schengen area;
• be in good standing with the Portuguese tax authorities and Social Security, where applicable;
• have no criminal record;
• be at least 18 years old;
• have their own financial means equal to 12 times the IAS (Social Support Index), proven by a bank document.

On the program page, IAPMEI states the 2026 IAS: €537.13, which gives €6,445.56 per entrepreneur (12 × €537.13). According to IAPMEI's frequently asked questions, this requirement is mandatory to submit the application and must be proven individually when there is more than one entrepreneur.

Project requirements

Applicants must show, among other points (Art. 5(2)):

• a genuine interest in developing an entrepreneurial project in Portugal, such as creating an innovation-based company;
• production of goods and services that can be sold internationally;
• a focus on technology and knowledge, with prospects of innovative products;
• interest from one or more certified incubators in physically incubating the project;
• potential to create qualified jobs;
• potential to reach, within five years after the start of the incubation agreement, annual turnover above €325,000 and/or assets above €325,000;
• an individual contribution from each applicant that is essential to the project.

Those who already have a company in their home country must also show, among other requirements, that the company was created less than four years ago, that it has the potential to create at least five jobs within 24 months, that they hold executive functions or a stake of at least 10%, and that the previous year's accounts show positive equity (Art. 5(3)).

The steps

1. Choose certified incubators from the list published by IAPMEI and obtain a statement of interest in incubating the project.
2. Submit the application on the IAPMEI platform, in Portuguese or English, with a cover letter, a project presentation and proof of the requirements. Applications are accepted throughout the year.
3. IAPMEI decision within 30 business days from submission (Art. 6(9)).
4. Incubation agreement with the incubator, within 40 business days after the favorable decision (Art. 6(10)). The agreement is valid for 12 months and can be renewed by agreement, as long as the incubator remains certified (Art. 7(5)).
5. IAPMEI statement certifying that the incubation agreement has been signed (Art. 6(12)). This is the specific document the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MNE) requires in the visa application.
6. Residence visa application at the consulate or at VFS, with the general residence visa documents and the IAPMEI statement (MNE, residence visa documents).
7. Residence permit from AIMA, once in Portugal, for those developing an entrepreneurial project within a certified incubator, without the need to have incorporated a company or registered the start of activity (Art. 89(4) of the Foreigners Act (Lei de Estrangeiros)).

The incubation agreement has a price, agreed between the entrepreneur and the incubator (Art. 7(2)(c)). It is worth asking more than one incubator for proposals and reading each party's obligations carefully, because complying with the incubation plan and providing information to IAPMEI are part of the agreement.

Tech Visa: how it works

The Tech Visa is governed by Ministerial Order 328/2018 (Portaria), amended by Ministerial Order 99/2019 and by Ministerial Order 59-A/2022 (IAPMEI, Tech Visa).

Company certification

Commercial companies, technology interface centers and recognized collaborative laboratories with a registered office or permanent establishment in Portugal may apply. A certified company may not have more than 50% of its workers hired through the program at the same time; for companies operating mainly in inland territories, the limit is 80%. According to IAPMEI's frequently asked questions, applications open by public notice, the review takes up to 20 business days, certification is free of charge and is valid for five years, renewable.

Requirements for the professional

When issuing the statement of responsibility, the company must ensure that the worker (Art. 5 of Ministerial Order 328/2018, as amended by Ministerial Order 59-A/2022):

• is a national of a non-EU country and does not reside permanently in the European Union;
• is in good standing with the tax authorities and Social Security, where applicable, and has no criminal record;
• is at least 18 years old;
• has ISCED-2011 level 6 education, equivalent to a bachelor's degree, or, with level 5 education, proves exceptional technical skills gained over at least five years of experience;
• has an employment or service contract of at least 12 months, with minimum pay equal to 2.5 times the IAS;
• speaks Portuguese, English, French or Spanish, as required by the role.

With the 2026 IAS (€537.13), 2.5 times the IAS equals €1,342.83. The text of the Ministerial Order refers to a "minimum annual salary equal to 2.5 times the IAS", while IAPMEI's frequently asked questions treat the amount as the employee's minimum salary, adjusted with the annual IAS updates. Since the wording does not make the reference period clear, it is advisable to confirm which reading is applied before signing the contract.

Steps for the professional

1. The certified company issues, on the IAPMEI platform, the statement of responsibility in the professional's name, valid for six months.
2. The professional applies at the consulate for the residence visa for highly qualified activity, submitting the statement of responsibility (Art. 61(1)(c) of the Foreigners Act). The legal deadline for a decision on this visa is 30 days (Art. 61(3)).
3. In Portugal, he or she applies to AIMA for the residence permit (Art. 90(1)(c)).

Those who qualify for this type of permit have specific advantages, such as exemption from the two-year waiting period for family reunification (Art. 98(3) of the Foreigners Act).

Startup Visa or Tech Visa: which applies to your case

• You will found your startup in Portugal or move it there: Startup Visa.
• You were hired by a Portuguese technology company: check whether it is certified under the Tech Visa. If it is, the statement of responsibility simplifies the D3 application; if not, the path is the D3 or the D1 with an employment contract.
• You will open a traditional company, without an innovative character: the path is usually the D2 for entrepreneurs, with proof of investment or of financial means in Portugal. See the page on setting up a company.
• You will keep working for a foreign company: the path is the D8 visa.
• You will invest without moving: see the Golden Visa.

The full comparison of visas is on the Visas for Portugal page.

Precautions that make a difference

• The Startup Visa is not a shortcut for any kind of business. IAPMEI assesses innovation, scalability, market, team and potential for qualified jobs.
• The incubation agreement has costs and obligations. Non-compliance may lead to termination of the agreement (Art. 8 of the Normative Order).
• Financial means are per person. Each entrepreneur proves his or her own 12 IAS, in addition to the means of subsistence required in the visa application.
• The Tech Visa statement of responsibility expires in six months. If it expires before the AIMA appointment, the company must issue a new one.
• Taxes: founders and professionals who move tend to become tax residents in Portugal. IFICI (Portugal's tax incentive for scientific research and innovation, successor to the NHR regime) may cover certain qualified activities and roles, but whether it applies depends on the case. See the page on tax residence between Brazil and Portugal.

How Sene & Araújo can help

Sene & Araújo has lawyers admitted to the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) and the Portuguese Bar Association (Ordem dos Advogados), with offices in São Paulo and Albufeira, and works directly on procedures in Portugal. For entrepreneurs, we review the application and the incubation agreement, handle the NIF and the company incorporation, prepare the visa application and follow the residence permit process. For companies, we support the Tech Visa certification application and the visa applications of the professionals hired. Talk to our team.

• Law 23/2007 — Foreigners Act, consolidated version (Arts. 60, 61, 89, 90 and 98)
• Normative Order 4/2018 (Despacho Normativo), of February 2 (Startup Visa)
• IAPMEI — StartUP Visa (Ministerial Order 344/2017, amended by Ministerial Order 275/2018; 2026 IAS)
• IAPMEI — StartUP Visa frequently asked questions
• IAPMEI — Tech Visa
• Ministerial Order 59-A/2022 (Portaria), of January 28 (amends Ministerial Order 328/2018 — Tech Visa)
• IAPMEI — Tech Visa frequently asked questions (August 29, 2024)
• Startup Portugal — Startup Visa
• Startup Portugal — Tech Visa
• MNE — Supporting documents: residence visa

Sene & Araújo Sociedade de Advogados team. Content prepared and reviewed by the firm's lawyers, admitted to the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) and the Portuguese Bar Association (Ordem dos Advogados), with offices in São Paulo and Albufeira. The provisions cited were checked against the official sources listed above. Meet the team.