The Portugal Startup Visa is a residence option for non-EU, EEA, or Swiss entrepreneurs who want to start an innovative business in Portugal. The program is run by IAPMEI, together with Startup Portugal and certified incubators, and aims to attract founders with projects that are new, scalable, and have international potential.
The Startup Visa is different from the Portugal D2 Entrepreneur Visa because you need approval from a certified Portuguese incubator before you can apply. You must first be accepted by an incubator and get a Declaration of Acceptance from IAPMEI. Only then can you move forward with your residence visa application.
In this guide, we’ll break down how the Portugal Startup Visa works, including who can apply, hocitizw to get incubator approval, what IAPMEI and AIMA do, the main steps and timelines, and how you can go from getting your visa to living in Portugal.
Portugal Startup Visa: Key Takeaways
What is the Portugal Startup Visa, and who is it for?
The Portugal Startup Visa offers a way for entrepreneurs from outside the EU, EEA, or Switzerland to move to Portugal and build an innovative business here.
The program is run by Portugal’s Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation (IAPMEI) in partnership with certified incubators. Once your visa is approved, you can get your residence permit from AIMA, the agency responsible for migration and integration.
The Startup Visa is aimed at founders with big ideas: projects that are innovative, scalable, and have the potential to reach international markets.
This program is not for small local businesses, but for startups that can grow, create skilled jobs, and help put Portugal on the map as a hub for new technology and ideas.
One key step in the Startup Visa process is teaming up with a certified incubator. Before you can apply for your visa, you’ll need to get accepted by an incubator that’s approved for the program.
After you sign an agreement with the incubator, IAPMEI will review your project. If they give you the green light, you’ll receive a Declaration of Acceptance, which lets you move forward and apply for your residence visa at the Portuguese consulate in your home country.
Who it is for
The Portugal Startup Visa is aimed at people who want to move to Portugal to launch and grow a new business.
- It’s open to entrepreneurs living outside the Schengen Area who plan to relocate to Portugal and build a startup with growth potential.
- Your business idea should be innovative, focused on technology, or based on specialized knowledge.
- You can apply on your own or as part of a team, with up to five founders allowed per project.
- Applicants also need to show they have enough funds to support themselves when they first arrive, following Portugal’s financial requirements.
Difference Between the Portugal Startup Visa and the D2 Visa
If you are familiar with all the business-related visas Portugal offers, you might think that the Startup Visa sounds a lot like the Portugal D2 Visa. While you would be somewhat correct, several key differences set the two immigration options apart.
The D2 Visa is also for people who want to invest in an existing business or start a new one, with few restrictions on what kind of business it must be.
However, applicants for the Startup Visa must secure approval from a certified Portuguese incubator through IAPMEI, which will provide guidance, resources, and support to help ensure the business’s success.
Here’s a table comparing the Portugal Startup Visa and D2 Visa to highlight their differences:
| Aspect | Portugal Startup Visa | D2 Visa (Entrepreneur Visa) |
| Target Audience | Innovative entrepreneurs with scalable, tech-driven business ideas | Entrepreneurs, small business owners, freelancers, and independent professionals |
| Business Focus | Innovation, technology, scalable startups with international expansion | Broad business scope, including traditional businesses like restaurants, shops, or consultancies |
| Requirement for Incubator | Partnership with a certified incubator is mandatory | No requirement for an incubator or external support |
| Key Application Requirement | Approval of a viable, innovative business plan by a certified incubator | Submission of a business plan showing economic viability |
| Minimum Investment | No minimum investment required, but sufficient financial resources are needed to sustain the business | No fixed minimum |
| Sectors Covered | Tech, research, software, innovation-driven sectors | Open to all sectors, including service-based and local businesses |
| Application Process | Approval by incubator then apply for visa through Portuguese consulate | Submit business plan and supporting documents directly to consulate |
| Flexibility | Restricted to startup and innovation-focused ventures | Flexible for traditional, small, or medium-sized businesses |
| Path to Permanent Residency | Eligible after 5 years of maintaining residency and business | Eligible after 5 years of maintaining residency and business |
| Citizenship Opportunity | Can apply for citizenship after 5 years of residency, meeting language and integration requirements | Same path, with language and residency conditions required |
Benefits of the Startup Visa
The Portugal Startup Visa offers several benefits for entrepreneurs looking to gain access to Portugal and the broader EU market:
- Residence in a startup hub: Entrepreneurs gain residency (permanent residence in five years) in one of Europe’s most dynamic startup ecosystems with access to government-backed initiatives.
- No minimum investment: Unlike other residency or business visa programs, the Startup Visa does not require a specific minimum financial investment.
- Incubator support: A partnership with a certified business incubator is mandatory, and these offer mentorship, strategic guidance, and networking opportunities.
- Pathway to citizenship: In addition to family reunification, the program allows entrepreneurs to apply for Portuguese citizenship after five years (for now).
- Access to EU markets: With a permanent residence in Portugal, entrepreneurs benefit from visa-free travel across the Schengen Area and can access European Union-specific funding programs and the broader European market.
⚠️ Portugal Nationality Law Changes 2025
On June 23, 2025, the Portuguese Government announced plans to amend the Nationality Law and the legal framework governing immigration. The proposals have passed the plenary vote on October 28, 2025, which marks a significant step forward in the legislative process.
Among the measures under discussion are an increase in the residence requirement for nationality from five years to ten years – seven years for nationals of CPLP and EU countries – and a change to how residency time is calculated, so that the clock would start when residency is issued rather than when the application is submitted.
These changes are not yet law. They must still undergo Presidential review. At that stage, the President may promulgate the law, issue a veto, or request a review by the Constitutional Court. The final text may still be amended, including any transitional provisions or possible grandfathering rules, but they might not be enacted because the law is not final until its promulgated.
For the latest information regarding these changes, read Portugal Nationality and Citizenship Changes 2025
Portugal Startup Visa Eligibility and Requirements
To qualify for the Portugal Startup Visa, you need to meet two main sets of requirements.
First, you must be eligible for a Portuguese residence visa, just like with other immigration routes. Second, your startup idea needs to show innovation and growth potential, which is assessed by IAPMEI, the agency that oversees the national StartUP Visa program.
To qualify, your business idea needs to meet a few key requirements:
- It should be innovative and based on technology or specialized knowledge.
- Your business needs to have the potential to grow and reach customers beyond Portugal.
- It should be able to create skilled jobs in Portugal.
- Within five years, your business should be able to reach at least €325,000 in yearly revenue or have assets worth more than €325,000.
In contrast to the Portugal Golden Visa, you don’t need to make an investment up front. Instead, this financial benchmark shows the level of economic potential your project should have. IAPMEI looks at this when deciding if your project is viable and what kind of impact it could make.
You must either establish a new company in Portugal or relocate an existing innovative business to Portugal, and it must satisfy IAPMEI’s evaluation criteria, which include:
- Degree of innovation
- Scalability of the business model
- International growth potential
- Market opportunity
- Strength and competence of the founding team
- Capacity to generate qualified employment in Portugal
Team structure and application requirements
In addition to the strict Portugal Startup Visa application criteria, a few additional requirements must be met, as explained by the Ministery of Foreign Affairs.
- While it allows Portuguese citizens to be included in the project, the application leader must be a non-EU, non-EEA, non-Swiss national.
- A foreign citizen must have started the business outside of Portugal if the goal is to relocate the project to Portugal under the Startup Visa.
- Each member included in the application must have at least 12 times the Social Support Index (IAS) in a Portuguese bank account, which totals €6,270.
- An incubator must approve the project.
- The business or project can only have up to five members.
- Only five residency visas can be issued per project.
Only incubators accredited under the Startup Visa program may issue the incubation agreement required for IAPMEI evaluation. There are currently more than 100 certified incubators across Portugal participating in the program.
Business model criteria
Innovation: Your project needs to offer something new or different, whether that’s a product, service, or business model with a clear technological or knowledge-based edge. You don’t need to have a patent, but you do need to show what sets you apart from the competition.
Scalability: Your business needs to show it can grow beyond just the local market. IAPMEI looks for models that can reach new countries, boost revenue without costs rising as fast, and appeal to international clients or investors. That’s why the program puts a strong focus on international market potential.
Employment: The program emphasizes the creation of qualified employment in Portugal. While there is no fixed number of jobs that must be created immediately, you should demonstrate a realistic capacity to generate skilled positions as it scales.
Certified Incubators and Their Role in the Program
For the StartUP Visa, you’ll need to work with an incubator that’s officially accredited by IAPMEI. These incubators are private or semi-private organizations found across the country, and they run their own operations separate from the government. Their main focus is to help new businesses grow, not to handle paperwork or government processes.
The incubator is your first point of contact and acts as both an evaluator and a partner. Before your project goes to IAPMEI for review, you’ll need to sign a formal incubation agreement with a certified incubator.
The incubator will look at whether your project fits their sector, growth plans, and resources. Alongside the national StartUP Visa requirements, each incubator can also set its own commercial criteria.
You won’t be assigned an incubator by the government. It’s up to you to find, contact, and make arrangements with a certified incubator that fits your project.
Some of the certified Startup Visa incubators include:
- Startup Lisboa: Based in Lisbon, one of Portugal’s most established urban incubators, supporting early-stage technology ventures and international founders.
- Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia da Universidade do Porto: The University of Porto’s innovation hub, hosting technology, creative, and science-based startups.
- Braga Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia: A northern Portugal innovation park supporting tech-driven and engineering-focused projects.
- Taguspark: One of Portugal’s largest science and technology parks, located in Oeiras, with strong links to research institutions and corporate partners.
- Instituto Pedro Nunes: A leading innovation institute in Coimbra with strong research and university integration.
Application Process for the Startup Visa
Since an IAPMEI incubator must approve the projects, the application steps are a bit more complex than most people will be familiar with. However, here are the general steps that every application will follow:
1. Registration: You must first register your details online through the dedicated Portugal Startup Visa portal. This is where you explain what the business or project is about or demonstrate your interest in developing an entrepreneurial and innovative project in Portugal. During registration, you must also provide financial statements and a criminal record certificate.
2. Viability: Once all the project details are uploaded, incubators can assess the viability according to their needs and then submit a declaration of interest. If at least one incubator is interested, an application will be submitted to IAPMEI.
3. Evaluation: After about 30 working days, IAPMEI will reach a decision based on its evaluation processes. If the decision is favorable, it moves to the next step.
4. Contract: The interested incubator will have 40 working days to formalize the incubation contract. This includes the obligations of the entrepreneurs and incubators, such as the contract value, the person of the certified incubator responsible for monitoring the project, and the obligations and services provided by the certified incubator. After you review it, the incubation contract is finalized through a declaration of acceptance issued by IAPMEI.
5. Submission: The declaration of acceptance is valid for 180 days, during which period it must be submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for approval to be granted the Startup Visa. It will be valid for four months and allow for two entries into Portugal.
6. Appointment: After the visa has been granted, you will receive an appointment date with AIMA to formalize the residency permit and for the collection of biometrics.
Entrepreneurs and incubators are required to submit quarterly reports to IAPMEI to assess the project’s progress.
Required Documents for the Portugal Startup Visa
The documentation required to apply for a residence visa under the Startup Visa program are:
- Official form for visa application fully completed and signed
- Declaration issued by IAPMEI certifying the signing of an incubation contract with a certified incubator
- Passport or additional travel documents
- Two passport photos
- Valid travel or health insurance
- Proof of being in a regular financial situation
- Consent to a criminal record check by AIMA
- Criminal record certificate from the country of origin
- Proof of means of subsistence through bank account statements
Portugal Startup Visa Processing Time and Costs
After you upload your project details to the online platform, there is no set duration for when incubators must show interest and submit a declaration.
However, IAPMEI takes about 30 working days to approve the application, and the incubator will have 40 working days to formalize the incubation contract.
You will then have five days to accept the contract, after which the incubator has 20 days to register a personalized incubation plan.
Thereafter, residency visa applications can take two to four months, while the residency permit usually takes four months.
In addition to having €6,270 per project member in a Portuguese bank account and paying the various fees for starting a business in Portugal, you can also expect to pay €90 for the Startup Visa and €155 for issuing the residency permit. After five years of legally living in Portugal, you can apply for permanent residency and make Portugal your new permanent residence.
Why choose Global Citizen Solutions for your Immigration Visa?
GLOBAL APPROACH BY LOCAL EXPERTS
- GCS has offices located across Portugal.
- Members of the US-Portugal and UK-Portugal Chambers of Commerce in Portugal, and the Investment Migration Council (IMC).
- Our expert team can help you throughout your journey to secure your Visa.
100% APPROVAL RATE
- Our successful track record in applications provides reassurance to applicants.
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TRANSPARENCY AND PRIVACY
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