manifestação de interesse

Published 5 November 2026, 23:09

A former route to legal status for people already in the country: a person worked as an employee or registered as self-employed, paid Segurança Social contributions and applied for a residence permit without a work visa. The route was closed by Decreto-Lei n.º 37-A/2024, de 3 de junho — the repealed provisions ceased to apply from 4 June 2024. Later, Lei n.º 40/2024, de 7 de novembro, introduced transitional arrangements for those who had been registered with Segurança Social and paying contributions before 4 June, even if they had not managed to submit the MI itself.

Where you come across it. Old chat groups and guides; certificates and documents for applications submitted before the route was abolished.

An MI is an application, not a residence permit: having submitted one served as proof that your stay was legal, and the card itself was issued later.

Official website: aima.gov.pt/media/pages/documents/d95f78e688-1738858582/regime-transitorio-pt-28012025.pdf

Guides

How to choose a visa for moving to Portugal How to get a D2 visa for business and freelancing in Portugal How to get into university in Portugal Right to work and employment contracts: which documents you need and what to check before you sign Working in Portugal from abroad: where to find an employer and which visa to get How to get a D8 visa to work remotely from Portugal How to pay Segurança Social contributions as a self-employed worker How to register with a Centro de Saúde and see a doctor in Portugal