Diogo Capela
Lamares, Capela & Associados, Lisbon
dc@lamarescapela.pt

Portugal might still be one of Europe’s most attractive jurisdictions for international professionals, entrepreneurs and investors. Yet, for employers seeking to recruit or relocate foreign talent, the central challenge is no longer simply eligibility, but also predictability. In a fragmented global mobility environment, businesses need to know when a worker can enter, start work, travel and obtain a residence card. In Portugal, these timelines remain difficult to forecast.

What clients are asking now

For employers, the most frequent questions are practical: ‘when can we count on this worker?’, ‘what happens if a consular or VFS (Visa Facilitation Services) appointment is delayed?’ and ‘how should the company handle payroll, onboarding and internal planning while the immigration process is still pending?’. In some cases, the difficulty begins before the worker even reaches Portugal, particularly where appointment availability in the country of origin is limited or inconsistent.

For workers, the questions are often more personal and immediate: ‘when will biometrics be scheduled?’, ‘when will the residence card arrive?’, ‘can I travel while my decision or renewal is pending?’, and ‘what is the effect of recent legislative changes on my existing process?’. Renewals, family reunification, permanent residence and nationality also generate frequent uncertainty, particularly where clients assume that legal deadlines will match actual processing times.

The most difficult situations are often those in which a visa or residence permit expires before the next appointment or renewal is completed. Applicants may remain in an irregular administrative position while waiting, even though they have taken the required steps. This creates anxiety around employment, travel and proof of lawful stay, and it places employers in the uncomfortable position of managing operational needs without a reliable administrative timetable.

There is also a persistent information gap. Some employers remain reluctant to hire foreign workers who are not yet physically in Portugal or who do not yet hold a residence card, even where a lawful route is available. Concerns about labour inspections, fines or even exposure to allegations connected with unlawful immigration are often based on misunderstandings of the legal framework, but they still influence recruitment decisions and make access to employment harder for foreign workers.

Portugal has introduced mechanisms designed to facilitate labour immigration in specific contexts, including more structured approaches for certain employers and sectors. However, the practical scope of these mechanisms remains limited. If Portugal wants to compete more effectively for international talent, broader, clearer and more predictable channels for employers would be a significant step forward.

Digitalisation is progressing, but not yet uniformly

On the other hand, Portugal has made visible efforts to digitise immigration procedures. The Immigration and Asylum Agency (AIMA) has expanded online renewal channels, including for investment residence permits and the backlog recovery operation has processed a substantial number of pending cases. These are important developments.

However, renewals remain a particularly sensitive issue for both workers and employers. Delays in renewing residence permits may restrict a worker’s ability to travel freely, even when the person is already integrated into the Portuguese labour market. This can be especially relevant for senior employees and C-suite executives whose roles require frequent international travel.

Practice also remains uneven. Technical failures, overloaded systems, email-based appointment requests and limited visibility over the status of applications continue to create friction. Processes that appear straightforward on paper can therefore become complex because of timing, local practice or coordination failures between AIMA, social security, the tax authority and other institutions.

Why employers feel the impact

For employers, the consequence is not only administrative inconvenience. Delays affect workforce planning, start dates, internal mobility, project allocation and retention. They also increase the time HR and legal teams spend answering questions that cannot always be resolved with certainty.

Highly qualified workers are a good example. Where the process depends on an appointment request submitted through a general channel rather than a structured booking system, companies may be unable to give candidates a credible timeline. This can make Portugal less competitive, even when the underlying immigration route is attractive.

The Portuguese Social Security Number (NISS) remains another recurring source of avoidable confusion. The Portuguese social security agency has clarified that employers do not need to wait for a social security number before signing an employment contract. In fact, the contract is the key document for assigning the NISS.

However, in practice, employers, accountants and finance teams are often reluctant to place a foreign worker on payroll without a NISS. This hesitation is usually based on uncertainty, as discussed above, rather than on the legal sequence itself, but it can still delay onboarding and make the hiring process more difficult for both companies and workers.

What employers should do now

There’s always a way around. Companies should build immigration planning into recruitment from the beginning, rather than treating it as a final administrative step. HR and legal teams should confirm the appropriate route, realistic processing times and documentary requirements before agreeing a start date.

Documentation should be prepared early, but not indiscriminately. Criminal record certificates and other documents may have short validity periods, so timing matters. Employers and applicants should keep complete copies of submissions, payment evidence, appointment confirmations and correspondence, and they should assume that active follow-up may be necessary.

Most importantly, businesses should communicate uncertainty honestly. A realistic timeline is more valuable than an optimistic date that cannot be guaranteed. Where mobility is business-critical, employers should also consider alternative sequencing, remote work arrangements where legally possible and contingency planning for travel or delayed relocation.

The next 12 months

Further digitalisation, stricter document review and continued efforts to reduce pending cases are likely. Operational improvements may gradually reduce pressure, but predictability will remain the defining issue for employers in the short term.

Portugal continues to offer strong advantages for international talent and business mobility. The challenge is ensuring that the administrative system can support those advantages consistently. For employers, staying ahead in 2026 will mean preparing earlier, documenting carefully and managing expectations with precision. It’s always better to be prepared.

Sources

AIMA, ‘Portal de Renovações: AIMA disponibiliza renovação de ARI’ (29 January 2026) https://aima.gov.pt/pt/noticias/portal-de-renovacoes-aima-disponibiliza-renovacao-de-ari accessed 19 July 2026.

AIMA, ‘Autorizações de Residência válidas até 15 de outubro de 2025’ (30 June 2025) https://aima.gov.pt/en/documentos-e-vistos-validos-e-aceites-ate-30-de-junho-de-2025-valid-and-accepted-documents-and-visas-until-30-june-2025 accessed 19 July 2026.

Government of Portugal, ‘Apresentação de resultados da Estrutura de Missão para Recuperação de Processos Pendentes na AIMA’ (18 December 2025) https://portugal.gov.pt/gc25/comunicacao/documentos/estrutura-de-missao-para-a-recuperacao-de-processos-pendentes-na-aima-balanco-da-producao accessed 19 July 2026

gov.pt, ‘Pedir o Número de Identificação da Segurança Social (NISS)’ (updated 23 March 2026) https://www.gov.pt/servicos/pedir-o-numero-de-identificacao-da-seguranca-social-niss- accessed 19 July 2026

AIMA, ‘Decreto Regulamentar da Lei de Estrangeiros: alterações’ https://aima.gov.pt/en/decreto-regulamentar-da-lei-de-estrangeiros-alteracoes accessed 19 July 2026