CPLP visa and residence permit: the rules for Brazilians and other CPLP citizens

Who is covered

Nationals of the States in which the CPLP Mobility Agreement is in force: Brazil, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe, Timor-Leste and Equatorial Guinea (Portugal itself being the ninth member). The agreement created a lighter visa file and a specific residence permit; it did not remove the visa requirement for settling.

• Consular visa first — the CPLP residence permit is granted only to holders of a residence visa obtained for that purpose (AIMA, Lei n.º 61/2025)
• AIMA appointment written in the visa — the date appears in the visa's observations field
• 2 years validity of the uniform card, then 3-year renewals; Schengen travel allowed (Lei n.º 9/2025)
• Means waived with a guarantee from a host or an employer, or with a university admission

The CPLP visa file

The consular list is the general residence-visa list with two differences:

• No travel insurance is listed for the CPLP visa;
• Means of subsistence can be replaced by a termo de responsabilidade: signed by the host entity (for trainees or workers) or the exchange/volunteering organisation, or by a Portuguese citizen or a legal resident who guarantees board and lodging and the cost of removal if the applicant overstays — with the guarantor’s last tax return and three months of bank statements. Applicants admitted to a Portuguese university are exempt from proving means altogether.

Otherwise: signed form, two photos, proof of legal status if applying outside your own country, criminal record certificate (apostilled or legalised; not required under 16), and the documents of the purpose — work contract, company deed, study admission, pension, and so on, as for any residence visa. Fee 110 €; decision within 60 days.

From visa to CPLP permit

The visa carries the date of your AIMA appointment. In Portugal you attend it with the passport, the visa, proof of address, NIF and the documents of your purpose; biometrics are taken and the uniform-format residence card is issued — the same card as any temporary residence permit, valid two years and renewable for three-year periods. The old paper CPLP permits, which did not allow travel outside Portugal, are being replaced by the card.

If your visa was issued without an appointment date, AIMA publishes a contact form for CPLP visa holders to obtain one.

Special cases

• Job offer: a CPLP national with a Portuguese employment contract applies for the ordinary D1 or for the CPLP visa with the employer’s guarantee; both lead to a permit.
• Students: the CPLP visa with the university admission, no means to prove.
• Family: spouse and children accompany the applicant with proof of the family tie; the guarantor’s termo can cover the household.
• Pending files from before 2023: people who lodged an expression of interest with the former SEF by 31 December 2022, or who hold a CPLP visa issued from 31 October 2022, obtain the CPLP permit under the gov.pt procedure.

Rights and next steps

The CPLP permit gives the same rights as any residence permit — work, study, health service, family reunification under the conditions of art. 98.º — and counts as legal residence for permanent residence after five years and for naturalisation after seven years (CPLP nationals benefit from the shorter period under the Nationality Act as amended in May 2026; Portuguese-language proficiency is presumed unless manifestly absent).

Questions