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Portugal

Nationality · visas, permits and migration

Moved to OECD countries, 2023
62,922
Top destination, 2023
Switzerland
U.S. non-immigrant visas, FY2025
8,541
UK visas issued, 2025
1,868
Schengen visa refusal rate, 2024
5.7%
NationalityPTISO 3166
Year by year
Data as at 2025
NA<PTPORTUGAL<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
PT2<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<4

Visa requirements for a short visit

Whether citizens of Portugal need a visa for a short tourist or business visit, according to the legal lists. Rules change; check the official source before travelling.

DestinationShort visitLegal basis
Schengen areaFree movement (EU/EFTA citizens)Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 (consolidated 30.12.2025)
United KingdomNo visa; electronic travel authorisation (ETA) requiredImmigration Rules, Appendix Visitor / ETA National List
CanadaNo visa; electronic travel authorization (eTA) needed to flyIRPR s. 190, Schedule 1.1
Hong KongNo visa for visits of up to 90 daysImmigration Department (HKSAR), visit visa requirements, 31.12.2025
Source: Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 (consolidated 30 Dec 2025); UK Immigration Rules, Appendix Visitor and ETA National List; Canada IRPR s. 190 and Schedule 1.1; Immigration Department (HKSAR), visit visa requirements as at 31 Dec 2025Data as at Oct 2026

Where people from Portugal move

Inflows of foreign nationals by country of nationality, as recorded by each destination (OECD).

Inflows to OECD countries, 2023
  1. Switzerland12,750
  2. Spain11,554
  3. Germany8,839
  4. France7,426
  5. Netherlands6,084
  6. Belgium4,398
  7. Luxembourg3,638
  8. Denmark1,448
  9. United States1,290
  10. Canada1,005
  11. Austria778
  12. Norway709
  13. Italy702
  14. Sweden688
  15. Iceland391

Inflows to all OECD countries by year

43k86k200020032006200920122015201820212023
43k86k2000200420082012201620202023
Data table
200026,944
200125,425
200229,456
200333,585
200438,822
200540,382
200649,140
200760,136
200852,077
200941,682
201038,036
201143,914
201259,295
201385,773
201475,728
201564,625
201665,492
201764,460
201862,344
201967,607
202040,637
202152,410
202260,301
202362,922
Share going to the top destination
20.3%
Destinations recording arrivals
15
Source: OECD, International Migration Database (OECD.ELS.IMD), accessed 24 Oct 2026Data as at 2023

Living abroad

People born in Portugal who live in another country: mid-year estimates of the international migrant stock (UN DESA). Where a destination records citizenship rather than country of birth, its foreign citizens are counted.

Largest destinations, 2024
  1. France585,896
  2. Switzerland202,178
  3. United Kingdom193,901
  4. Brazil146,697
  5. United States141,889
  6. Canada120,690
  7. Spain93,840
  8. Luxembourg86,893
  9. Venezuela49,104
  10. Belgium40,781
  11. Netherlands25,933
  12. Australia17,637

Living abroad by year

901k1.8M19901995200020052010201520202024
901k1.8M19902000201020202024
Data table
19901,589,830
19951,540,545
20001,554,095
20051,622,764
20101,727,839
20151,801,647
20201,729,500
20241,799,179
Living abroad, 2024
1,799,179
Change since 2000
+15.8%
Share living in the largest destination, 2024
32.6%
Source: United Nations, DESA Population Division, International Migrant Stock 2024 (CC BY 3.0 IGO)Data as at 2024

United States

Visas issued to citizens of Portugal by U.S. consulates (fiscal years, October–September) and certified PERM labor certifications.

Non-immigrant visas by class, FY2025
  1. B1/B23,426
  2. C1/D1,623
  3. F1767
  4. J1540
  5. L1407
  6. L2248
  7. P1149
  8. H1B145
  9. O1142
  10. A2134

Non-immigrant visas by fiscal year

5,75912k201720182019202020212022202320242025
5,75912k20172019202120232025
Data table
20174,318
20187,386
20199,611
20203,880
20212,834
20226,708
20238,284
202411,517
20258,541
Immigrant visas by class, FY2025
  1. IR131
  2. CR118
  3. F118
  4. E116
  5. IR516
  6. E213
  7. F2B10
  8. IR29
Immigrant visas, FY2025
155
Certified PERM labor certifications, FY2024 (latest year with citizenship)
63
Source: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs, monthly visa issuances (public domain); U.S. Department of Labor, OFLC PERM disclosure data (public domain)Data as at FY2025

Green cards and U.S. citizenship

People born in Portugal who became U.S. lawful permanent residents (green cards) or U.S. citizens, and admissions of citizens of Portugal with an I-94 record (DHS, fiscal years).

Green cards by fiscal year

5051,0102015201620172018201920202021202220232024
5051,010201520172019202120232024
Data table
2015860
20161,010
2017940
2018890
2019940
2020680
2021750
2022750
2023890
2024780
Green cards by class of admission, FY2024
  1. Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens560
  2. Employment-based preferences190
  3. Family-sponsored preferences20
  4. Other classes10
Temporary worker admissions (I-94), FY2024
  1. Intracompany transferees (L-1)2,830
  2. Spouses and children1,340
  3. Specialty occupations (H-1B)890
  4. Extraordinary ability (O-1, O-2)840
  5. Athletes, artists and entertainers (P)250
  6. Other temporary workers170
  7. Seasonal non-agricultural workers (H-2B)70
Green cards, FY2024 (born in Portugal)
780
Naturalizations, FY2024 (born in Portugal)
1,410
I-94 admissions, FY2024 (citizenship)
243,980
Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Homeland Security Statistics, Yearbook of Immigration Statistics 2024 (public domain)Data as at FY2024

United Kingdom

Entry clearance visas issued to nationals of Portugal (Home Office) and students with a permanent address in Portugal (HESA).

Visas issued by group, 2025
  1. Work775
  2. Study771
  3. Family156
  4. Other103
  5. Visitor63

Visas issued by year

1,1362,272201020182020202220242025
1,1362,272201020182020202220242025
Data table
20102
20171
201832
201960
2020112
20211,904
20222,272
20232,046
20242,051
20251,868
Students at UK universities, 2024/25
2,015
Source: Home Office, Immigration system statistics (year ending June 2026), Open Government Licence v3.0Data as at 2025

Canada

Permits and invitations for citizens of Portugal, by year the permit took effect (IRCC).

YearTFWP workIMP workStudyPermanent residentsExpress Entry invitations
202532097025553045
20243751,39020563045
20234001,5952701,00065
20224301,33029587515
2021400980330890135
202032073018056085
20193901,35023085065
201839587026086595
201739578032079070
201642572027586085
201534061027083090
Source: IRCC, monthly open data (rounded to the nearest 5). Open Government Licence – CanadaData as at 2025

Australia

Temporary skilled visas (subclass 457 to 2018, then 482) granted to primary applicants who are citizens of Portugal, by financial year ending 30 June (Home Affairs).

Primary visas granted by financial year

811612005–062007–082009–102011–122013–142015–162017–182019–202021–222023–242025–26
811612005–062009–102013–142017–182021–222025–26
Data table
2005–0661
2006–0773
2007–08121
2008–09128
2009–1049
2010–1157
2011–12149
2012–13161
2013–14102
2014–15127
2015–16127
2016–17120
2017–1895
2018–19117
2019–2070
2020–2149
2021–2273
2022–2387
2023–24100
2024–25107
2025–26108
By stream, 2025–26
  1. Core Skills67
  2. Specialist Skills27
  3. Labour Agreement6
  4. Medium-term5
  5. Short-term3
Granted, 2025–26
108
Share of all Australian grants, 2025–26
0.2%
Source: Department of Home Affairs (Australia), BP0014 Temporary Resident (skilled) visas granted, data locked at 30 Sep 2026 (data.gov.au, CC BY)Data as at 2025–26

Japan

Citizens of Portugal living in Japan at the end of each December, by status of residence (Immigration Services Agency of Japan). 2020 and 2021 were published only as database tables.

Foreign residents in Japan

4388752012201420162018202220242025
4388752012201420162018202220242025
Data table
2012407
2013426
2014436
2015508
2016589
2017591
2018590
2019695
2022785
2023752
2024828
2025875
By status of residence, December 2025
  1. Permanent Resident224
  2. Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services158
  3. Student110
  4. Spouse or Child of Japanese National89
  5. Dependent80
  6. Designated Activities54
  7. Skilled Labor39
  8. Long-Term Resident25
  9. Professor20
  10. Highly Skilled Professional17
Residents, December 2025
875
In work-related statuses
279
Share in work-related statuses
31.9%
Students
110
Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, Statistics on Foreign Residents (在留外国人統計), Table 1, end of December (e-Stat; Government of Japan Standard Terms of Use 2.0)Data as at Dec 2025

Schengen visas in Portugal

Short-stay (C) visa applications at Schengen consulates located in Portugal, 2024. Applicants are mostly, but not only, its citizens.

Schengen stateApplicationsIssuedNot issuedRefusal rate
Luxembourg312713.2%
Bulgaria6400.0%
Belgium52240.0%
Spain5500.0%
Croatia3300.0%
Italy2200.0%
Switzerland1100.0%

Applications by year

2525042009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
252504200920122015201820212024
Data table
2009504
2010294
2011135
2012105
2013182
2014201
2015102
201657
201750
201846
201949
202020
202124
202228
202331
202453
Refusal rate, 2024
5.7%
Refusal rate, 2019
8.2%
Source: European Commission, DG Migration and Home Affairs, visa statistics for consulates (CC BY 4.0)Data as at 2024

National statistics in Europe

Citizens of Portugal in the figures of national statistics offices: residence permits granted in Denmark, immigrations by grounds for settlement in Sweden and immigrants with a non-EU/EFTA nationality by migration motive in the Netherlands; Finland and Austria publish immigration and emigration by citizenship only.

CountryYearAllWorkStudyFamilyProtectionOther or unknown
Denmark20251,5686114481840325
Sweden202560480150581
CountryYearImmigrationEmigrationNet migration
Finland20251417269
Austria2025743627116
Work-related, latest year
  1. Denmark611
  2. Sweden8
Source: Danmarks Statistik, Statistikbanken VAN66 and VAN77M (CC BY 4.0); SCB (Statistics Sweden), Statistikdatabasen TAB1614 and TAB6670 (CC0); CBS (Statistics Netherlands), StatLine 84809NED (CC BY 4.0); Statistics Finland (Tilastokeskus), StatFin 11a8 (CC BY 4.0); Statistik Austria, OGD_bevwan020_AUSSENWAND_100 (CC BY 4.0)Data as at 2025

Foreign embassies and consulates in Portugal

Countries with an embassy or consulate in Portugal, as recorded in Wikidata.

CountryEmbassiesConsulates-generalConsulates
Algeria1——
Andorra1——
Angola1——
Argentina1——
Australia1——
Austria1——
Bangladesh1——
Belgium1——
Brazil1——
Bulgaria1——
Canada1——
Cape Verde1——
Chile1——
China1——
Colombia1——
Croatia1——
Cuba1——
Cyprus1——
Czechia1——
Côte d’Ivoire1——
DR Congo1——
Dominican Republic1——
Egypt1——
Equatorial Guinea1——
Estonia1——
Finland1——
France1——
Georgia1——
Germany1——
Greece1——
Guinea1——
Guinea-Bissau1——
Hungary1——
India1——
Indonesia1——
Iran1——
Iraq1——
Ireland1——
Israel1——
Italy1——
Japan1——
Kazakhstan1——
Kosovo1——
Kuwait1——
Libya1——
Luxembourg1——
Malta1——
Mexico1——
Moldova1——
Monaco1——
Morocco1——
Mozambique1——
Netherlands1——
Nigeria1——
Norway1——
Pakistan1——
Panama1——
Paraguay1——
Peru1——
Philippines1——
Poland1——
Qatar1——
Romania1——
Russia1——
Saudi Arabia1——
Senegal1——
Serbia1——
Slovakia1——
Slovenia——2
South Africa1——
South Korea1——
Spain12—
Sweden1——
Switzerland1——
São Tomé and Príncipe1——
Thailand1——
Timor-Leste1——
Tunisia1——
Türkiye1——
Ukraine1——
United Arab Emirates1——
United Kingdom1—1
United States——1
Uruguay1——
Venezuela1——
Countries
85
Missions
89
Source: Wikidata (CC0)Data as at Oct 2026

Remittances

Money that migrants send home: personal remittances received by Portugal, in current US dollars (World Bank).

Remittances received by year, US$ million

1,3552,7092000200320062009201220152018202120242025
1,3552,709200020052010201520202025
Data table
2000259
2001342
2002309
2003384
2004385
2005387
2006440
2007610
2008641
2009598
2010517
2011631
2012543
2013565
2014615
2015517
2016545
2017583
2018722
2019838
20201,015
20211,367
20221,622
20231,735
20242,324
20252,709
Remittances received, 2025
US$2,709 million
Share of GDP, 2025
0.8%
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)Data as at 2025

All corridors from Portugal

Destinations with a dedicated page for citizens of this country.

  • Portugal → Switzerland
  • Portugal → Spain
  • Portugal → Germany
  • Portugal → France
  • Portugal → Netherlands
  • Portugal → Belgium
  • Portugal → Luxembourg
  • Portugal → United States
  • Portugal → Denmark
  • Portugal → Canada
  • Portugal → United Kingdom
Source: OECD, International Migration Database (OECD.ELS.IMD), accessed 24 Oct 2026Data as at 2023

Official data, not advice. Visa Atlas publishes figures from government registers and statistics. It does not assess eligibility or give immigration advice; for advice, consult a regulated adviser. Read more