HOW WE GOT A FREELANCER VISA IN PORTUGAL
Updated for 2021 and includes all Covid-19 changes (more online, less offline which is good news).
“It took us only 8 hours to collect and present this paperwork and I will tell you all the steps now.” — Ena
Ena & Miloš moved from Serbia (non-EU) to Setubal, a beautiful fishermen town in Portugal. They make a living as illustrators and web designers and they work remotely.
“One year ago, I couldn’t imagine that I will be living in Portugal”, says Miloš who is sitting on the stairs in front of his new apartment, while looking over the ships in the port of Setubal.
Portugal became a freelancer's friendly country and invites people from all over the world to pay taxes there. It happens to be one of the most beautiful places to live in Europe (according to Sende).
If you want to live and work near the Atlantic coast for curiosity reasons or you are tired of mini-dictators running your country, this guide will lead you through needed steps.
It took them only 8 hours to collect all paperwork in Serbia and to present it in Setubal and Lisbon. The waiting period between documents is not included.
This guide has 2 parts. In case you already have a business or a remote job, please skip to step number 2: The paperwork in your home country.
However, if you don’t have a business that makes at least 800€ per month then continue reading.
- Your business or a service
- The paperwork in our home country
- The paperwork in Portugal
- The validity of your residence card
- Applying for a visa from a home country first (another option)
1. YOUR BUSINESS OR A SERVICE
and the biggest obstacle for many is:
you need to earn at least 800€ per month to get a residence permit.
e.g. You can run your own (online) business or offer your services as a freelancer.
But do not worry.
This sounds impossible for many people, so we want to help out.
We have created a program that is called Village nomads where we deconstruct jobs of digital nomads. Now you can literally copy/paste the whole process of many digital nomads who passed through Sende.
On our Instagram, you can also check stories from our guests. We even made short stories about our guests who changed their careers completely to become digital nomads.
You can get inspired by their stories on our Instagram profile.
Example from the Instagram post: Rapha was a chef who had held a clandestine restaurant in Belgium.
He wanted to change his career and took a Ruby on rails intensive course in Paris (costed 3900€/9 weeks).
1 week after he finished this course, Rapha tweeted that he had just finished the bootcamp and was looking for a job.
The same day a company offered him one. Since then (4 years ago) Rapha is making 55€/hour (started with 45€/hour) in the same company (that tweeted him back) and traveling the world.
2. THE PAPERWORK IN OUR HOME COUNTRY (SERBIA)
It comes with 8 steps and Miloš and Ena did exactly this:
STEP 1 (For people coming from ANY country):
Take these docs:
- A certificate of citizenship
- Criminal record from home country legalized with apostille and translated to Portuguese (translation can be requested in Portugal)
- The driver’s record should be requested only after having the residence card approved since it will expire. The driver’s license can only be done after having the residence card, and through this type of application, it will take around 2 years.
STEP 2: The criminal record must be legalized with apostille OR stamped by the Portuguese consulate in your home country. If it is difficult to get it translated to Portuguese in your home country, you can do it in Portugal.
⏰ It took only 3 hours of effort to take all docs and to send them to translators while the translation waiting time was 5 hours 💶 Total costs: around 100€/person
Tip: In case you need a translation the same day, they charge 4€ for the urgency (in Serbia). If you are in a hurry, ask the translation agency in your country for the same service.
3. THE PAPERWORK IN PORTUGAL
Note: Due to the COVID-19 flight restrictions, it may be difficult to come to Portugal as a tourist and apply from Portugal.
But Ena and Miloš went to Setubal and
STEP 3: Got the TAX number (NIF in Portuguese)
To get NIF, you will need to bring a passport and one receipt from your home country where it states your name and home country address(Ena and Miki presented their phone receipt).
⏰ 10 minutes procedure 💶 0€
Tip: Wake up early (huge queues in Lisbon).
IMPORTANT: You must bring with you a Portuguese resident (a friend) to sign as your tax representative. If you are a non-EU resident, it is mandatory to have a tax representative until you become a resident or until you have a lease in Portugal.
A tax representative (usually an accountant or a consultant) may charge from 150€ to 500€ to get the tax number. If you can ask a friend to do it for you, it will have no cost.
Currently, due to COVID-19, the NIF is requested online, by the tax representative.
STEP 4: Register as self-employed (freelancer)
To register as a freelancer, you will need your TAX number (NIF), a copy of your Portuguese bank account details, to choose up to 3 business activities that you want to register for, and a passport.
You will also need one person from Portugal who will vouch that you will pay taxes. You can discuss this part with the agency that helps you get all the papers.
A good friend of Ena and Miloš did this for them. Some people charge 100€/month for this service and big accounting companies may charge up to 500€.
This person will be responsible for paying your taxes in case you do not do it, so it is difficult to find someone willing to be a VAT representative. Usually, only accountants do it (if you work with that accountant) or a friend/relative that trusts you.
Additionally, this person must be a freelancer or a business owner as well.
⏰ 30 minutes procedure 💶 0€
STEP 5: get the Social number
You will need a passport copy (with stamps), a copy of the TAX (NIF) document, a copy of the document that proves that you started your freelance activity.
You can apply all of this in Loja do Cidadao, the place where you can handle almost all bureaucracy, however, the waiting time is around 30 days.
They got everything done in Palácio da Justiça, where it took only 5 to 7 days. So, do it here.
⏰ 2 hours in lines 💶 0€
STEP 6: Rental contract (proof of accommodation)
Ask your landlord (a person who rents you a house) to make you the contract. You will need a passport and you can put more names on the same contact (in case you share the apartment).
Miloš and Ena found an apartment (small studio on 2 floors) by the sea for 330€. Now (in 2020/21 they moved to big apartment, 550€). However, more expats are moving to Portugal with a freelancer's visa opportunity, so prices are higher, especially in Lisbon.
This is currently a very good price for a city like Setubal. It is very difficult to find a nice and affordable apartment to rent in Portugal (in the bigger cities) as Airbnb took over the country and 400€ apartments are now 800€ per month.
We would recommend looking for a place in smaller towns and villages.
STEP 7: Apply for the residence card
Submit online, using the SEF platform:
- your rental contract,
- 3 last bank statements,
- a copy of the criminal record,
- passport copy,
- proof of legal entrance in Portugal,
- and at least 1 invoice issued to a Portuguese client (individual or company).
All of this is done online 😎
It takes at least 8 months to get an answer from SEF. After getting a positive answer, you have to book an appointment with SEF. Due to the lack of slots, be ready to wait more than 1 year for your appointment.
This process takes time, but you can live and work from Portugal meanwhile without any problems
Updated: The online application is free of charge and the Portuguese criminal record is no longer required.
💶 0€ fee (before it was 165€ + 5€ for the criminal record, now free).
STEP 8: Open the bank account
They chose Activo bank (part of Millennial bank).
This business account can be used as a personal account as well.
⏰ 1h 💶 you need to put 500€ of deposit to open an account (but this money is yours) and the account maintenance fee is 0€
STEP 9: APPOINTMENT WITH THE SEF OFFICE
This appointment is the most important part of the process since it is when you will have the residence card approved or denied.
You will have to bring the original documents that you have presented online plus all the updated information: all invoices you have issued meanwhile (at least 650€ per month), updated bank statements, proof that you have been paying taxes and social security monthly, updated proof of accommodation.
If all documents are OK, SEF will take your photo and fingerprints to issue your residence card, that will be sent to your home address in 60 to 90 days.
THE VALIDITY OF YOUR RESIDENCE CARD
The first residence card is valid for 2 years. The following are valid for 3 years.
After 5 years, the residence card becomes permanent and you can even apply for Portuguese citizenship.
To be able to renew a residence card, you need to stay in Portugal for at least 183 days per year (non-consecutive).
So, this was the procedure that Ena and Miloš did.
This would be another option to go with.
5. APPLYING FOR VISA FROM YOUR HOME COUNTRY FIRST
This option is better in case you need a visa to enter EU. Serbians can enter and stay in EU for 90 days in every 6 months.
If you can’t do it, go with this option:
According to Paula from the agency that helps you get all the papers, you will need this:
According to Paula from the agency that helps you get all the papers, you will need this:
1. You need to apply for a visa in your home country or to the country where you have lived in the last year (as a resident, not as a tourist)
2. This visa is granted in 45–60 days. You will have to go to the consulate in person to submeti your application and later to have the visa stamped in your passport. After having the visa, you need to exchange it for a residence card, in Portugal.
3. The first residence card is valid for two year. The following is valid for 3 years.
4. After 5 years, the residence card becomes permanent and you can even apply for the Portuguese citizenship.
5. To be able to renew a residence card, you need to stay in Portugal for at least 183 days per year (non- consecutive).
MAIN DIFFERENCES:
option Applying in your home country:
POSITIVE: Takes up to 60 days to get a visa.
option Ena and Miloš:
POSITIVE: You can move immediately and start the process from Portugal while living and working there.
NEGATIVE: The immigration services do not have a deadline in terms of time of response. Nowadays is taking around 2 years to complete the process.
and the difference in costs:
option Applying in your home country:
Application fee paid in the consulate — 120€
Residence card — paid in Portugal — 160€
option Ena & Miloš:
Accountant — 125€ + IVA per month
Residence card — paid in Portugal — 260€ to 520€ depending if you apply for the residence card in the first 3 months as a tourist or if you overstayed.
Costs of agency — 350€ to 600€, depending on the services you may need,
Instead of registering as a freelancer, you can also set up a business (register a company on your name) and use it to apply for a residence card. The initial costs are higher but you will not need a VAT representative.
Ena and Miloš and one more friend of ours from Australia are doing all this paperwork with one agency.
Neither Sende or Ena and Milos are affiliated with this recommendation. But we would love that you move to Setubal as many families did thanks to this blog post.
Feel free to visit us in our new Sende coliving in Setubal, Portugal.
This post will be updated in case we receive more info on some steps.
Useful links:
