Working in Portugal

The short answer

Main routes	Residence visa for employed work, highly qualified activity visa, EU Blue Card, Tech Visa programme for certified companies
What changed	Law 61/2025 ended the general job-seeker visa from 23 October 2025 and replaced it with a job-search visa for highly qualified people, valid only for Portugal
Language	Portuguese needed for most roles; English common in Lisbon and Porto tech
Who decides	Portuguese consulates and visa centres in India (visa), AIMA (residence)

What changed in 2025

Until October 2025, Portugal offered a general job-seeker visa and allowed people already in the country to regularise their stay through a "manifestation of interest". Both have ended. Applications must now be made from abroad through a Portuguese consulate, and the new job-search visa is limited to highly qualified candidates and does not allow travel to other Schengen countries.

For Indian professionals this means one thing: get a job offer or a highly qualified profile first, then apply from India. Anyone promising to get you into Portugal "and regularise later" is describing a route that no longer exists.

The remaining routes

• Employed work visa: with a job offer or contract, apply at the consulate for a residence visa for subordinate work.
• Highly qualified activity: for professionals with a degree and a highly qualified role, including researchers and teachers in higher education.
• EU Blue Card: for graduates with a job offer above the Portuguese threshold.
• Tech Visa: Portuguese tech companies certified under this programme can hire qualified foreign staff more quickly.

Where the opportunities are

Lisbon and Porto have growing tech, shared-services and start-up scenes. Tourism and hospitality employ many foreign workers, and agriculture in the Alentejo relies on seasonal labour. Salaries are lower than in Northern Europe, and housing in Lisbon has become expensive.

Quick answers