Portugal’s President, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, has officially signed a new law that simplifies entry for nationals from Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP). Under this law, citizens from CPLP countries, including Brazilians and Timorese, can now enter Portugal on a tourist visa or without a visa at all, and apply for residence permits while in the country.
This change particularly benefits Brazilians and Timorese, who are not required to have a visa to enter the Schengen Area. The new law also introduces several key changes to the format of residence permits. Instead of being issued on an A4 paper sheet, permits will now be issued as cards, similar to those of other residence permits. These new cards will be recognized by EU authorities, allowing holders to travel to other European countries.
Additionally, the validity of the permits has been extended from one year to two years. More than 150,000 people are expected to benefit from these document updates.
The Portuguese Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA) is working on a dedicated section of its website for applicants from CPLP countries, although as of February 12, this page is still under development.
In 2023, EU countries received a total of 148,239 visa applications from nationals of CPLP countries. Most of these applications were for Portuguese visas. According to SchengenVisaInfo, 75.6% of the visa applications from Angola were for Portugal. Applicants from Mozambique filed 20,313 visa applications, with 66% directed at Portugal. Meanwhile, 91.1% of visa applications from Cape Verde nationals—16,725 out of 18,341—were for Portugal.
