Portugal StartUP Visa
Portugal
Residency
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See if you're a match →Portugal's StartUP Visa is a residence route for founders of innovative companies integrated with a certified incubator. It is narrower than the D2 entrepreneur visa because the startup needs to fit the IAPMEI/incubator framework.
- Type
- Startup founder residence
- Business fit
- Innovative company integrated with a certified incubator
- Core requirements
- IAPMEI/incubator evidence, company records, and residence documents
- What to know
- Narrower than D2; stronger for innovation-backed startups
Summary
Portugal's StartUP Visa is a residence route for founders of innovative companies integrated with a certified incubator. It is narrower than the D2 entrepreneur visa because the startup needs to fit the IAPMEI/incubator framework.
The route is most useful for founders building an innovation-backed company in Portugal, not for ordinary self-employment or a local small business.
Eligibility
You may be a fit if:
- You are building an innovative startup that would be based in Portugal.
- The startup is accepted by, or actively working with, a certified incubator.
- You can produce the IAPMEI or incubator evidence the filing requires.
- You can document the startup, identity, housing, tax, social-security, criminal-record, and admissibility pieces.
- You are prepared for ordinary residence-card issuance and renewal rules after approval.
Duration, Renewal, and Long-Term Path
AIMA describes the temporary residence authorization for immigrant entrepreneurs as valid for two years from issuance and renewable for successive three-year periods. That can support a long-term Portugal strategy if the startup and residence facts stay valid.
What This Route Allows
If approved, the StartUP Visa can allow the founder to live in Portugal while building the approved startup. It can also be a better fit than D2 where the business is genuinely innovation-oriented and tied to the certified incubator process.
What This Route Is Not
This is not the same as the D2 entrepreneur visa. D2 is broader and can fit ordinary businesses or self-employment. StartUP Visa is narrower and depends on an innovative company plus certified-incubator evidence.
It is also not the Tech Visa, which is mainly for employees hired by certified technology companies.
Next Steps
- Decide whether your plan is an innovative startup or a broader D2-style business.
- Identify certified incubators and the IAPMEI Startup Visa process.
- Gather company, business-plan, funding, incubator, and founder records.
- Prepare housing, criminal-record, tax, social-security, and identity documents.
- File through the appropriate visa and AIMA residence process.