Family Reunification in Portugal: Who Qualifies After the 2025 Law
The 2025 change to the foreigners law added a waiting period for most sponsors, with exceptions for children and some permit types. This is how the AIMA process works now.
Family reunification (reagrupamento familiar) lets a foreign resident of Portugal bring close relatives to live here, through an application to AIMA. Since Law 61/2025 took effect on 23 October 2025, the sponsor usually needs a residence permit held for at least two years, with exceptions for minor children and some permit types.
AIMA (Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo) decides the request; if the relatives are abroad, they then apply for a family reunification visa at a Portuguese consulate. The rules below are as of November 2026 and are general information. Family cases often turn on details, so an immigration lawyer (advogado) can check yours.
How long must I live in Portugal before I can apply?
The general rule is two years of valid residence permit. Article 98 of the foreigners law (Law 23/2007), as rewritten by Law 61/2025 in the Diário da República, sets these periods:
| Family member or sponsor (as of November 2026) | Minimum time with a residence permit |
|---|---|
| Most relatives | 2 years |
| Spouse or partner who lived with the sponsor for at least 18 months right before the sponsor came to Portugal | 15 months |
| Minor or incapacitated dependent children | No waiting period |
| Spouse or partner who is the other parent of a dependent minor child | No waiting period |
| Family of holders of permits for highly qualified, teaching or cultural work (article 90), investment (article 90-A, the golden visa) or the EU Blue Card | No waiting period |
The law also lets the government minister responsible for migration waive or shorten the period in exceptional, reasoned cases, looking at how solid the family ties are and how integrated the person is in Portugal.
Which relatives can I bring?
The list covers the core family, and every relationship has to be proven with authenticated documents. AIMA lists these family members under articles 99 and 100 of the law:
- a spouse, or a de facto partner (união de facto) with proof of more than two years together;
- minor or incapacitated children of the couple or of one spouse, including adopted children where Portugal recognizes the adoption;
- adult children who are single, financially dependent and studying in Portugal;
- parents of the sponsor or of the spouse, if they are dependent on the couple;
- minor siblings under the sponsor’s legal guardianship.
Since the 2025 change, a marriage or partnership must be valid and recognized under Portuguese law, and both partners must be at least 18 on the date of the request. Students on a study permit have a shorter list: spouse and minor or dependent children.
What income and housing do I need?
You must show housing that is normal for a comparable family in the same region and meets general safety and health standards, plus enough money to support everyone without relying on social benefits. Law 61/2025 says a government order (portaria) will define both tests in detail.
As of November 2026, AIMA’s application page still lists Portaria 1563/2007 as the rule on means of subsistence, which ties the amounts to the national minimum wage. Proof of housing is a sworn statement of your address plus either the land registry certificate (if you own the home) or a statement from the landlord. A lease registered with Finanças makes the landlord statement easier to back up.
The 2025 law adds integration duties after approval. Relatives must attend Portuguese language training and training on constitutional principles, and children must attend compulsory school. Renewing their permits depends on meeting those duties, unless the failure was not their fault. Our guide to the CIPLE Portuguese language test covers one common language certificate.
How do I apply when my family is abroad?
The sponsor applies to AIMA first; the relatives only go to a consulate after AIMA approves. The steps as AIMA and the Foreign Ministry describe them:
- Book an AIMA appointment and file the request in person at any AIMA office, with the signed application form (Modelo 1). Our guide to getting an AIMA appointment covers the channels.
- Attach your residence permit, an authenticated copy of each relative’s passport, authenticated proof of the family tie, proof of housing and means, and each relative’s criminal record certificate from their country of nationality or of residence for more than a year.
- Have foreign-language documents translated by a Portuguese notary or a Portuguese consulate, or by that country’s consulate in Portugal.
- After approval, each relative applies for a family reunification residence visa at the Portuguese consulate within 90 days. Missing that deadline cancels the approval.
- Once in Portugal with the visa, the relative goes to AIMA for a residence permit, which is issued for the same length as the sponsor’s.
According to the Foreign Ministry’s visa portal, only spouses and parents pay the national visa fee (€110 as of November 2026); children are exempt. AIMA’s own fees follow its official fee table.
What if my relatives are already in Portugal?
For relatives who entered Portugal legally and are still here, a request from inside the country is possible only for the family members who are exempt from the waiting period, such as minor children. A wider transitional window for all relatives already in Portugal lasted 180 days after the law took effect and closed in April 2026.
In-country requests are also made by appointment at an AIMA office, and the relative must go in person for biometrics. AIMA has opened an online channel on its services portal for some children already living in Portugal; check the age group it currently accepts before you book anything.
How long does AIMA take to decide?
The legal deadline is nine months from the request. In complex cases, and for some categories, the law lets AIMA extend it once by the same period, and it must tell you. AIMA does not publish average waiting times for family reunification, and processing has been slow for many families.
If AIMA misses the legal deadline, a lawyer can explain the formal options. Keep the filing receipt and every email in one folder; your relatives will also need them for the visa stage.
Bottom line
Start by counting the date on your first residence permit card, because that date decides if you can apply now or must wait until the two-year mark. While you wait, gather the authenticated certificates and criminal records, which often take longer to obtain abroad than the AIMA step itself.
FAQ
Does a residence permit renewal reset the two-year count?
The law counts how long you have held a valid residence permit, not the age of the current card. Keep your renewal receipts so you can show there was no gap; see our guide to renewing a residence permit.
Can D7 or digital nomad permit holders bring family right away?
Family members can apply for their own visas together with the main applicant at the consulate, as accompanying relatives, instead of using reunification later. Once the main applicant already lives in Portugal, the reunification rules and waiting period apply. Our D7 visa guide covers the accompanying-family route.
Do EU citizens use this process?
No. Family members of EU citizens living in Portugal follow EU free movement rules, which are separate from this procedure.
Can my parents come if they are not financially dependent?
The law covers parents only when they depend on the sponsor or the sponsor’s spouse. AIMA asks for proof of that dependency, such as regular money transfers to the home country.
