In-country regularisation ("manifestação de interesse") — ended
Verified
FACT ID · visa-in-country-regularisation-ended
Canonical value
The former in-country regularisation route — by which a third-country national who had entered legally (e.g. as a tourist) could regularise residence from inside Portugal via a "manifestação de interesse" tied to a social-security-registered work activity — was revoked. Third-country nationals must obtain the appropriate national residence visa at a Portuguese consulate BEFORE entering Portugal.REPORTED ·
Issuing authority
Diário da República — Lei n.º 23/2007 (texto consolidado)
Legal instrument
Decreto-Lei n.º 37-A/2024, de 3 de junho (revoga o regime de manifestação de interesse, Arts. 88.º n.º 2 e 89.º n.º 2, Lei 23/2007); Lei n.º 40/2024 (salvaguarda transitória); enquadramento pela Lei n.º 9/2025
Last verified
Review cadence
quarterly
Notes
This is a DIFFERENT instrument from the "manifestação individualizada de interesse da entidade empregadora", which remains a valid EMPLOYER document for the D1 subordinate-work visa (see visa-d1-documents). What ended is the applicant-side in-country regularisation without a prior residence visa. Lei n.º 40/2024 safeguarded people already registered and contributing to social security before the change, to complete the 12 months under the previous Art. 88.º. Verified against legal-press/secondary sources; confirm the exact consolidated-article status before advising a specific client.
Change history
Initial captureThe former in-country regularisation route — by which a third-country national who had entered legally (e.g. as a tourist) could regularise residence from inside Portugal via a "manifestação de interesse" tied to a social-security-registered work activity — was revoked. Third-country nationals must obtain the appropriate national residence visa at a Portuguese consulate BEFORE entering Portugal.
No further changes recorded yet — unchanged since it was first captured.
