# Portugal's Lei 62/2026 Lets Foreign Workers Switch Jobs Without New Permit

> Since 11 September 2026, D1 work-permit holders in Portugal can change employer by notifying AIMA instead of reapplying for residence.

- Source: https://www.growinportugal.com/news/new-rule-lets-foreign-workers-switch-jobs-without-reapplying-2026-10-15
- Publisher: GrowIN Portugal (https://www.growinportugal.com)
- Published: 2026-10-15
- Last reviewed: 2026-10-15
- Language: en

> **Key figures — as of 2026-10-15:** Lei 62/2026 in force since **11 September 2026** — **Article 88(8)** lets D1/subordinate-work residence holders change employer by **notifying AIMA**, no new residence card required solely for that change — self-employed residents get the same flexibility under **Article 89(6)** for changing activity type — general AIMA decision period now **90 days, extendable by 30** for new residence-permit applications under the transposed EU Pact rules.

## What actually changed

Since **11 September 2026**, a foreign employee holding a D1 subordinate-work residence permit who takes a new job in Portugal no longer has to restart the entire residence process. The law allows a change of employer, or a change in the nature of activity for self-employed workers, simply by notifying AIMA — the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum, reachable at aima.gov.pt.

The change sits inside a broader overhaul. Article 88(8) lets a work-residence holder change employer after notifying AIMA, without a new title merely for that change. Article 89(6) similarly permits a self-employed residence holder to change the nature of the activity after notification, under Article 81's provisions on the applicant and legal representative. For HR teams and foreign employees who have spent years navigating Lojas AIMA queues for what amounted to a paperwork update, this is one of the few unambiguous simplifications in a law otherwise dominated by tightened routes and shorter transitional windows.

## Why this matters for foreign employees

Before this law, anything that altered the basis of a residence title — including, in practice, an employer change for many caseworkers — risked being treated as a new fact requiring a fresh submission, appointment, and decision cycle. That mattered because the same legislative package also sets a 90-day decision deadline, extendable by 30 days, for residence permit applications, transposing EU Directive 2024/1233 into Portuguese law. A worker caught mid-renewal while switching jobs could, in theory, have faced months in administrative limbo rather than simply informing the authorities of a new employment contract.

**GrowIN Portugal's analysis:** stacking the old implied logic against the new notification rule gives a useful yardstick. If an employer change had previously been processed as a fresh application under the general 90+30 day framework, a worker could have faced up to **120 days** of uncertainty over their legal work status before a decision landed. Under Lei 62/2026, that window collapses to the time it takes to file a notification — a difference that, for someone mid-way through a job search or a probation period, is the gap between stability and several months of precarious status.

"A rule that turns a four-month administrative gauntlet into a same-day notification is exactly the kind of change that makes Portugal's labour market more usable for the people already living here," says GrowIN Portugal Editorial.

## Who this applies to — and who it doesn't

The notification route covers D1 subordinate-work permit holders changing employer, and self-employed residents (broadly D2-type profiles) changing the nature of their activity. Similar flexibility has been flagged for D3 highly-qualified work permits, where the 90-day permit decision deadline can be extended by 30 days in exceptional cases, and change of employer is handled by notifying AIMA.

It does not touch the separate, tougher parts of the same law: Lei 62/2026 also revoked the provision that let professional-course students convert their situation into a residence permit, since those courses no longer lead to one. Nor does it create any new route into Portugal — this is a procedural simplification for people who already hold a valid residence title, not a relaxation of entry requirements. Foreign workers on a D1 should still keep their employment contract and Segurança Social registration current, since those remain the documents AIMA checks at renewal time, alongside proof of the employer notification if a job change has occurred.

## What to watch next

AIMA has not yet published a dedicated online form for employer-change notifications comparable to the Portal das Renovações; details on required documentation and processing confirmation are still emerging as the agency implements the law. Contrary to some online claims, Portugal has not abolished every in-country exception or collectively invalidated existing residence cards — the practical rollout, rather than the headline change, is what foreign workers should track over the coming months.

Anyone currently holding a D1, D2 or D3 permit and weighing a job change should confirm the current notification procedure directly with AIMA before resigning or signing a new contract, and keep written evidence of both the old and new employment relationship. For a fuller walk-through of residence permit categories and renewal mechanics, see GrowIN's [visas](/visas/) hub.

This is a welcome, narrow fix in a law that otherwise narrows far more than it opens — and for the foreign employees it touches, it removes one of the more pointless bureaucratic frictions in Portugal's immigration system.

## Sources

- [TOF Advogados — Lei n.º 62/2026 analysis](https://www.tofadvogados.com/post/a-lei-n-%C2%BA-62-2026-de-10-de-setembro-e-a-execu%C3%A7%C3%A3o-do-pacto-europeu-em-mat%C3%A9ria-de-migra%C3%A7%C3%A3o-e-asilo)
- [AIMA — Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo](https://aima.gov.pt)
- [PT News Hub — Guide to Law No. 62/2026](https://ptnewshub.com/portugal-immigration-law-lei-62-2026.html)

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© GrowIN Portugal. Cite as: GrowIN Portugal, "Portugal's Lei 62/2026 Lets Foreign Workers Switch Jobs Without New Permit", https://www.growinportugal.com/news/new-rule-lets-foreign-workers-switch-jobs-without-reapplying-2026-10-15