Key figures — as of 2026-08-22: Old Job Seeker Visa closed to new applicants on 23 October 2025 under Lei n.º 61/2025 — its replacement, the Qualified (Skilled) Job Seeker Visa under Article 57-A, still cannot be applied for 303 days later; financial proof is expected at roughly 3× minimum wage (~€2,760/month); initial stay would run 120 days, extendable by 60 days.
A visa that exists on paper only
Foreigners hoping to fly into Portugal without a job offer and search for skilled work still can't do it. The route that was meant to replace the old, broader Job Seeker Visa — the Qualified Job Seeker Visa created under Article 57-A of the Foreigners' Law — has been sitting in legal limbo since the law that created it took effect. Portugal discontinued the general Job Seeker Visa in 2025, and Law no. 61/2025 replaced it with a Qualified Job Seeker Visa, restricted to applicants with specified technical or specialized skills. The catch: as of August 2026, the new visa is not yet available for applications, because Portugal's official visa portal states that consulates are awaiting regulations defining the qualifying skills, meaning applicants currently cannot apply for either the former general Job Seeker Visa or its qualified replacement.
The old version stopped taking applications the moment the reform passed. Law No. 61/2025 was published on 22 October 2025, and from 23 October 2025 Portuguese consulates and visa centres stopped accepting applications for the old job seeker visa. Anyone who had built a relocation plan around that route — travel first, interview locally, sign later — has had nothing to apply for since.
Why it's stuck: a missing ministerial ordinance
This isn't a case of officials sitting on paperwork. It's a specific procedural block. The visa requires a joint ordinance (Portaria) from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry with responsibility for immigration to specify which specialized technical skills qualify, and without that ordinance, a consulate officer has no legal framework for evaluating whether an applicant meets the skills requirement. The government's own visa portal spells this out in plain terms: it is "not yet available at consular offices, as the regulation under Article 57-A is still pending."
Officials have been consistent about the reasoning for tightening the route in the first place. Under the old system, applicants could arrive without any specific skills alignment and spend 180 days in Portugal without any reasonable prospect of finding work that Portuguese or EU workers could not fill. The fix — a skills list tied to labour-market gaps — makes policy sense. Not having published it ten months into the transition does not.
What the new visa is expected to require
Once the ordinance lands, the shape of the route is already fairly well telegraphed by the law itself. Expected conditions include a recognised degree, several years of relevant experience, and proof of funds. Candidates would need a recognised higher-education degree or equivalent professional qualification, typically a minimum of five years of relevant professional experience in a skilled occupation, and a profession falling within the list of eligible skilled professions in technology, engineering, health, sciences and other regulated sectors. Financially, applicants would need to show sufficient funds to support themselves during the visa period, at least three times the national minimum wage, approximately €2,760 based on 2026 minimum-wage figures. A pre-application screening step through Portugal's employment service is also expected. Before applying, candidates must submit an Expression of Intent to the IEFP, the Portuguese Employment Service, confirming their intention to seek qualified employment in Portugal. On timing, this national Type D visa would grant eligible applicants an initial stay of 120 days, with a possible 60-day extension, to attend interviews, network with employers, and sign a contract.
GrowIN's read on the gap
None of this helps anyone today. Counting from the day the old visa stopped taking applicants to this article's publication is 303 days — essentially ten months — during which Portugal has had, in effect, no dedicated entry route for skilled non-EU professionals who want to search for work locally before committing to an employer. For a candidate who might otherwise have converted a job-seeker stay into a payroll role within four to five months, that's not a paperwork delay — it's a lost hiring season for Portuguese employers competing for the same talent as Ireland, Germany or Spain.
"A visa that exists in the statute book but not at the consulate counter is not a policy — it's a waiting room," notes GrowIN Portugal Editorial.
What to do in the meantime
Anyone whose plan depended on this route needs a fallback now, not once the ordinance eventually appears. The EU Blue Card (Cartão Azul da União Europeia) remains a residence and work permit for highly qualified non-EU workers, attracting applicants mainly in tech, medicine, engineering and finance. Other viable paths in the meantime include the Tech Visa for hires by certified companies, the Highly Skilled Migrant permit, or — for those with passive income rather than a job lined up — the D7. Our visas hub tracks each of these routes and will be updated the moment AIMA or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs publishes the missing skills list.
What to watch next
The trigger to watch is the Portaria itself — the joint ordinance from the Foreign Affairs and immigration ministries defining eligible technical skills. Until it's published on the official visa portal, treat any "step-by-step guide" to this visa as speculative, and plan around the Blue Card, Tech Visa or D7 instead of waiting on a route that, for now, only exists in law.