Family Reunification Portugal 2026: Rules, Income, Steps

Family reunification (reagrupamento familiar) is how a non-EU citizen who already lives in Portugal with a residence permit brings a spouse or partner, children or dependent parents to join them. The rules changed sharply with Lei 61/2025 (in force since 23 October 2025): most sponsors now wait two years before they can apply, and AIMA has up to nine months to decide. This guide sets out the current law, what AIMA and the consulates publish, and where the practice is still unclear, as of September 2026.

Who can sponsor and who can come

The sponsor is a citizen of a country outside the EU who holds a valid Portuguese residence permit (Lei 23/2007, art. 98). The family members covered by the law (arts. 99 and 100) are:

• Spouse, or a partner in a de facto union proven under the law. AIMA asks for documents showing the union has lasted more than 2 years.
• Minor or incapable children of the couple or of either spouse, including adopted children where the adoption is recognised by Portugal.
• Adult children who are single, dependent on the couple and studying at a school or university in Portugal.
• Parents of the sponsor or of the spouse, if they are dependent on you.
• Minor brothers and sisters under your legal guardianship, where the guardianship decision is recognised by Portugal.

Since Lei 61/2025 a marriage or partnership only counts if it is valid and recognised under Portuguese law, and both partners must be at least 18 on the date of the request (art. 99 n.º 6). Bringing a child of only one spouse needs the written consent of the other parent (authenticated by a Portuguese consulate) or a court decision giving you custody (art. 99 n.º 4).

If your permit is for study, an unpaid internship or volunteering, only your spouse or partner and minor children qualify, not parents or adult children (art. 99 n.º 3).

The 2-year rule and who is exempt

Until October 2025 any holder of a valid permit could apply straight away. Lei 61/2025 rewrote art. 98: you now need a residence permit that has been valid for at least two years. The rule applies to requests filed after the law came into force on 23 October 2025 (Lei 61/2025, art. 8).

The 15-month option is for a spouse or equivalent partner who lived with you for at least 18 months in the period immediately before you entered Portugal (art. 98 n.º 2). In exceptional, duly justified cases the minister responsible for migration can waive or shorten the wait, weighing the strength of the family ties and your integration (art. 98 n.º 4); there is no application form for this, so treat it as an exception, not a plan.

The D7 and D8 are not on the exemption list, so a D7 or D8 holder who comes alone normally waits two years for a spouse or parents. That is why the timing of the family's move is best decided before the main visa.

Moving together instead of waiting

There is a second route that is not reunification: family members can apply for their own residence visas at the same time as the main applicant, to accompany them (art. 58 n.º 5). The consulate then asks for proof of the family ties and of stable resources for the whole family for the stay, or for 12 months if shorter (MNE, "acompanhamento de requerente"). The MNE says the reunification visa is not meant for relatives who apply this way.

Each family member then applies for a permit at AIMA after arrival. The public AIMA and MNE pages do not say how the two-year rule applies to relatives who came on accompanying visas, so confirm the procedure with your consulate and AIMA before planning around it. For families with children, D8 with kids walks through the practical side.

If your partner is an EU citizen: a different route

Reunification under art. 98 is only for family of non-EU residents. If the person you are joining is a citizen of an EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland, you use EU free-movement rules instead: no two-year wait, no minimum income, a residence card issued within three months and the right to work from day one. See residence card for family of an EU citizen and EU citizens. Relatives who are themselves EU, EEA or Swiss nationals do not need a reunification visa at all.

How much money you need in 2026

You must have means "sufficient to support all members of the family, without recourse to social support" (art. 101 n.º 1 b). The yardstick is Portaria 1563/2007: the guaranteed minimum monthly wage, €920 in 2026, counted per person: 100% for the first adult, 50% (€460) for each further adult, 30% (€276) for each child under 18 or dependent adult child. For reunification these means must be secured for at least 12 months (Portaria art. 9). Worked examples (the 12-month column is simple multiplication):

Everyone who will live in the household counts, including you. Salary, pension or other regular income all qualify; the Portaria wants stable and regular resources, so figures just above the floor from irregular income are a weak file. Where applicable, AIMA also asks for a signed undertaking on the family's subsistence (termo de responsabilidade, Modelo 4), with the signature certified by a notary, lawyer or solicitor unless it is signed in front of AIMA staff. More on the thresholds in income required for a residence visa.

Housing

You need accommodation, owned or rented, "considered normal for a comparable family in the same region" and meeting general safety and health standards (art. 101 n.º 1 a). The law says a Portaria will define this; no numeric standard (square metres per person) is published on the AIMA pages, so a lease where the size is plausible for the whole family is the safe approach.

What AIMA actually asks for is a sworn statement of your address saying on what basis you live there, plus a land-registry certificate if you own it, or a declaration from the landlord or host if you rent. If your landlord is reluctant, see proof of address (morada).

Documents checklist

AIMA's list for a request for family members living abroad (art. 98 n.º 1):

• Request form (Modelo 1), signed by you as sponsor.
• Your residence permit.
• A certified copy of each family member's passport.
• Authenticated proof of the family tie (see below).
• Sworn statement of address with land-registry certificate or landlord's declaration.
• Proof of means of subsistence, and Modelo 4 where applicable.
• Criminal record of each family member from their country of nationality, or from the country where they lived for more than a year, authenticated. Not required for children under 16.

Proof of the tie, depending on who is coming: marriage certificate; birth certificate (for adult children, also proof of dependency and enrolment at a school in Portugal); adoption decision; medical report or court decision on incapacity; the other parent's authenticated consent or a custody decision; proof of dependency for parents, such as regular money transfers; guardianship decision for minor siblings; documents showing a de facto union of over 2 years.

Step by step

• 1. Check the date you become eligible: 2 years (or 15 months) from when your permit started to be valid, unless an exemption applies.
• 2. You apply at AIMA in Portugal, not the family at a consulate. The request is made by appointment and filed in person at any AIMA office. AIMA may interview you and your relatives (art. 104).
• 3. AIMA decides within 9 months (art. 105). In exceptional, complex cases this can be extended once by the same period, and you must be told.
• 4. Notification: AIMA notifies you of an approval within 8 days (Decreto Regulamentar 84/2007, art. 68).
• 5. Family applies for the visa within 90 days at the Portuguese consulate where they live, with the AIMA approval, their identity documents and, for minors, travel authorisation from whoever has parental responsibility. Miss the 90 days and the approval lapses.
• 6. The consulate issues the reunification visa (art. 64). The general deadline for residence visas is 60 days.
• 7. Travel: the visa allows two entries and a 4-month stay (art. 58).
• 8. Permit at AIMA: each family member applies for their residence permit (art. 107).

The legal clocks alone (9 months at AIMA plus up to 60 days at the consulate) add up to about 11 months before anyone travels, and document collection comes on top. Track your dates with the AIMA deadline counter and the relocation checklist.

What changed in 2025 and 2026

Lei 62/2026, in force since 11 September 2026, did not change the reunification articles themselves. It changed the general permit rules that apply to your family once they are here: AIMA must decide a new permit within 90 days (+30 in exceptional cases) and a renewal within 60 days, and an undecided renewal is no longer tacitly approved (art. 82).

Family already in Portugal

Since Lei 61/2025, a request for relatives who are already in Portugal is only possible for the exempt family members: minor or incapable children in your care, their other parent, and families of art. 90, 90-A and 121-A permit holders, who entered Portugal and remain there on that basis at the date of the request (art. 103 n.º 2). AIMA asks for proof of legal entry. A transitional 180-day window for other relatives already here ended in April 2026 (Lei 61/2025, art. 6).

AIMA's online Services Portal currently takes reunification requests only for family members already in Portugal where the household includes at least one minor; requests for relatives abroad go through an in-person appointment. AIMA's FAQ also says that, for now, holders of a CPLP residence permit cannot file a reunification request; check with AIMA whether this has changed. Children born in Portugal to a permit holder have their own route (art. 122 n.º 1 a).

After arrival: the family member's permit

• Length: the same as the sponsor's permit (art. 107 n.º 1). Family of a permanent resident get 2 years, renewable for 3.
• Own permit: after 2 years, while the family ties last, or earlier if the sponsor has minor children resident in Portugal, family members can get an autonomous permit. A spouse or partner of more than 5 years gets an autonomous permit from the start; separation, divorce, widowhood or domestic violence can also justify one early (art. 107).
• Integration measures: reunified family members must attend Portuguese language training and training on constitutional principles and values, and minors must attend compulsory school (art. 101 n.º 3). Renewal depends on proving this, on not relying on social support, and on knowledge of the language and constitutional values, unless the failure is not their fault (n.º 4). The details are left to a regulatory decree; ask AIMA which courses currently count. For children, see enrolling a child in a Portuguese school.
• Absences: like any temporary permit, it can be cancelled after 6 consecutive or 8 total months abroad without a valid reason (art. 85). See leaving Portugal while waiting for your card.
• Renewals: file at least 30 days before expiry; see permit renewal.

What it costs

AIMA fees are from its table last updated 26 February 2026; confirm the exact lines at your appointment. Apostilles, translations, certified signatures and the visa centre's service fee come on top and vary by country.

Common reasons for refusal

• Applying too early: before the 2 years (or 15 months) when no exemption applies.
• Means below the household total, irregular, or dependent on social benefits.
• Housing not shown to fit the family.
• Documents: missing apostilles, a birth certificate over a year old, no consent from the other parent.
• A family member with an entry ban, an SIS alert, or who is a threat to public order, security or health (art. 106).
• A marriage, partnership or adoption of convenience: grounds to cancel the permit even after it is issued (art. 108).

Before refusing, AIMA must weigh the family ties, your time in Portugal and links with the home country. A refusal must state its reasons and can be challenged in the administrative courts; if the family is already in Portugal and the refusal rests only on the conditions (means, housing), the challenge suspends it (art. 106). The €75 administrative-appeal fee for visa refusals does not apply to refusals linked to reunification. If your case stalls, see AIMA case stuck or refused.

Permanent residence and citizenship

Reunified family members build their own residence time. Permanent residence comes after 5 years of temporary residence, with basic Portuguese (art. 80). Citizenship needs 10 years of legal residence (7 for CPLP and EU nationals) under Lei Orgânica 1/2026. See how long for citizenship and Portuguese A2.

Not sure which main visa fits before you plan the family's move? Try the visa finder, or read the shorter family reunification Q&A. All rules above come from Lei 23/2007 as amended by Lei 61/2025 and Lei 62/2026, AIMA and the MNE, as of September 2026; where practice is unsettled this guide says so.