Family reunification in Portugal
Legal support for residence-permit holders bringing spouse, children, ascendants or partner to Portugal.
Family reunification is the regime foreseen in articles 98 et seq. of Law 23/2007 that allows a residence-permit holder in Portugal to reunite, on Portuguese territory, certain family members: spouse, minor or dependent children, ascendants in a state of dependence, and partner in a recognised civil union, among other categories. It is not an autonomous entry route — it always depends on a principal applicant with a valid residence permit.
What family reunification is
The regime is built around three central elements:
- Principal applicant — holder of a valid residence permit in Portugal, or in the preparatory phase of an initial application on routes that admit reunification from the outset (notably the Golden Visa on the routes currently available);
- Eligible family members — categories foreseen in article 99 of Law 23/2007, with documentation of the bond;
- Material requirements — adequate accommodation for the family, sufficient means of subsistence, and the applicant’s regular immigration status.
Where these elements are met, the application is filed at AIMA (where the family members are in Portugal) or at the competent Portuguese consulate (where they are at origin). The title issued to reunified family members derives, as a rule, from the principal applicant’s title — when the latter is renewed, the family members’ titles are typically renewed in parallel.
Who can apply and for which family members
As a rule, the principal applicant is any holder of a residence permit in Portugal — D7, D8, D2, Golden Visa on the routes currently available, ongoing naturalisation by residency, humanitarian routes, or others. Some routes carry their own calendar rules (notably the Golden Visa, which admits the nuclear family from the initial application).
Eligible family members include, as a rule:
- Spouse or partner in a recognised civil union, with proof of the bond;
- Minor or incapacitated children of the couple or of either spouse, with proof of the filiation bond;
- Adult children still dependent — in a state of study or of evidenced incapacity;
- First-degree ascendants (parents of the applicant or of the spouse), in a state of economic dependence evidenced;
- Minor siblings under guardianship or another equivalent form of legal responsibility.
Concrete eligibility depends on the bond evidenced, the age of the minors as at the date of the application, and the situation of economic dependence where required. Less typical categories — for example, partners in unrecognised unions, ascendants without dependence — have their own rules and may require specific documentary handling or a different route.
Family documents, legalisations, translations and civil records
The documentary component is frequently the decisive factor. As a rule:
- Marriage or civil-union bond — marriage certificate (as a rule transcribed beforehand in the Portuguese civil registry, where performed abroad) or judicial decision / recognised civil-union declaration of more than two years;
- Filiation bond — children’s birth certificates, transcribed or apostilled depending on the country of issue;
- Economic dependence — for ascendants and for adult children still dependent, evidence of the dependence: bank statements, evidence of regular transfers, tax returns, official certificates where applicable;
- Criminal records — for family members aged above sixteen (depending on the regime applicable), with a short validity period and duly apostilled or legalised;
- Identification — passport or identity document of the family members;
- Prior transcriptions — marriages performed abroad, relevant deaths in the documentary chain, name changes.
Foreign documents require, as a rule, an apostille (Hague Convention) or consular legalisation where the country is not a signatory of the Convention, and a certified translation into Portuguese where they do not come in Portuguese. Small inconsistencies — name variants, date discrepancies, transliterations — are common and typically resolvable with technical handling, but require analysis before filing.
Accommodation, means of subsistence and the applicant’s immigration status
Three material requirements that underpin eligibility:
Adequate accommodation. Housing compatible with the size and composition of the reunified family. Evidenced by a lease agreement, deed of acquisition or other title, with the address that anchors the file. AIMA may assess adequacy against the family composition.
Sufficient means of subsistence. The applicant’s financial capacity to support the family in Portugal — as a rule, by reference to the Portuguese minimum wage and with uplifts for dependants. The evidence required varies with the principal route and the household configuration.
Applicant’s regular immigration status. A valid and current residence permit, with no unresolved incidents. Timely renewal and compliance with the principal route’s requirements are preconditions — an expired or irregular permit blocks reunification until regularisation.
Relationship with D7, D8, D2 and the Golden Visa
The family-reunification strand articulates with the principal immigration route:
- D7 — the D7 holder may reunify the nuclear family, as a rule after the first residence permit. Means of subsistence are assessed with uplifts for dependants;
- D8 — identical to the D7 in the reunification framework, with a particularity in the nature of the income (remote professional activity tied to a foreign entity);
- D2 — the D2 holder may reunify the nuclear family, as a rule after the residence permit. The economic viability of the applicant’s activity is also relevant for means of subsistence;
- Golden Visa — reunification is typically integrated from the initial filing, with the nuclear family submitted in parallel with the main application on the routes currently available. The real estate route of the Golden Visa was closed in October 2023.
For other routes — naturalisation in progress, humanitarian routes, specific regimes — the treatment is, as a rule, similar to that of the D7/D8 route, with their own particularities.
The coordination between the renewal of the principal applicant’s title and the renewal of the family members’ titles is a natural part of the file — administrative misalignment compromises the family’s residence regime as a whole.
Administrative risks, timing and individual analysis
The principal risk factors in reunification applications include:
- Recent marriage or civil union without reinforced documentation of the relationship’s reality — may attract requests for further information or trigger opposition where there are indications of simulation;
- Adult children without sufficient evidence of continued economic dependence — evidence of regular transfers, situation of study or of incapacity is typically required;
- Ascendants without clear evidence of economic dependence — declarations without documentary support are insufficient;
- Marriage performed abroad without prior transcription — blocks processing until regularisation;
- Documents with inconsistencies in name, date or place — common and resolvable, but require anticipation;
- Criminal records of adult family members — subject to the same case-by-case analysis applicable to the principal applicant, in light of Portuguese criminal law and the double-criminality principle;
- Misalignment with the calendar of the principal applicant’s title — particularly at renewal.
AIMA processing times in 2026 are not uniform. We communicate estimates calibrated against recent observed practice for the type of file, not fixed deadlines, and we revisit them every fortnight. Eligibility is never presented as automatic — it depends, in each case, on the bond evidenced, the documentation and the applicant’s immigration status.
How we work this area
The responsible partner reads the entire matter before the first reply. The initial consultation usually lasts 25 minutes and ends with a written framing of the family members’ eligibility under the principal route, a map of civil documents to be obtained, identification of any prior transcriptions required, a calendar and a fee proposal where the matter permits.
From that point, the team handles documentary preparation — apostilles, certified translations, transcriptions in the Portuguese civil registry, evidence of economic dependence where required — and the filing. We follow the file at AIMA or at the relevant consulate through to title issuance. Where a file is refused or extended inaction occurs, we lodge the appeal and, where required, bring proceedings before the administrative courts.
We do not replace tax advice or social assessment that may be relevant in cases with a specific incapacity or dependence component. We coordinate with relevant professionals of the client’s choice where needed.
We are bound by the Statute of the Portuguese Bar Association (Law 145/2015) and by Law 6/2024 on legal advertising. We do not publish results-based metrics, we do not make comparisons with other firms, and we do not promise outcomes.
Frequently asked
Who can be reunified in Portugal?
As a rule: spouse or partner in a recognised civil union; minor or incapacitated children of the couple or of either spouse; adult children still dependent, in a state of study or of incapacity; ascendants in the first degree in a state of economic dependence; and, in specific cases, minor siblings under guardianship. Concrete eligibility always depends on the family bond evidenced, the age of the minors as at the date of the application, and the situation of dependence where applicable.
How long must I have held a residence permit before applying for reunification?
There is no single fixed period — the general rule is that the applicant must hold a valid and current residence permit. In some routes and configurations, reunification can be filed at the moment of the initial application — notably in the Golden Visa on the routes currently available, where the nuclear family is typically integrated from the first filing. In other routes and situations, it is prudent to wait for the first renewal. The initial consultation communicates in writing the calendar applicable to the case.
Can I file for reunification in parallel with my initial visa application?
As a rule, yes, on routes where this is admissible — notably the Golden Visa on the routes currently available. In other cases, the principal applicant’s initial authorisation must be issued before family members’ applications can be filed. Coordinated scheduling between the principal application and the family application is part of the file from the outset.
Which family documents are typically required?
As a rule: marriage certificate or proof of a recognised civil union; birth certificates of the children; evidence of economic dependence for ascendants or adult children still dependent; identity documents of the family members; criminal records for family members above the legally required age; and, for marriages performed abroad, prior transcription in the Portuguese civil registry. Foreign documentation requires, as a rule, an apostille or consular legalisation and a certified translation into Portuguese.
What if the marriage or civil union is recent?
AIMA and the Tax Authority may request additional elements regarding the reality of the bond, and the Public Prosecutor may oppose where it considers there are indications of simulation. Genuine and well-documented bonds, even when recent, are typically reunifiable — but require careful documentary preparation of the reality of the relationship (family ties, communications, shared presences, social and professional networks). Sensitive cases are framed concretely before any application is filed.
Responsible author
Jorge Ferraz. Admitted to the Portuguese Bar since 2002. Leads the professional website DefesaLegal.pt. University lecturer in Portugal. Sustained handling of family reunification applications across all primary immigration routes, in coordination with the family, tax and immigration teams for cross-border projects.
This page is a starting point. The actual analysis of your case begins at the initial consultation — 25 minutes, in person in Porto or by video, with a written framing afterwards.
Reviewed May 2026.