Moving to the UK from Portugal: Guide

Visiting: an Electronic Travel Authorisation, Not a Visa

Portugal is not on the Home Office visa national list, so Portuguese citizens do not need a visitor visa for a short trip. Instead you need an electronic travel authorisation. It costs £20, and it covers visits of up to 6 months each. You do not need one to change planes at a UK airport if you do not pass through UK border control. An electronic travel authorisation does not let you work, study long term, or move to the UK.

The EU Settlement Scheme

If you were living in the UK by 31 December 2020 you may hold settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme. The deadline has passed. GOV.UK says a late application is still possible where you can show reasonable grounds for applying now, and gives examples such as a serious medical condition, lacking the capacity to apply, or a parent or local authority not having applied for you as a child. A family member joining someone with status has 90 days from first arriving in the UK after 31 December 2020, and a child born or adopted after 1 April 2021 has 90 days from birth or adoption.

Visa Routes for Portuguese Citizens

• Skilled Worker visa. Requires a licensed sponsor, a job at degree level (level 6 of the regulated qualifications framework) for a new application, and a salary of at least £41,700 a year or the going rate for the job, whichever is higher. Some applicants qualify at the lower £33,400 threshold. A job on the Immigration Salary List uses that lower threshold and a lower fee, but the full going rate for the job still applies. See the salary threshold guide.
• Family visa. The sponsoring partner normally needs an income of at least £29,000 a year. A decision usually takes 12 weeks from outside the UK. See the spouse visa guide.
• Student visa. £558, and a decision usually takes 3 weeks from outside the UK. See the student visa guide.
• Graduate route. 2 years after a UK degree, or 3 years after a PhD. For applications made on or after 1 January 2027 the standard length falls to 18 months. See the Graduate route guide.

Portugal is not a Commonwealth country and is not on the Youth Mobility Scheme list, so neither the UK Ancestry route nor the Youth Mobility Scheme is open on a Portuguese passport.

Document Requirements

• Valid Portuguese passport.
• No tuberculosis test. Portugal is not on the list of countries where a test is needed. It still applies if you have lived for 6 months or more in a country that is on the list and were living there within the last 6 months.
• English language test. Needed for most work, study and family routes. Portugal is not on the majority English-speaking list. A degree taught in English can be used instead of a test if UK ENIC confirms it is equivalent to a UK degree. See our English language test guide.
• Certificado do registo criminal. Not needed for every route. The Home Office asks for a police certificate for Skilled Worker and Temporary Worker applications in certain jobs, mostly in healthcare, education, therapy and social services, and for some other routes. Where it is needed, apply through the Portuguese criminal record service, which states a cost of €5 and publishes no processing time. Check the GOV.UK criminal records checks guidance for how to apply from Portugal.

What It Costs

UK visa fees are set in pounds sterling and are the same wherever you apply from.

• Electronic travel authorisation: £20
• Skilled Worker visa from outside the UK: £819 for up to 3 years, £1,618 for more than 3 years
• Student visa: £558
• Healthcare surcharge: £1,035 a year, or £776 a year for students, their dependants and under-18s
• Settlement: £3,226 for each person
• British citizenship: £1,709 to apply plus a £130 ceremony fee, £1,839 in total
• English test: GOV.UK publishes no price. Test providers set their own fees.

See our UK visa fees guide.

What the Healthcare Surcharge Buys

Paying the immigration health surcharge does not make the National Health Service free. It puts you on the same footing as a UK resident, so you then pay what a resident pays. In England that means £9.90 for each prescription item and dental charges of £27.90, £76.60 or £332.10 depending on the treatment. Prescriptions are free in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Voting in the UK

Portugal is one of a small group of countries whose citizens can register to vote in England and Northern Ireland — the others are Denmark, Luxembourg, Poland and Spain — alongside British, Irish and Commonwealth citizens, and European Union citizens who had permission to enter or stay on or before 31 December 2020. In Scotland and Wales any foreign national with permission to enter or stay can register for Scottish Parliament, Senedd and local elections.

After Arrival

• Set up or sign in to your UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account and check your online immigration status. There is no card to collect: biometric residence permits stopped being issued at the end of 2024. To prove your status to an employer or a landlord you generate a share code, which lasts 90 days
• Apply for a National Insurance number
• Register with a GP
• Open a UK bank account

Path to Settlement

Most work and family routes lead to settlement, also called indefinite leave to remain, after 5 years. It costs £3,226 for each person and a decision usually takes up to 6 months. After 12 months with settlement you can apply for British citizenship for £1,709 plus a £130 ceremony fee.

Portugal allows dual citizenship, so a Portuguese citizen who becomes British does not lose Portuguese nationality. That is a question for the Portuguese authorities, not the Home Office.

Next Steps

For official information, visit the GOV.UK EU Settlement Scheme page and the GOV.UK Skilled Worker visa page.

Questions and answers