Can I still apply for a residence permit while I am in Portugal on a tourist visa? (Manifestação de Interesse update)
Short answer: No — not anymore. Decreto-Lei n.º 37-A/2024 abolished the "Manifestação de Interesse" pathway on 4 June 2024. You can no longer enter Portugal on a tourist visa and then file for residence from inside the country.
What you should do instead
- Pick the right residence visa (D-series) from the Portugal Consulate in your country before you travel:
- D7 — passive income (pension, rental, dividends).
- D8 — remote work / digital nomad (income ≥ 4× PT minimum wage).
- D1 / D3 / Tech Visa / EU Blue Card — employment-based routes.
- D2 — entrepreneur / self-employed.
- D4 — student / research / internship.
- D6 — family reunification (already-residing PT family member).
- ARI / Golden Visa — qualifying investment (since Lei 56/2023: funds, R&D, cultural-heritage, company+jobs, jobs-only — not residential real-estate).
- Filed a Manifestação de Interesse before 3 June 2024? Keep it open — AIMA is still processing those under the prior regime. The wait is long (commonly 12–24 months).
- Want to come to Portugal to look for a job? Use the Visto para Procura de Trabalho (work-search visa) — that's the legal entry channel for job-search purposes.
Why this matters
Arriving in Portugal on a tourist visa with the intent to regularise from inside is no longer legal. Overstays carry escalating fines (€80–€700+), a re-entry ban into the Schengen area, and disqualification from future PT residence applications. The correct path is always: apply at the consulate first → enter PT with the right visa → register with AIMA after arrival.