If you entered Portugal without having previously obtained the necessary visa or if you are in the visa-free period and intend to obtain residency in Portugal, you must submit your Expression of Interest to the Immigration and Border Service (SEF). It is important to emphasize that the applicants will have to prove their legal entry into national territory.
The process discussed here is an application for a Portuguese residence permit, preferably made through the platform via the SAPA portal of the SEF, in which the applicants will have to make their personal registration.
In this sense, the granting of the aforementioned residence permit, through an Expression of Interest, under the terms of articles 88, no. 2 and 89, no. 2 of Law no. 23/2007 of July 04, sets out and implements the difference between the residence permit for the exercise of a subordinate professional activity, or, on the contrary, for the exercise of an independent professional activity or for entrepreneurial immigrants, respectively.
It is therefore appropriate, at this point, to focus specifically on the last mentioned possibility. In fact, for citizens who are in national territory and who want to express their interest to the SEF, they can do so by proving that they have legally incorporated a company in Portugal. A major difference from the D2 visa process is the waiver of drawing up and proving the prior existence of a business plan with the purpose of creating investment in Portugal. This point makes the process less expensive for the applicant. However, there are several fundamental considerations to be taken into account before actually proceeding with the incorporation of a company, specifically the appointment of a certified accountant, who will have the obligation to declare the company’s activity to the Tax Authority and, also, all questions relating to the obligations towards Social Security, related to its employees, if any, and the current expenses associated with the normal functioning of the company.
Therefore, if you meet the requirements and intend to set up a company in Portugal, this could be an interesting alternative to the D2 Visa.
