Visa-Free Travel with a Portugal Passport: Updated 2026

Portuguese residents enjoy significant travel freedom due to Portugal's membership in the European Union and the Schengen Area. They can freely move across all 29 Schengen countries, including all EU states and Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein, and Iceland.

Portuguese residents may stay in any Schengen country for up to 90 days within a 180-day period without a visa.

For Portuguese citizens, the difference between entry conditions is the following:

1. Visa-free entry allows passing the country's border just on your passport without any additional entry permit. Portugal has visa waiver agreements with all European countries. Overall, the list of visa-free countries for a Portugal passport includes 118 states.
2. The eTA, or the Electronic Travel Authorization, is a visa type you apply for and receive online. The process can take a couple of minutes to 2—3 days, depending on the country. 11 countries issue an eTA for Portuguese citizens.
3. The visa on arrival is a type of visa one gets immediately after crossing the border of the host country, for example, at the airport or the checkpoint. 27 states grant such visas to the Portuguese.

The list of 182 visa-free countries for Portugal includes states allowing Portuguese passport holders entry without a visa, or with an eTA or with obtaining a visa on arrival. 

The states that issue a visa on arrival or online are included in the list because to visit them, Portuguese citizens do not have to go to the consulate, queue, or make appointments, that is, handle all the visa hassles people want to avoid so much.

The freedom of travel that a Portuguese passport provides is one of the reasons so many people are looking to obtain citizenship of Portugal.

In the widget below, you will find entry conditions and the allowed duration of stay for all 182 visa-free, eTA, and visa-on-arrival states for Portuguese citizens.

The EU and Schengen Area. As Portugal is a part of the Schengen agreement, its citizens and residents can travel visa-free to all the Schengen countries and stay there for a maximum of 90 days in total within every 6 months.

EU states that are not part of the Schengen Area, namely Cyprus and Ireland, also allow visa-free entry for citizens of Portugal. They can stay in each country for 90 days every 6 months.

Stays in non-Schengen countries are calculated individually. If one spends 90 days in Cyprus, they can immediately travel to Ireland and spend another 90 days there.

The UK. Portuguese citizens who visit the UK for tourism can stay there for up to 6 months without a visa. 

In addition to a passport, from April 2nd, 2025, Portuguese citizens also need an Electronic Travel Authorisation to travel to the UK, unless they have UK immigration status or another exemption from this requirement. The ETA application fee is £20^{[1]Source: According to the ESTA official website.}.

The United States. To visit the USA, Portuguese passport holders must apply for an eTA. The application takes around 20 minutes, and the document is ready within several minutes

The eTA allows only short visits for up to 90 days. The application fee is $40.27^{[2]Source: According to the 2023 Legatum Prosperity Index.}.

Canada. For Canada, an eTA is also required. The document is valid for 6 months. The application process is straightforward and won’t take more than half an hour. Another thirty minutes after submission takes the issuance of an eTA.

Those who enter Canada from the USA by land or sea do not need an eTA.

Australia. For short stays in Australia, EU citizens, including the Portuguese, need an eVisitor visa. It’s a type of visa to apply for online. An eVisitor entry permit is valid for one year and allows multiple entries to the country. Each stay should not exceed 90 days.

Singapore. To enter Singapore, citizens of Portugal need to apply for an SG Arrival Card, which can be obtained online. After that, staying in the country for 90 days is possible.

Hong Kong. For EU citizens, including the Portuguese, Hong Kong allows visa-free entry for short stays of up to 3 months.

Portugal. Portuguese citizens are not obliged to live in Portugal, but many choose to relocate or at least travel around the country. The country has something for anyone: ocean and surfing places, mountains and spectacular hiking trails, old castles and vibrant cities. On top of that, Portugal can brag about warm, sunny weather all year long.

There are several ways to obtain a Portuguese passport. A marriage to a Portuguese citizen or employment by a local company can lead to citizenship by naturalisation. Other paths that allow foreigners to become Portuguese citizens in several years are the D7 Visa, the Digital Nomad Visa, the Global Talent Visa, and the Golden Visa.

D7 Visa

The D7 Visa, or the Passive Income Visa, is issued to financially independent foreigners. To obtain the visa, one should buy or rent residential property in Portugal and prove to have a passive income, which must exceed the minimum wage. In 2026, the minimum monthly salary is €920, meaning the D7 Visa applicant demonstrates an income of at least €11,040 a year. 

After the D7 visa, its holder gets a 2-year residence permit that can be extended for another 3 years. The residence permit gives the right to work in Portugal and travel across the Schengen Area visa-free. To maintain residency, one should spend 183 days a year in Portugal. 

After 5 years of temporary residence, they can apply for permanent residence. Another 5 years open the path to citizenship.

Digital Nomad Visa

The Digital Nomad Visa is granted to freelancers and remote workers on a permanent contract. To qualify, applicants must have arranged accommodation in Portugal, and their monthly income should be more than the country’s four minimum wages; the required amount is €3,680.

Candidates can apply for a temporary stay visa to reside in Portugal for up to a year or a residency visa that grants the right to apply for a 2-year residence. The residence visa can be extended, and after 10 years, one can apply for citizenship by naturalisation.

Global Talent Visa

The Global Talent Programme is a modern residence pathway for experienced professionals, entrepreneurs, and innovators who want to live in the EU while contributing to the Portuguese academic and innovation ecosystem. Applicants partner with a recognised Portuguese university through mentorship, research, or guest lectures and apply directly to AIMA, bypassing the consulate stage of a D visa.

The all-inclusive programme fee of €170,000 covers the full 5-year residence process and lets foreigners apply with their family under one straightforward procedure. Residence is first granted for 2 years and then renewed for a further 3 years. After 10 years of continuous legal residence, holders can apply for citizenship by naturalisation.

Golden Visa

The Portugal Golden Visa allows wealthy foreigners to obtain a residence permit by investment of €250,000+ in the country’s economy. Investment options include:

• purchasing investment fund units;
• funding a company;
• investing in the country’s culture or research.

The Golden Visa does not require its holder to reside in Portugal permanently. To maintain the status and qualify for citizenship in future, the investor has to spend at least 7 days a year in the country. 

The residence permit is to be renewed every 2 years. After 10 years of holding residence, the investor can apply for citizenship.

A Golden Visa holder doesn’t have the same travel opportunities as a citizen. While the list of visa-free countries narrows down, it still includes all the Schengen states, as well as Cyprus. These are usually the most desired travel destinations. 

In total, 29 countries are visa-free for Portuguese Golden Visa holders: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland.

1. Freedom of travel. The Portugal passport allows visa-free travel to 182 countries, including the USA, Canada, and Australia.

2. Business and work opportunities. Portuguese citizens can open a business in Portugal or any other European country. Additionally, being a citizen of Portugal, one can apply for a local or EU-based job without any work permits required.

3. Various paths to citizenship. Foreigners usually obtain Portugal citizenship by naturalisation, which requires getting a residence permit first. There are different paths for residency, including the D7 Passive Income Visa, the Digital Nomad Visa,  the Global Talent Visa, and the Golden Visa for investors. They all lead to a residence permit and citizenship in 10 years of living in Portugal.

4. Moving to Portugal or keeping the option of a ‘safe haven.’ Investors with a Portuguese passport can settle down in Lisbon or any other city in Portugal no matter what is happening in their home country — a political crisis, a healthcare system breakdown, or a personal threat to family members.

Even when everything is fine in the investor’s current country of residence, Portugal is still a wonderful place to move to.

5. Opportunity to move to other EU countries. As Portugal is an EU member state, its citizens can live in any other EU country without a residence permit.

6. Access to European education. Portugal passport holders can study at local universities without tuition fees or choose to enrol at any other EU university. They enjoy other EU students’ rights, pay lower tuition fees, and can apply for scholarships.

7. High quality of life. Portugal features affordable prices compared to other EU countries. At the same time, it provides a high quality of life: Portugal is among the world’s top 30 most prosperous countries and ranked 26th out of 167 countries and territories^{[3]Source: According to the 2023 Legatum Prosperity Index.}.

1. The Portuguese passport gives access to 182 countries without a regular visa: 118 are fully visa-free, 11 issue an eTA, and 27 grant a visa on arrival.
2. Popular destinations are easy to reach: the UK allows 6-month tourist stays, while the US and Canada require only a quick eTA, and Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore are visa-free for short visits.
3. As an EU and Schengen member, Portugal lets its citizens and residents move freely across all 29 Schengen states and stay up to 90 days within any 180-day period.
4. Citizenship is reached by naturalisation after 10 years, which requires residence first — typically via the D7 Passive Income Visa, the Digital Nomad Visa, the Global Talent Visa or the Golden Visa.
5. Beyond travel, the passport brings EU work and business rights, the freedom to live in any EU state, access to European education, and a high quality of life. It also offers a ‘safe haven’ — the right to settle in Portugal at any time, whatever happens in one's home country.