Portugal's StartUP Visa is an active innovation-focused immigration program administered through IAPMEI for foreign founders who want to develop an entrepreneurship and/or innovation project in Portugal.

It is not merely another name for the D2 entrepreneur visa. StartUP Visa has its own program logic: certified incubators, innovation and scalability assessment, founder-level financial evidence and a structured pathway into the immigration process.

2026 personal funds reference: IAPMEI currently publishes 12 × IAS (€537.13) = €6,445.56 per entrepreneur.

Who is the Portugal StartUP Visa for?

The program is designed for foreign entrepreneurs seeking to establish or relocate an innovative project in Portugal. IAPMEI's current material focuses on technology/knowledge-oriented projects with international potential, qualified-employment potential and credible growth prospects.

The official program framework is especially relevant where:

  • the project offers innovative goods or services;
  • technology or knowledge is central to the business model;
  • the project has internationalization/scalability potential;
  • qualified employment in Portugal is plausible; and
  • a certified incubator is willing to support the project.

A conventional local business can be perfectly viable yet still fit D2 entrepreneur better than StartUP Visa.

Main program criteria

IAPMEI's StartUP Visa page describes the program as an entrepreneurship/innovation route that operates through certified incubators.

The project is evaluated against factors such as:

  • innovation;
  • scalability;
  • market potential;
  • management-team capability; and
  • potential to create qualified employment in Portugal.

The official program criteria also look for potential, within five years after the incubation period begins, to exceed €325,000 in annual turnover and/or €325,000 in assets.

That €325,000 figure is a future potential benchmark, not an upfront capital deposit required from the founder.

2026 funds requirement

IAPMEI currently publishes the 2026 Portuguese IAS at €537.13 for this program and gives the StartUP Visa reference calculation:

12 × €537.13 = €6,445.56 per entrepreneur

This is a personal subsistence/reference requirement. It is not the same as the operating capital the startup needs to execute its business plan.

Where multiple founders apply, the financial evidence is assessed for each entrepreneur under the program rules rather than treating one founder's balance as the whole team's personal subsistence.

Certified incubator requirement

Certified incubators are a structural part of StartUP Visa.

The founder develops the project through the IAPMEI platform and seeks interest from certified incubators. The official program model requires a positive incubator response before the application can progress through the intended StartUP Visa pathway.

Applicants should evaluate incubators for genuine sector and business fit, not merely immigration convenience. An incubator's acceptance does not replace IAPMEI or immigration approval.

How many founders can participate?

IAPMEI program materials have provided for projects with up to five entrepreneurs, with each participant expected to play an essential role and meet the individual requirements applicable to the founder.

Team structure should reflect real operating roles. Adding a nominal founder solely to obtain residence can undermine the credibility of the project.

StartUP Visa application process

1. Develop the project and founder profile

Prepare the business model, innovation case, target market, competitive position, team capability, expected employment and financial projections.

2. Create the application in the IAPMEI platform

Use the entrepreneur application channel linked from the official StartUP Visa program page.

3. Approach certified incubators

Send declarations of interest and obtain a positive response from at least one suitable certified incubator.

4. Submit the complete program application

IAPMEI evaluates the entrepreneur/project against the program requirements and project-quality criteria.

5. Conclude the incubation arrangements after approval

Follow the program process for the incubation contract and obtain the IAPMEI acceptance documentation used for immigration purposes.

6. Complete the Portuguese immigration stage

Program acceptance is not itself a residence card. The founder uses the program documentation in the national visa/residence process and then completes the AIMA residence-permit stage.

AIMA's StartUP Visa residence page requires, among other items, evidence that the innovative company is integrated into a certified incubator through the appropriate IAPMEI declaration.

Documents to plan for

Program-stage documents

The exact IAPMEI platform requirements should be checked at filing, but founders should expect to substantiate:

  • identity and founder eligibility;
  • the business/project proposal;
  • innovation and market rationale;
  • team roles and capability;
  • financial projections;
  • individual subsistence funds; and
  • certified-incubator interest/acceptance within the program workflow.

Immigration-stage documents

The national visa and AIMA stages can additionally require:

  • valid passport;
  • criminal-record evidence;
  • accommodation/address evidence;
  • insurance where applicable to the visa stage;
  • IAPMEI acceptance/incubation documentation;
  • tax and Social Security evidence where applicable; and
  • company/incubator evidence required by AIMA.

The competent consular post controls local translation, legalization and appointment requirements.

StartUP Visa fees

IAPMEI program participation and the immigration application should not be collapsed into one invented “Startup Visa fee.”

For the Portuguese national visa stage, the current consolidated Table of Consular Fees sets national visa applications at €110.

AIMA residence-permit fees are separate and follow the current migration-fee schedule. Incubator fees, company formation, accounting, legal advice, translation, legalization and other startup operating costs are separate from government immigration charges.

Processing time

StartUP Visa is a multi-stage process, so one headline number is misleading.

IAPMEI's official FAQ has stated a maximum 30-working-day period for the program application after a complete submission. The subsequent residence-visa stage falls within the Portuguese national visa framework, where Article 58 generally establishes a 60-day decision period for a residence visa unless a shorter rule applies.

Appointment availability, document requests, incubation contracting and the AIMA residence stage can extend the real calendar timeline beyond those administrative periods.

Residence permit validity and renewal

AIMA currently states that the temporary residence authorization for immigrant entrepreneurs under the StartUP Visa framework is valid for two years from issuance and renewable for successive three-year periods.

Renewal depends on the then-current conditions and the continuing reality of the project/activity. Founders should preserve company, incubator, tax, contribution and operating evidence rather than assuming the original approval permanently proves compliance.

StartUP Visa versus D2 entrepreneur

StartUP Visa can make more sense when:

  • innovation is central to the project;
  • the company is internationally scalable;
  • certified incubation adds genuine value;
  • qualified-employment potential is credible; and
  • the project can support the program's growth-potential assessment.

D2 entrepreneur can make more sense when:

  • the business is conventional rather than innovation-led;
  • a certified incubator is unnecessary;
  • the founder has a credible Portuguese investment/operating plan; or
  • the project is viable but does not naturally satisfy the StartUP Visa criteria.

Compare the Portugal Entrepreneur Visa (D2).

StartUP Visa versus ARI / Golden Visa

ARI is a defined investment-residence regime rather than an innovation-incubator program. Current business-relevant ARI options include job creation and €500,000 company capitalization combined with employment conditions.

StartUP Visa does not require an ARI-style €500,000 company-capital transfer. Its difficulty lies instead in project quality, incubator participation and program compliance.

Compare the ARI business-investment route.

Family reunification

Portugal's family-reunification rules changed through Lei n.º 61/2025.

The current general rule requires at least two years holding a valid residence permit before exercising the family-reunification right. For a spouse/equivalent partner with at least 18 months of qualifying cohabitation immediately before the sponsor entered Portugal, the period is 15 months.

Dependent minors/incapacitated family members and certain co-parent situations are exempt, and exceptional reduction/waiver can be possible. The route-based exception in Article 98(3)(c) lists Articles 90, 90-A and 121-A; StartUP Visa is an Article 89 framework and is not included in that specific route-based exception.

Older StartUP Visa summaries written before October 2025 can therefore be unreliable on family timing.

Tax considerations for startup founders

Immigration approval does not determine the optimal founder/company tax structure.

Founders should separately model:

  • Portuguese corporate tax and accounting;
  • founder salary and dividends;
  • payroll/Social Security for employees;
  • VAT and cross-border sales;
  • intellectual-property ownership;
  • foreign parent/subsidiary relationships; and
  • personal tax residence.

The old NHR regime was repealed for new entrants from 2024 subject to transition. Some founders or qualified startup personnel may potentially fit IFICI, but only if the separate tax-law requirements are met. Tax Authority guidance specifically includes certain roles/activities connected to certified startups among the IFICI framework, subject to the statutory conditions.

Permanent residence

AIMA's ordinary permanent-residence framework currently requires at least five years holding temporary residence, plus the other Article 80 requirements such as basic Portuguese and applicable subsistence, housing and compliance evidence.

A StartUP Visa residence history can contribute to long-term residence, but permanent residence is a separate application.

Citizenship after the 2026 reform

Under Lei Orgânica n.º 1/2026, the ordinary adult legal-residence route generally requires at least 7 years for nationals of Portuguese-speaking countries and EU Member States or 10 years for nationals of other countries, together with the law's additional conditions.

Procedures already pending when the reform entered into force receive transitional treatment under the prior law.

Advantages

  • Purpose-built program for innovative founders.
  • Can align immigration with incubation and startup ecosystem support.
  • No ARI-style €500,000 company-capital requirement.
  • Multi-founder projects can be accommodated within program limits.
  • Current residence permit is two years with successive three-year renewals.

Limitations

  • Certified-incubator participation is integral rather than optional.
  • Project must satisfy innovation/scalability and growth-potential criteria.
  • Program approval, visa and residence permit are separate stages.
  • Incubation and startup operating costs can materially exceed the personal funds threshold.
  • Family-reunification timing changed in 2025.

Alternatives

Frequently asked questions

Is Portugal StartUP Visa active in 2026?

Yes. IAPMEI continues to publish the entrepreneur application route and certified-incubator framework.

Does a closed incubator-certification call mean StartUP Visa is closed?

No. A closed call for certifying incubators is not the same thing as closure of entrepreneur applications. IAPMEI continues to provide the entrepreneur application process.

How much money does a founder need to show?

IAPMEI currently gives the 2026 program reference as 12 × IAS (€537.13) = €6,445.56 per entrepreneur. This is separate from the startup's operating-capital needs.

Do I need €325,000 upfront?

No. The €325,000 figure is a project-potential benchmark for annual turnover and/or assets within five years after incubation begins, not an upfront deposit requirement.

Do I need an incubator?

Yes, certified-incubator participation is part of the StartUP Visa program model.

What is the national visa fee?

The current statutory consular fee for a Portuguese national visa application is €110. AIMA and other costs are separate.

How long does the process take?

IAPMEI's program guidance has cited up to 30 working days for its application decision after complete submission, followed by separate visa and AIMA stages. The national residence-visa framework generally uses a 60-day statutory decision period.

Is StartUP Visa better than D2?

Not universally. StartUP Visa is specialized for innovative/scalable incubated projects; D2 entrepreneur is broader and can be a better fit for conventional businesses.

Can StartUP Visa lead to permanent residence or citizenship?

It can contribute to legal residence history, but permanent residence and nationality are separate applications with their own current requirements.

Verification note

This guide was last verified on 14 September 2026 using IAPMEI, AIMA and current Portuguese legislation. It has not been reviewed by a Portuguese immigration lawyer.

Return to the Portugal immigration hub.

Official and supporting sources

Related routes in Portugal