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Pathway

Portugal Post-Study Work Residence

Portugal Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

After completing eligible higher education or research in Portugal, you may apply for up to one year to find work or start a business related to your qualifications. This covers graduates who held an Article 91 student permit and researchers with an Article 91-B permit. Other courses have different rules, and a permanent work permit is not automatic.

Prior status
Portuguese student, research, or temporary research/highly qualified status
Course or research completed
Eligible higher-education or research completion is required for the one-year search period
Application evidence
Completion records, housing, financial support, identity, and required background records

Summary

Portugal's post-study or post-research period gives eligible completers up to one year to seek work or build a business compatible with their qualifications. It depends on the completed activity and prior Portuguese status, with support and residence records needed for a timely application.

The current law covers higher-education graduates more broadly than the immigration agency's published master's-and-doctorate wording, so first-cycle graduates should confirm the filing process. A direct transition to qualifying employment can be a separate option. Graduation alone does not preserve status after expiry or approve the later job.

Choose what comes after your course or research
  1. Document completion Get proof that you finished before your current permit expires.
  2. Choose job searching or a direct move to work Eligible graduates and researchers may apply for a search period. Certain graduates can move directly into work instead.
  3. Apply to AIMA, the immigration agency Show financial support or the required job or self-employment records.
  4. Obtain the next permit If a search period is approved If you use a search period, apply for the work or business permit before it ends.

The search period can last up to one year. The course and permit requirements differ between the two options.

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Eligibility

For the one-year search period, applicants need evidence of the completed program or research, their qualifying Portuguese residence status, housing, support, and the required identity and criminal-record documents. They must declare an intention to seek suitable work or create a business.

The current law covers higher-education graduates generally. AIMA’s application page still describes only master’s and doctoral graduates, so first-cycle graduates should confirm the filing procedure with AIMA.

The intended work or business must be compatible with the person's qualifications. Apply while status and timing allow; completing a course does not preserve residence automatically after the student or researcher permit expires.

Applicants using the direct work transition must document the job or independent activity, including the required contract, business, tax, and social-security records. Secondary education alone does not qualify for the one-year search period.

More about this route

A person who completed Portuguese secondary education or a first-cycle higher-education program can also use Article 122(1)(o) to move directly into employed or independent work. That direct transition is restricted for permits issued under certain cooperation agreements unless an overriding national-interest reason applies.

What This Route Allows

The one-year route gives an eligible graduate or researcher lawful time in Portugal to find qualifications-compatible work or form a business. Once the activity is secured, the holder must meet the conditions for the appropriate employed, independent, entrepreneur, highly qualified, or other residence basis.

Existing family members' status should be reviewed when the principal permit changes. A new family-reunification application remains subject to Article 98, including its waiting periods and exceptions; the post-study bridge does not itself waive them.

What This Route Is Not

It is not automatic on graduation, an unlimited job-search period, or permission to remain after the deadline without a valid filing or new status. A diploma also does not waive professional recognition for a regulated occupation.

It should not be confused with Article 122(1)(j), an exceptional route for certain former residents who did not leave Portugal and whose residence right expired, or with the separate qualified job-seeker visa for applicants abroad.

Next Steps

  1. Obtain an official completion statement from the institution or research host before the current permit expires.
  2. Identify the completed program and decide whether to request a search period or move directly into qualifying work.
  3. Ask AIMA for the current filing channel and evidence list for the relevant paragraph of Article 122.
  4. Keep housing, support, passport, and Portuguese residence evidence current while the application is processed.
  5. Use the bridge period to secure a qualifications-compatible contract or complete a viable business setup.
  6. File for the correct activity-based status before the bridge expires and separately update family documentation where required.

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Sources