Portugal's StartUP Visa is a fast track for innovative founders, run by IAPMEI and tied to a certified incubator. It is a different path from the standard D2, with its own approval step and funding rules.
IAPMEI, Portugal's agency for competitiveness and innovation, assesses StartUP Visa projects and decides within 30 working days of submission.
Founders must contract with an IAPMEI-certified incubator, and incubation is physical. The incubation contract is signed within 40 working days of approval.
Each founder must show at least 12 times the IAS social support index in their own funds, which is €6,445.56 in 2026. It is money you prove you hold, not a fee.
A StartUP Visa application can include a team of up to five founders.
The project must be innovative and technology- or knowledge-based, with the potential to create qualified jobs and exceed €325,000 in turnover or assets within five years of the incubation contract.
Founders receive a D2 entrepreneur residence visa on the StartUP Visa track, valid for two entries and a four-month stay, followed by a 2-year AIMA residence permit.
Founders must be at least 18, with no upper age limit. They also need a clean criminal record and no permanent residence in the Schengen Area.
The first residence permit is valid for two years, followed by three-year renewals, the same as other temporary residence routes.
This quiz is general information based on Portuguese rules in force on the review date above, not legal advice. Immigration thresholds change every January with the minimum wage, and laws change often. Confirm your case with a lawyer before applying.