If you moved to Portugal on a D7, a D8 residence visa or another route to Portuguese residence, and want your family to join you, the rules changed in October 2025. Most residents now have to wait before they can apply, but the waiting period depends on who you're bringing, and several important exceptions exist.
This guide explains the 2-year rule, the 15-month exception that causes so much confusion, who can apply right away, and how the process works step by step.
Quick Answer
Since Lei n.º 61/2025 took effect on October 23, 2025, the general rule is that you must have held a valid Portuguese residence permit for at least 2 years before applying for family reunification. A spouse or partner who lived with you for at least 18 months before you moved to Portugal can be reunified after 15 months. Minor children, and a spouse or partner who is the other parent of a minor child in your care, can be reunified without any waiting period.
At a Glance: How Long You Have to Wait
| Family member | When can you apply? |
|---|---|
| Minor or incapacitated child in your care | Immediately |
| Spouse or partner who is the other parent of a minor child in your care | Immediately |
| Spouse or partner who lived with you for at least 18 months before you moved to Portugal | After holding your residence permit for 15 months |
| Spouse or partner without that cohabitation history | After holding your residence permit for 2 years |
| Adult children, parents and other dependent relatives | After holding your residence permit for 2 years |
| Family of highly qualified, teaching or cultural permit holders, Golden Visa holders, or EU Blue Card holders | Immediately |
Article 98 of the Foreigners' Law (Lei n.º 23/2007), as amended by Lei n.º 61/2025, sets these periods. The law also allows the waiting period to be reduced or waived in exceptional, justified cases.
15 Months or 2 Years? Why Sources Disagree
If you've searched this topic, you've probably seen both numbers. Both are correct, for different people:
- 2 years is the general rule in article 98(1). It applies to most family members.
- 15 months is a specific exception in article 98(2). It applies only to a spouse or equivalent partner who lived with you for at least 18 months in the period immediately before you entered Portugal.
So a couple who lived together abroad for two years before one of them moved on a D8 can usually apply after 15 months. A couple who married or moved in together more recently generally faces the full 2 years, unless they have a minor child together.
You may also see older articles mentioning 12 months. That was the previous rule and no longer applies.
What Changed With Lei 61/2025
The new rules came into force on October 23, 2025. What matters for you:
- In most cases, you can no longer apply straight away: the waiting periods above are new.
- Stricter conditions: adequate accommodation and means of subsistence without relying on social support, and both spouses or partners must be at least 18.
- Integration measures: reunified family members must attend Portuguese language training and training on constitutional values, and minors must attend school, under a regulation still to be detailed.
- Longer decisions: AIMA now has up to 9 months to decide, extendable once in exceptional cases.
A 180-day transition window for family members already in Portugal closed in April 2026.
Who Counts as Family
AIMA's list of eligible family members includes (AIMA: family reunification):
- Your spouse.
- A partner in a duly proven união de facto (civil partnership).
- Minor or incapacitated children in your care, or your spouse's or partner's, including adopted children.
- In some cases, adult children and parents who depend on you.
The exact conditions for each category are set out by AIMA, so check the official list for your situation, especially for adult children and parents.
How to Apply: Family Members Outside Portugal
This is the standard route, and it has two stages: one in Portugal and one at a consulate.
- You apply at AIMA. As the resident, you book an appointment and submit the request in person at an AIMA office, with the official form and supporting documents.
- AIMA decides. The legal deadline is up to 9 months.
- Your family applies for a visa. Once AIMA approves, your family member applies for a residence visa for family reunification at the Portuguese consulate in the country where they live (gov.pt).
- They arrive and get their residence permit. After entering Portugal with that visa, they're granted a residence permit with the same duration as yours.
How to Apply: Family Members Already in Portugal
Under the new rules, you can request residence for family members already in Portugal only in the cases without a waiting period, such as minor children or the other parent of a minor child, and only if they entered Portugal legally and remain here legally.
AIMA's online Services Portal currently accepts family reunification requests only for family members living in Portugal. A request for the whole family can be submitted online if the household includes at least one minor (AIMA: Services Portal FAQ).
Documents You'll Typically Need
AIMA's checklist varies by case, but applications commonly include:
- Your valid residence permit.
- Your family member's valid passport.
- Certificates proving the family relationship (marriage or birth certificates), apostilled or legalized.
- Proof of a civil partnership, where relevant.
- Proof of accommodation. See our guide on proof of accommodation.
- Proof of means of subsistence.
- Criminal record certificates for adult family members.
Documents in a foreign language must come with a certified translation. AIMA accepts translations done by a Portuguese notary, the Portuguese consulate in the country that issued the document, or that country's consulate in Portugal.
Fees and the exact subsistence amounts are set in official regulations and can change, so check them with AIMA before you apply.
How Long Does Family Reunification Take?
Being eligible is only the first step. For family members abroad, the full timeline has five stages:
- Eligibility: immediately, after 15 months or after 2 years, depending on who you're bringing.
- Application: you book and attend an appointment at AIMA.
- Decision: AIMA has up to 9 months, extendable once in exceptional cases.
- Visa: your family member applies at the Portuguese consulate.
- Arrival: they enter Portugal and receive their residence permit.
In practice, many families should plan for a year or more between becoming eligible and actually being together in Portugal.
If your application is stuck well past the legal deadline, see what you can do about AIMA delays.
What This Means for D7 and D8 Holders
Family reunification is a right of residence permit holders. A D8 Temporary Stay Visa isn't a residence permit, so it doesn't give you this right.
If you're planning a move, the timing matters:
- If possible, moving together can be simpler. If your spouse or children can apply for their own visas alongside yours, you may avoid the reunification wait entirely. Ask your consulate how it handles family members applying at the same time as the main applicant.
- Moving first and reunifying later now means a wait of 15 months to 2 years for a spouse without minor children, plus processing time.
- Your residence permit counts from when it's issued, not from your visa date. Keep your permit valid and renew on time; see our residence permit renewal guide.
Not sure what comes next for you? Our Start Here guide walks through every stage, from choosing your visa to permanent residency.
- Moving together may avoid the reunification waiting period altogether.
- Moving alone first may mean waiting 15 months or 2 years, plus processing time.
- Your visa type matters: a D8 Temporary Stay Visa doesn't give you this right.
- Check with your consulate whether family members can apply for their own residence visas at the same time as you.
FAQ
How long do I have to live in Portugal before bringing my family?
Under the general rule, you must have held a valid residence permit for at least 2 years. Exceptions: 15 months for a spouse or partner who lived with you for 18 months before you moved, and no waiting period for minor children or a spouse or partner who is the other parent of a minor child in your care.
Can I bring my spouse to Portugal after 15 months?
Only if you lived together for at least 18 months in the period immediately before you entered Portugal. Otherwise the general 2-year rule applies, unless you have a minor child together.
Can I bring my children to Portugal right away?
Yes. Minor or incapacitated children in your care are exempt from the waiting period. A spouse or partner who is the other parent of a minor child in your care is also exempt.
How long does AIMA take to decide family reunification?
The legal deadline is up to 9 months, extendable once in exceptional cases. Family members abroad then also need a residence visa from a Portuguese consulate.
Can my family apply from inside Portugal?
Only in the cases without a waiting period, such as minor children, and only if they entered and stay in Portugal legally. Other family members generally need to apply for a residence visa from abroad after AIMA approves the request.
Can I apply for family reunification on a D8 temporary stay visa?
No. Family reunification is for residence permit holders. The D8 Temporary Stay Visa doesn't give you a residence permit.
Do reunified family members have to learn Portuguese?
The 2025 law requires reunified family members to attend Portuguese language training and training on constitutional principles and values, and minors to attend school. The details depend on a regulation, so confirm the current requirements with AIMA.
This article is general information, not legal advice. It's based on Lei n.º 23/2007 as amended by Lei n.º 61/2025, as checked in October 2026. Some details, including subsistence amounts and integration measures, depend on regulations that can change. Family reunification decisions depend on your specific case, so confirm the current rules with AIMA or a licensed immigration lawyer before you apply or plan a move around them.
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