Visa Information

Select the visa type that is right for you to see important information on visa fees, documents required, forms, photo specifications and processing times.

I – SHORT STAY VISA

Schengen visa

Citizens of some non-EU countries are required to hold a valid Schengen visa when travelling to the Schengen area, which is a group of European countries that allows a person, who’s been admitted to the Schengen Area, to travel without any further form of border control within the Schengen Area.

Current Schengen States are: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

A Schengen visa is a short stay visa, i.e. for stays up to 90 days, allowing its holder to circulate in the Schengen Area.

A Schengen visa has to be obtained from the Mission of the Schengen State, which will be the main destination (i.e. where the most nights will be spent) during a single trip to the Schengen Area.

A single trip is considered when an applicant enters the Schengen Area, stays there for a certain period and eventually leaves the Schengen Area.

If an equal amount of nights will be spent in different Schengen States during a single trip to the Schengen Area, then the Schengen visa must be obtained with the Mission of the Schengen State, which will be entered first.

The documentation related to the means of travel and accommodation must cover the complete itinerary of the single trip to the Schengen Area; i.e. travel tickets must be provided, not only for the travel from and to the Schengen Area, but also for the travel between the different Schengen States, when more than 1 Schengen State will be visited during the single trip.

Each Schengen visa application must fully comply with the documents required for the respective visa category and can only be submitted up to 6 months before the intended departure date.

The acceptance of a Schengen visa application and supporting documents by VFS does not guarantee the issuance of a Schengen visa.

The issuance of a Schengen visa, the Schengen visa validity period, the number of entries and amount of travel days are at the sole discretion of the Mission.
If a visa application is returned by the Mission requesting missing documents or any other missing/ incorrect information, the applicant must accept responsibility for any delay that may occur in the visa application processing time.

Holders of valid Schengen visas are still subject to immigration control upon arrival in the Schengen Area and are not necessarily guaranteed entry into any of the Schengen countries, even though they may hold a valid Schengen visa for these countries.

Following visa categories are considered Short stay visas:

Tourist visa

Overview

  1. Holding a valid passport/travel document
  2. Holding a valid US residence permit. In case applicant holds a short stay visa, a B1/B2 type visa, for the US, then applicant needs to apply for a Schengen visa from his/her residence country.
  3. Applying for a short stay visa (Tourist: including visits to family or friends, Business, EEA/EU Family member or Transit)
  4. JURISDICTION RESTRICTIONS: WASHINGTON DC: AREAS OF JURISDICTION States of: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, District of Columbia. NEW YORK: AREAS OF JURISDICTION States of: Connecticut, Michigan and New York Territories of American Virgin Islands, Bahamas, Cayman Islands, and Puerto Rico SAN FRANCISCO: AREAS OF JURISDICTION States of: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming

For Non EU citizens who are not sure whether a Schengen visa is required to travel to the Schengen Area, please click Do I need a visa? to find out.

Visa Fees

VFS service fee of US $41.07 (inclusive of VAT) is charged per visa application, in addition to the applicable visa fee. Applicants applying in San Francisco and Washington DC are required to pay the Visa Fee by way of a money order or Banker / Cashier check in favor of the “Consulate General of Portugal”. VFS Service Fee can be paid via Debit/Credit card at the center while submitting the application

VAC Location > Washington DC- New York – San Francisco
VISA: VISA FEES EFFECTIVE 01 JULY 2023 (IN LOCAL CURRENCY)
EUR USD
Schengen visa application € 80.00 $87.46
Schengen visa children's fee (6 to 12 years old) € 40.00 $43.23
Schengen visa, low tariff: visa facilitation for citizens of Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, Moldova and Ukraine* € 35.00 $37.82
Children below 6 years old FREE No Fee No Fee
National visa application- Less than 1 year stay € 75.00 $81.06
National visa application- Over 1 year stay € 90.00 $97.27
  1. Short Stay Schengen Visa ONLY- Children under six years;
  2. School pupils, students, postgraduate students and accompanying teachers who undertake stays for the purpose of study or educational training;
  3. Researchers from third countries travelling for the purpose of carrying out scientific research;
  4. Representatives of non-profit organizations aged 25 years or less participating in seminars, conferences, sports, cultural or educational events organized by non-profit organizations;
  5. Family member of EU/EEA and Switzerland nationals.

All fees are non-refundable once paid.

Documents Required

Important – Retention of document: Please be informed that after processing of Visa/Resident permit applications, Embassy/Consulates only return passport with payment receipt.

Other documents submitted along with your Visa/ Resident permit applications are not returned. We strongly encourage you to retain a copy of all the important document for your reference.

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED: The list of documents below is not an exhaustive list of documents and the applicant could be asked for additional documents if desired by the Consulate General of Portugal.

Applicants always have to bring and show their original Passport, but they only need to submit photocopies of the same; unless the requirements specify that an original document has to be submitted. Please refer to the checklist for the list of documents as required by the Portugal consulate, ensure that you have all the documents as per your Visa Categories.

For applying for a short-stay Schengen visa, the following documentation is required:

Visa application completely filled and duly signed by applicant (For minors and incapacitated, forms should be signed the legal guardian);

A recent color photograph (35mmx45mm) up-to-date and with enough quality to identify the applicant;

Passport or Travel document must be valid for 3 months beyond the Schengen stay; a photocopy of prior passport and Schengen visas required.

Proof and copy of residency status in the United States (Green card, Employment Authorization Card, United States Visa)

Roundtrip flight reservation showing date of departure and date of return

Proof of medical coverage, including medical emergencies and repatriation. The insurance should have a minimum coverage of €30,000 or 50,000 USD; shall a multiple entry visa be granted, applicants shall sign the statement, set out in the application form, declaring that they are aware of the need to be in possession of travel medical insurance for subsequent stays.

Work certificate and salary, as well as three last bank transcripts (proof of means of subsistence), covering the entire stay and return to the country of origin.

Proof of accommodations for entire stay or statement of responsibility.

An official document of the medical institution confirming necessity for medical care in that institution and proof of sufficient financial means to pay for the medical treatment;

Photo Specifications

photospecification

Please provide one recent colour photograph (not more than 6 months old) of yourself, according the following requirements:

If the photographs presented do not meet these requirements, then the visa application will be considered incomplete and applicant will be asked to take new photographs in the photo booth in the visa application centre.

Processing Time

NOTICE Please be advised that applications sent by mail do not guarantee faster processing than applications done in person. Applications will be processed as per the queue at VFS and the visa Section of the Embassy of Portugal in DC. Normal processing time for applications submitted in San Francisco is up to 30 days for C category. For D category it will take up to 60 days. Applications for D type visa for Portugal are on very high demand and it will take time to process all of them. Applicants are advised to expect a longer waiting time in obtaining a decision on their application. You will be notified once the application has been processed by the Embassy of Portugal in Washington DC. Please, be advised, that contacting the Embassy immediately, or repeatedly, will only provoke delays, as resources will have to be diverted from visa processing to answering emails and phone calls. The visa processing time is a minimum of 3 weeks, depending on the nationality of the applicant of the applicant and provided that a complete visa application is submitted; please click here for the list of nationalities that may have an extended processing time.

Please click here to ascertain any dates that the consulate will be closed, as this will also affect the processing time of your application. Article 23 for time lines of application processing. Annex 16 for nationalities that require prior consultation After a visa application has been submitted, it is still be possible for the consulate to request additional documents/information and by doing so this may prolong or delay the visa processing time.

Download Forms

Visiting Family and Friends

Overview

  1. Holding a valid passport/travel document
  2. Holding a valid US residence permit. In case applicant holds a short stay visa, a B1/B2 type visa, for the US, then applicant needs to apply for a Schengen visa from his/her residence country.
  3. Applying for a short stay visa (Tourist: including visits to family or friends, Business, EEA/EU Family member or Transit)
  4. JURISDICTION RESTRICTIONS:

WASHINGTON DC: AREAS OF JURISDICTION

States of: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, District of Columbia.

NEW YORK: AREAS OF JURISDICTION

States of: Connecticut, Michigan and New York Territories of American Virgin Islands, Bahamas, Cayman Islands, and Puerto Rico

SAN FRANCISCO: AREAS OF JURISDICTION

SANStates of: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming

Visa Fees

VFS service fee of US $41.07 (inclusive of VAT) is charged per visa application, in addition to the applicable visa fee. Applicants applying in San Francisco and Washington DC are required to pay the Visa Fee by way of a money order or Banker / Cashier check in favor of the “Consulate General of Portugal”. VFS Service Fee can be paid via Debit/Credit card at the center while submitting the application

VAC Location > Washington DC- New York – San Francisco
VISA: VISA FEES EFFECTIVE 01 JUNE 2023 (IN LOCAL CURRENCY)
EUR USD
Schengen visa application € 80.00 $86.46
Schengen visa children's fee (6 to 12 years old) € 40.00 $43.23
Schengen visa, low tariff: visa facilitation for citizens of Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, Moldova and Ukraine* € 35.00 $37.82
Children below 6 years old FREE No Fee No Fee
National visa application- Less than 1 year stay € 75.00 $81.06
National visa application- Over 1 year stay € 90.00 $97.27
  1. Short Stay Schengen Visa ONLY- Children under six years;
  2. School pupils, students, postgraduate students and accompanying teachers who undertake stays for the purpose of study or educational training;
  3. Researchers from third countries travelling for the purpose of carrying out scientific research;
  4. Representatives of non-profit organizations aged 25 years or less participating in seminars, conferences, sports, cultural or educational events organized by non-profit organizations;
  5. Family member of EU/EEA and Switzerland nationals.

All fees are non-refundable once paid.

Documents Required

Important – Retention of document: Please be informed that after processing of Visa/Resident permit applications, Embassy/Consulates only return passport with payment receipt.

Other documents submitted along with your Visa/ Resident permit applications are not returned. We strongly encourage you to retain a copy of all the important document for your reference.

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED: The list of documents below is not an exhaustive list of documents and the applicant could be asked for additional documents if desired by the Consulate General of Portugal.

Applicants always have to bring and show their original Passport, but they only need to submit photocopies of the same; unless the requirements specify that an original document has to be submitted. Please refer to the checklist for the list of documents as required by the Portugal consulate, ensure that you have all the documents as per your Visa Categories.

For applying for a short-stay Schengen visa, the following documentation is required:

Visa application completely filled and duly signed by applicant (For minors and incapacitated, forms should be signed the legal guardian);

A recent color photograph (35mmx45mm) up-to-date and with enough quality to identify the applicant;

Passport or Travel document must be valid for 3 months beyond the Schengen stay; a photocopy of prior passport and Schengen visas required.

Proof and copy of residency status in the United States (Green card, Employment Authorization Card, United States Visa)

Roundtrip flight reservation showing date of departure and date of return

Proof of medical coverage, including medical emergencies and repatriation. The insurance should have a minimum coverage of €30,000 or 50,000 USD; shall a multiple entry visa be granted, applicants shall sign the statement, set out in the application form, declaring that they are aware of the need to be in possession of travel medical insurance for subsequent stays.

Work certificate and salary, as well as three last bank transcripts (proof of means of subsistence), covering the entire stay and return to the country of origin.

Proof of accommodations for entire stay or statement of responsibility.

An official document of the medical institution confirming necessity for medical care in that institution and proof of sufficient financial means to pay for the medical treatment;

Photo Specifications

photospecification

Please provide one recent colour photograph (not more than 6 months old) of yourself, according the following requirements:

If the photographs presented do not meet these requirements, then the visa application will be considered incomplete and applicant will be asked to take new photographs in the photo booth in the visa application centre.

Processing Time

NOTICE Please be advised that applications sent by mail do not guarantee faster processing than applications done in person. Applications will be processed as per the queue at VFS and the visa Section of the Embassy of Portugal in DC. Normal processing time for applications submitted in San Francisco is up to 30 days for C category. For D category it will take up to 60 days. Applications for D type visa for Portugal are on very high demand and it will take time to process all of them. Applicants are advised to expect a longer waiting time in obtaining a decision on their application. You will be notified once the application has been processed by the Embassy of Portugal in Washington DC. Please, be advised, that contacting the Embassy immediately, or repeatedly, will only provoke delays, as resources will have to be diverted from visa processing to answering emails and phone calls. The visa processing time is a minimum of 3 weeks, depending on the nationality of the applicant of the applicant and provided that a complete visa application is submitted; please click here for the list of nationalities that may have an extended processing time.

Please click here to ascertain any dates that the consulate will be closed, as this will also affect the processing time of your application. Article 23 for time lines of application processing. Annex 16 for nationalities that require prior consultation After a visa application has been submitted, it is still be possible for the consulate to request additional documents/information and by doing so this may prolong or delay the visa processing time.

Download Forms

Schengen Visa (Short Stay Visa)

Overview

  1. Holding a valid passport/travel document
  2. Holding a valid US residence permit. In case applicant holds a short stay visa, a B1/B2 type visa, for the US, then applicant needs to apply for a Schengen visa from his/her residence country.
  3. Applying for a short stay visa (Tourist: including visits to family or friends, Business, EEA/EU Family member or Transit)
  4. JURISDICTION RESTRICTIONS:

STATES under the Jurisdiction of PORTUGAL

The Embassy of Portugal in Washington DC

CONSULAR JURISDICTION: States of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, District of Columbia

Consulate General of Portugal in New York

CONSULAR JURISDICTION: States of Connecticut, Michigan, and New York. Territories of American Virgin Islands, Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Bermuda’s, and Puerto Rico.

Consulate General of Portugal in San Francisco

CONSULAR JURISDICTION: States of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming and the territories of American Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianas.

If you don’t see your State above, please click here

Visa Fees

VFS service fee of US $42.12 (inclusive of VAT) is charged per visa application, in addition to the applicable visa fee. Applicants applying for Schengen/ C-Visa can pay their visa fee and VFS service fee via credit or debit card at the visa application center. (Except for San Francisco location, Money order is required for Visa fee) Applicants applying for a D-Visa/ Long Terms visa in San Francisco and Washington DC are required to pay the Visa Fee by way of a money order or Banker / Cashier check in favor of the “Consulate General of Portugal”. VFS Service Fee can be paid via Debit/Credit card at the center while submitting the application.

VAC Location > Washington DC- New York – San Francisco
VISA: VISA FEES EFFECTIVE 01 SEP 2024 (IN LOCAL CURRENCY)
EUR USD
Schengen visa application € 90.00 $99.76
Schengen visa children's fee (6 to 12 years old) € 40.00 $44.34
Schengen visa, low tariff: visa facilitation for citizens of Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, and Ukraine* € 35.00 $38.79
Children below 6 years old FREE No Fee No Fee
National visa application- Less than 1 year stay € 75.00 $99.76
National visa application- Over 1 year stay € 90.00 $99.76
  1. Short Stay Schengen Visa ONLY- Children under six years;
  2. School pupils, students, postgraduate students and accompanying teachers who undertake stays for the purpose of study or educational training;
  3. Researchers from third countries travelling for the purpose of carrying out scientific research;
  4. Representatives of non-profit organizations aged 25 years or less participating in seminars, conferences, sports, cultural or educational events organized by non-profit organizations;
  5. Family member of EU/EEA and Switzerland nationals.

Ethiopian citizens that plan to apply for a visa to visit the Schengen area, please note -

All fees are non-refundable once paid.

Documents Required

Important – Retention of document: Please be informed that after processing of Visa/Resident permit applications, Embassy/Consulates only return passport with payment receipt.

Other documents submitted along with your Visa/ Resident permit applications are not returned. We strongly encourage you to retain a copy of all the important document for your reference.

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED: The list of documents below is not an exhaustive list of documents and the applicant could be asked for additional documents if desired by the Consulate General of Portugal.

Applicants always have to bring and show their original Passport, but they only need to submit photocopies of the same; unless the requirements specify that an original document has to be submitted. Please refer to the checklist for the list of documents as required by the Portugal consulate, ensure that you have all the documents as per your Visa Categories.

For applying for a short-stay Schengen visa, the following documentation is required:

Visa application completely filled and duly signed by applicant (For minors and incapacitated, forms should be signed the legal guardian);

A recent color photograph (35mmx45mm) up-to-date and with enough quality to identify the applicant;

Passport or Travel document must be valid for 3 months beyond the Schengen stay; a photocopy of prior passport and Schengen visas required.

Proof and copy of residency status in the United States (Green card, Employment Authorization Card, United States Visa)

Roundtrip flight reservation showing date of departure and date of return

Proof of medical coverage, including medical emergencies and repatriation. The insurance should have a minimum coverage of €30,000 or 50,000 USD; shall a multiple entry visa be granted, applicants shall sign the statement, set out in the application form, declaring that they are aware of the need to be in possession of travel medical insurance for subsequent stays.

Work certificate and salary, as well as three last bank transcripts (proof of means of subsistence), covering the entire stay and return to the country of origin.

Proof of accommodations for entire stay or statement of responsibility.

An official document of the medical institution confirming necessity for medical care in that institution and proof of sufficient financial means to pay for the medical treatment;

Applicants, who intend to travel for business purposes, i.e. visiting a business/company to have meetings, to make business deals, to recruit, to train or other work related activities can apply for a Business visa.

Every Business visa application has to be confirmed by an invitation letter from a business/company based in Portugal, if not, applicant will have to apply as a Tourist.

In regards to conference/seminar/workshop the following applicants can also apply for a Business visa:

Photo Specifications

photospecification

Please provide one recent colour photograph (not more than 6 months old) of yourself, according the following requirements:

If the photographs presented do not meet these requirements, then the visa application will be considered incomplete and applicant will be asked to take new photographs in the photo booth in the visa application centre.

Processing Time

NOTICE Please be advised that applications sent by mail do not guarantee faster processing than applications done in person. Applications will be processed as per the queue at VFS and the visa Section of the Embassy of Portugal in DC. Normal processing time for applications submitted in San Francisco is up to 30 days for C category. For D category it will take up to 60 days. Applications for D type visa for Portugal are on very high demand and it will take time to process all of them. Applicants are advised to expect a longer waiting time in obtaining a decision on their application. You will be notified once the application has been processed by the Embassy of Portugal in Washington DC. Please, be advised, that contacting the Embassy immediately, or repeatedly, will only provoke delays, as resources will have to be diverted from visa processing to answering emails and phone calls. The visa processing time is a minimum of 3 weeks, depending on the nationality of the applicant of the applicant and provided that a complete visa application is submitted; please click here for the list of nationalities that may have an extended processing time.

Please click here to ascertain any dates that the consulate will be closed, as this will also affect the processing time of your application. Article 23 for time lines of application processing. Annex 16 for nationalities that require prior consultation After a visa application has been submitted, it is still be possible for the consulate to request additional documents/information and by doing so this may prolong or delay the visa processing time.

Download Forms

National Visa

Overview