𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐋𝐄 𝟗𝟐 𝐌𝐀𝐘 𝐁𝐄 𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐒𝐎𝐎𝐍 – 𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒.

Portugal has approved significant changes that may soon affect foreign nationals planning to study under Article 92 (Vocational Education and Training).

𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐠𝐚𝐥,, foreign students who wish to study in a vocational education programme should first apply for the appropriate Portuguese student visa at the Portuguese Consulate or Embassy in their home country before travelling to Portugal. Entering Portugal on a short-stay visa may no longer provide a pathway to a residence permit for vocational studies under the new framework.

𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤:

The E9 Short Vocational Study Visa is intended for short-term vocational training. Holders of this visa will not be eligible to obtain a residence permit during or after completing the training.

𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐛𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐭 should apply under the D4 Student Visa, provided they are admitted to an eligible higher education or Level 5 vocational programme offered by an institution recognised by the Ministry of Education.

𝐕𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐃𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐓-𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 providers may no longer qualify for residence permit purposes. If you are planning to study in Portugal, it is important to choose the correct visa category and ensure your educational institution is recognised under the new rules before submitting your application.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. The practical application will depend on the final legal text, implementing regulations, and guidance issued by the Portuguese authorities.