StartUP Visa

StartUP Visa is a program to welcome foreign entrepreneurs who intend to develop an entrepreneurship and / or innovation project in Portugal, with a view to granting a residence visa or residence permit for immigrant entrepreneurs, which is governed by its own regulation (Order Normative No. 4/2018).

This program foresees a previous process for the certification of incubators so that they can be welcoming and support entities for immigrant entrepreneurs in the creation and installation of technology-based companies. Thus, StartUP Visa takes place in two phases:

1 – Certification of incubators

The incubator certification aims to ensure that these entities are able to welcome citizens of third states, as defined in Ordinance No. 344/2017, of 13 November, amended by Ordinance No. 275/2018, of 4 October , and IAPMEI is responsible for the analysis, selection and certification of applications, as well as for monitoring the implementation of the program.

2 – Applications from entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs must submit the application through the online platform.

The evaluation of the economic and innovative potential – carried out by the Institute of Support to Small and Medium Enterprises and Innovation (IAPMEI) – is made based on the degree of innovation, the scalability of the business, the market potential, the capacity of the management team, the potential for creating qualified jobs in Portugal and the relevance of the candidate on the team.