Moving from the UAE to Portugal: the Order of Steps

Moving from the UAE to Portugal is not a long list of tasks. It is a short list of tasks in a fixed order, and almost every expensive mistake is a sequencing mistake. People open a bank account after the visa when it was needed before it, arrive expecting to book an appointment that was already booked for them, or start legalising documents three weeks before a deadline that needs six.

This guide is the spine. It does not repeat what our individual guides already cover — the D7 and D8 comparison, the NIF, the NISS, the bank account, SNS registration and the AIMA residence permit. It sets out what has to happen before what, and what genuinely cannot be done until you are there.

Start with the documents, because they are the longest lead item

Nothing in this move takes longer than getting UAE paperwork into a form Portugal will accept, and nothing is more often started late.

First, the thing many people get wrong: an apostille is not available for UAE documents. The United Arab Emirates is not a Contracting Party to the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 — it does not appear in the Convention’s status table, which listed 130 Contracting Parties when we checked it in September 2026. So the route is consular legalisation, not apostille, and it has a fixed order.

The Portuguese Embassy in Abu Dhabi states the chain and the timing: “documents issued in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq must be legalized by the Embassy of Portugal in Abu Dhabi”, and “This legalization requires prior certification of the documents by the respective Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA)”. Two constraints follow that decide your calendar: “the documents will only be ready from five to ten business days thereafter”, and “One appointment for certification/authentication grants the right to a maximum of three documents.”

Three documents per appointment is the number to plan around. A family with marriage certificate, two birth certificates and two police clearances is several appointments, not one. Translation, where needed, also comes first: “If the document is not originally in Portuguese, English, or French, the applicant must bring a certified translation”. Our attestation guide covers the UAE side of that chain.

The order, in one table

Everything above the line happens while you are still in the UAE. Everything below it cannot be completed until you are in Portugal.

The three steps people get out of order

The AIMA appointment is already booked — do not go looking for one

This is the single most common misunderstanding, and it causes real panic on arrival. AIMA published in July 2025 that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs schedules the residence permit appointment at the moment the consular visa is issued, and that “O comprovativo do agendamento encontra-se na parte inferior direita do visto consular no link destacado” — the confirmation is in the lower right of the visa vignette, at the highlighted link. If the link does not work, AIMA directs the applicant to its contact form to schedule their own.

So the action on collecting the visa is to check that link and record the appointment, not to start hunting for a slot after landing.

The bank account comes before the visa, not after it

Portuguese bank documents are part of the visa file, not a post-arrival errand. The Embassy’s own D7 checklist asks for “The bank documents from the Portuguese Bank (example: Millennium BCP, Novobanco, etc.) stamped and authenticated by a lawyer in Portugal.” For the D2 route the visa portal wants “Proof of financial means available in Portugal, including those obtained through a financial institution in Portugal”.

And the bank account itself has a prerequisite: the NIF. The tax authority describes the NIF as essential for ordinary acts including “aberturas de contas bancárias” — opening bank accounts. Banco de Portugal confirms that an account “can be opened in person or by means of distance communication”, and lists a “Tax identification number or equivalent number issued by a foreign authority” among the data required. So the chain is NIF, then account, then visa application — three steps that people routinely attempt in reverse.

One caution we will not overstate: no official source states that a Portuguese bank will open an account for a UAE resident who does not yet hold a visa. Banks set their own onboarding rules. What is certain is the order of dependency, not that any given bank will say yes remotely.

The NIF does not require a fiscal representative — and then it does

Here two official Portuguese sources disagree, and it is worth knowing that rather than being surprised by it.

The tax authority’s own leaflet states that at the moment a NIF is issued to a non-resident foreign national, appointing a fiscal representative is not obligatory: “No ato de inscrição e atribuição de NIF a cidadão estrangeiro, como não residente, não é obrigatória a designação de representante fiscal.” The government services portal, in its guide to getting a NIF and NISS, lists having a fiscal representative resident in Portugal among the requirements for a non-resident.

What both agree on is what happens next: once you establish a tax relationship — employment, self-employment, owning property or a vehicle — you have 15 days to appoint one, and for self-employment the VAT representative must be appointed “antes de iniciar a atividade”, before starting the activity. Plan for a representative, and treat the question of whether one is needed on day one as something to confirm with the counter you use.

Timing the visa

Two official numbers, and they are not the same. Portugal’s visa portal states the legal deadline: “The deadline for deciding on a resident visa application, except in circumstance stipulated by law, is 60 days.” The mission’s own service information for the UAE states that processing “is approximately 90 days, unless otherwise stipulated by the Portugal Embassy depending on the supporting documents submitted.”

Plan on the longer figure, and add the legalisation lead time in front of it. Applications from UAE residents go to the Embassy of Portugal in Abu Dhabi, whose jurisdiction table lists the United Arab Emirates, with submission through its visa application centres in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

The visa you receive is not open-ended: “Residency visas allow two entries and is valid for a period of 4 months”, and within that period the holder “is required to apply for a residency permit with AIMA”. Two entries matters if you were planning a trip back to the UAE to close things down — a third entry is not available.

What the money has to show

Portugal pegs its subsistence requirement to the national minimum wage, which is reset by decree every January. The visa portal states the 2026 figure as “the minimum monthly salary – currently in 2026 – amounting to 920€”, applied at “First adult 100%; Second adult and additional adults 50%” and a lower proportion for dependants.

Because that base figure changes each January, every threshold derived from it changes with it. Any calculation you did last year has to be redone, not merely re-dated. The route-specific multiples are covered in our D7 and D8 guide; if you are on the remote-work route, our guide to proving remote work covers the evidence.

Two other items belong in the visa file rather than the arrival file: a criminal record certificate from the country of nationality or of residence of more than a year, legalised; and “Valid travel insurance, covering necessary medical expenses, including urgent medical assistance and possible repatriation”.

The first weeks in Portugal

Three things start running the moment you arrive, and they are not in the order people expect.

1. The tax address has a 60-day clock, and it can be satisfied before your permit arrives. The tax authority requires you to “comunicar a sua residência em território português, no prazo de 60 dias” once you meet the residence criteria, and accepts as proof either the residence permit or “Documento comprovativo do agendamento, ou recibo comprovativo de pedido efetuado” — the appointment confirmation or the application receipt. So this does not wait for the card.
2. The SNS user number is the easiest step in the whole move. For foreign nationals “o número é atribuído na primeira vez que se dirijam a uma unidade de saúde pública” — assigned on the first visit to a public health unit. It carries a caveat worth reading: having the number does not itself guarantee that the SNS covers the cost of care. Registering with a health centre is the separate, later step, and that one does require the residence permit.
3. The NISS needs a work situation, not a permit. Social Security’s practical guide accepts a residence visa as the immigration document, alongside proof of a work situation such as a translated employment contract. The number is collected in person after a registered letter. There is also a joint NIF, NISS and health-number request available at named counters, but its condition is having applied for or obtained a residence permit, and it requires Portuguese or European digital authentication.

One consequence worth spelling out: a retiree or passive-income applicant on the D7 has no work-situation document, so the standard NISS route does not fit neatly. Expect to use the counter route or to raise it at the AIMA appointment rather than assuming the online form will work.

What AIMA wants on the day

AIMA’s own description of the general residence permit requirements is the best checklist for the appointment. The application “é entregue presencialmente” — submitted in person — with a valid residence visa, a declaration on honour of the address of residence, proof of means of subsistence, proof of registration with the tax administration and with social security “se aplicável”, and “Seguro de saúde ou comprovativo de que se encontra abrangido pelo Serviço Nacional de Saúde.” The permit that follows “é válida pelo período de dois anos” — two years from issue.

Note that accommodation evidence is needed twice: a signed lease for the visa application in the UAE, and an address declaration with supporting proof at the AIMA appointment in Portugal. They are separate requirements at separate stages, and the second one is the one people arrive without.

A realistic sequence

If you want one ordering to work against, this is it. Gather and translate documents; book MOFA certification in batches; book Embassy legalisation in batches of three; get the NIF; open the bank account; sign the lease; assemble the means-of-subsistence file and insurance; lodge the visa application; on collecting the visa, find the AIMA appointment link on the vignette and diarise it; travel; get the SNS number on first contact with a health unit; request the NISS; change the tax address within 60 days; attend AIMA; register with a health centre once the permit is issued.

If you would like the UAE half of that handled for you, our attestation and translation desk covers the MOFA and embassy chain, and our residency services cover the application itself.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get an apostille on my UAE documents for Portugal?

No. The United Arab Emirates is not a Contracting Party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so UAE-issued documents take the consular legalisation route instead: UAE MOFA certification first, then legalisation by the Portuguese Embassy in Abu Dhabi.

How long does document legalisation take?

The Portuguese Embassy in Abu Dhabi states that documents are ready five to ten business days after certification, and that one appointment covers a maximum of three documents. For a family, budget several appointments, and start before anything else in the process.

Can I get a Portuguese NIF before I move?

Yes. The official position is that any Portuguese or foreign person, resident or not, may request a tax number, and that it can be requested at any time. A route through a legal representative using the tax authority’s electronic counter exists for applicants abroad.

Do I need a Portuguese bank account before applying for the visa?

For the D7 route the Embassy’s checklist asks for Portuguese bank documents as part of the application, and the D2 route requires proof of funds available in Portugal. The account in turn needs the NIF first.

Do I book the AIMA appointment after I arrive?

Normally no. AIMA states that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs schedules the residence permit appointment when it issues the consular visa, and that the confirmation is at the lower right of the visa vignette. If that link does not work, AIMA directs applicants to its contact form to schedule one.

How long is the residence visa valid for?

Four months, with two entries, and within that period the holder must apply for a residence permit with AIMA. The temporary residence permit that follows is valid for two years from issue.

How long does the visa decision take?

The legal deadline published by the visa portal is 60 days. The mission’s own service information for the UAE states approximately 90 days. Plan on the longer figure.

Can I get the NISS before I arrive in Portugal?

No official source permits or forbids it. The application is an online form, a residence visa is an accepted document, and the form allows a non-Portuguese address — but collection is in person in Portugal, and a work-situation document is required.

When do I have to change my tax address?

Within 60 days of meeting the tax residence criteria. The tax authority accepts the AIMA appointment confirmation or the application receipt as proof, so this does not have to wait for the residence permit itself.