Portugal is undoubtedly one of the most scenic and captivating countries in Europe. From the iconic cobblestone streets of Lisbon to the volcanic beaches of the Azores. This guide explains that how to apply for Portugal Schengen Visa for US Green card Holders.
However, before you embark on your journey, there are a few essential things to consider. This includes familiarizing yourself with Portugal’s visa requirements and understanding the Portugal visa processing time. These are crucial steps in preparing your Portuguese Tourist Visa application and scheduling your Portugal visa appointment at the nearest Portuguese Embassy.
If you need more information or face any difficulties throughout the visa application process, don’t hesitate to explore our visa consultation services. We are prepared to help you secure your visa in a smooth and efficient manner.
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Who can Apply for Portugal Schengen visa from US?
You can apply for Portugal Schengen Visa from US, in these situations which is listed below;
- In past, If you have been denied visa-free to enter Portugal or any other Schengen countries being a US citizen.
- If your have planned to visit only Portugal.
- If you have planned to visit multiple Schengen countries, but Portugal is your primary destination in which you want spend most of the time of your entire trip.
- If you want to visit multiple Schengen countries, and planned to spend equal time in all countries. In this case, if your first entering country is Portugal then you need to Apply for Portugal Schengen visa.
- You need a visa to enter the Schengen Area, if you are from a country which need Schengen visa. You must be a US legal resident. Your residence must be valid for another 3 months after you return from the Schengen area.
Do US Green Card holders need Portugal Schengen visa?
Even with a green card, you will still need a Schengen visa and get it before you are allowed into Portugal or any other country in the zone for that matter.
If you are a US green card holder, you can apply for Portugal Schengen visa which is depend on which country passport you are holding. For example, if you hold Indian passport then you can not enter Portugal without visa. Because India don’t have visa liberalization agreement with the EU, that’s why then you need to apply for Portugal Schengen visa from US.
If you hold passport of that country which has visa liberalization agreement with the EU, then you need not apply for Schengen visa to enter Portugal.
Do US citizen need a Portugal Schengen visa?
US citizens enjoy visa-free travel to Portugal for short stays, typically up to 90 days within a 180-day period, for various purposes such as tourism, business, short-term studies, cultural or sports events, or medical treatment.
However, it’s important to note that visa-free travel doesn’t guarantee entry into Portugal. US citizens must meet specific requirements to be allowed entry.
If US citizens want to stay more than 90 days, then they need to apply for visa.
ETIAS Portugal for US Citizen
Starting in May 2025, US citizens traveling to Portugal will need to register for ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System). ETIAS is an electronic travel authorization that simplifies entry into the Schengen Area for citizens from visa-exempt countries, including the United States. It will be valid for 3 years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first, and eliminates the need for a separate visa application process.
Keep in mind that if you plan to work long-term, study, or reside in Portugal, you’ll need to apply for a National (D) Visa to meet the necessary requirements.
Portugal Schengen Visa Requirements for US Green Card Holders:
To apply for a Schengen visa, online applications are not accepted. You must visit the Portuguese Embassy to submit your application. The Embassy will request the following documents:
1. Visa application form:
You need to download the application form here. submit a fully completed and signed Portugal Schengen visa application form. Know more about how to fill the application form here.
2. Valid Passport:
Your passport must meet specific conditions. It should be valid for a minimum of three months beyond your planned departure from Portugal. The passport should not be close to its expiry date or older than 10 years. Additionally, it should have at least two blank pages.
3. Two Passport size photographs:
You need to include 2 recent passport size photograph which should meet the Schengen visa Photograph Specification
4. Copies of previous visas if applicable
5. Travel Health insurance policy:
One of the most essential requirements for a Portugal Schengen visa is travel health insurance, which must cover at least 30,000EUR. This proves that you can pay for any medical emergencies. The Travel health insurance should work in all countries in the Schengen area. Know more about Travel Medical insurance for Portugal Schengen visa here.
6. Flight Reservation for Visa:
You need to have a round trip flight reservation information such as booking ID, your name, the location, along with the flight number. Get more information on the Flight tickets booking here.
7. Proof of accommodation in Portugal:
You need to show proof of accommodation such as Hotel or hostel bookings which proves that you have place to stay in Portugal. Get more information on the Proof of accommodation here.
8. Proof of residency:
Green card, also called a “alien residence card,” or a legal US residence visa. If returning to the United States of America, the visa should be valid for your re-entry.
9. Cover Letter:
In your cover letter which states that your purpose of visit to Portugal. It also includes how long you plan to stay, when you will be going, when you will be back, and the names of any people who will be travelling with you. Get more information on the Cover letter for Portugal visa here.
10. Proof of your financial health:
You need to prove that you have enough money to cover your entire trip by submitting the Financial status proof.
11. Civil status proof:
You need to submit your marital status such as marriage certificate.
12. No objection letter from your employer:
It should states that your company or institution has no objections to your trip to Portugal and that you have leave approvals for the duration of your trip.
13. Sponsorship letter:
If anybody sponsoring your trip to the Schengen Zone, then you need to submit the Sponsor letter.
14. Proof of subsistence:
Need to submit bank account transaction information over the last three months, credit card and turnover printouts wage letter from the employer.
14. Proof of Income:
Depending on your employment or student status, you will have to provide the required documents to support your Portugal Schengen visa application:
- if you are an employee:
- Most recent pay stub.
- Latest 6 month your bank statements.
- A letter from your current employer or a company by stating your job title, start date and your yearly income and approved time off.
- ITR (Income Tax return) Certificate.
- For self-employed:
- Copy of your company / business license;
- Proof of previous economic activity.
- Latest 6 month bank statement of your company
- company Income Tax return Certificate.
- For retired:
- proof of pension benefits or other regular and sufficient income
- Or Latest 6 month bank statement
- Financial dependent:
- Last joint Income Tax Return or joint bank statements
- Sponsorship Letter
- if you are minor:
- birth certificate and written consent of your parent / guardian
- Written permission from parents or guardians, notarized, to travel abroad.
- Parents or guardians sign the Belgium Schengen visa application form.
- One parent must be there, and the other parent must write permission for the application to be made in his or her place.
- If you are a Student or Researchers
- A certificate from the receiving institution / University by attesting to the duration and intent of the visit Belgium
- Certificate from Home institution / University on enrolment.
- If you are not staying in a hotel, then confirm your accommodations by providing the name, address, and phone number of the lodging facility.
- a letter which should states that all costs are covered, if applicable.
15. Supporting documents
- If you are visiting Family or Friends in Belgium
- Invitation letter: Invite letter from a friend or family member, along with a copy of their ID or residency permit. If the person is related to you, then you need include legal proof of family ties, such as birth certificates.
- Proof of confirmed accommodation: If you are not staying at any hotel or any hostel, then you need to submit name, address, and phone number of where you are going to live.
- If you are visiting for business purpose:
- A letter of invitation from the business partner
- reference letter proof from your current employer
- If you are not staying in a hotel, then confirm your accommodations by providing the name, address, and phone number of the lodging facility.
- a letter confirming that all costs are covered, if applicable.
Types of Portugal Visas Available to U.S. Green Card Holders
U.S. permanent residents may be required to apply for a Portugal Schengen Visa based on their original citizenship. Various types of Schengen visas are available, each catering to different travel purposes:
- Portugal Transit Visa : Some particular certain countries require their nationals to have an airport transit visa when they need to change flights in a foreign country, and the specific country where the airport is located determines whether the visa is necessary or not.
- Portugal Tourist Visa : This is the most common Schengen visa, typically used for tourism, visiting friends or family, or other non-business-related purposes.
- Portugal Visitor visa : You need a visitor visa for Portugal , If you are going for to visit family or friends who officially stay there or are citizens of Portugal or any of the Schengen areas, you will be there to see them.
- Portugal Business visa : Intended for individuals planning business-related activities like meetings, signing agreements, and more within the Schengen Area.
- Portugal Diplomat visa : This type of visa required for official visits by government officials or national groups.
- Portugal Medical visa : Issued to individuals seeking medical treatment within a Schengen country.
- Portugal Student Visa: For those looking to study or participate in educational or training programs in the Schengen Area.
- Portugal visa for Sports, Cultural or Film Crew : If you are planning to visit Portugal for attending a sports event, cultural events as participants or as audience as well as for filming a movie, Then you must obtain a sports visa / cultural visa.
- Portugal Spouse Visa : If you have planned to visit Portugal to join your spouse for any event or to get together who either is a citizen or has a work permit for.
Eligibility Criteria for Portugal Schengen Visa:
U.S. Green Card Holders To qualify for a Portugal Schengen visa, you should fulfill the following requirements:
- Your citizenship is from a country that is not exempt from Schengen Area visas, necessitating a visa application despite your U.S. permanent resident status.
- You possess a valid purpose for your visit, whether it be tourism, business, study, and the like.
- Your intended stay does not exceed 90 days within a 180-day timeframe.
- You have ample financial resources to sustain your visit in Portugal and the Schengen Area.
Portugal Schengen Visa: Financial requirements for U.S. permanent residents
To satisfy the financial requirements for a Portugal Schengen visa, you should be able to demonstrate that you have enough funds to support yourself during your trip. This can be shown through:
- Bank statements from the last three months showing sufficient funds to cover all your travel expenses.
- A sponsorship letter, if someone else is covering your travel expenses.
- Proof of prepaid accommodation and travel arrangements.
- If employed, recent pay slips can be used as evidence of financial stability.
- Travel insurance, to show you can support yourself in an emergency.
Flight Itinerary for Portugal Schengen Visa
Whenever you apply for a Portugal visa, most consulates want you to submit a Flight itinerary for your visa processing. A detailed round trip flight booking document called a flight itinerary for visa is usually made by a flight booking GDS system. A flight itinerary includes information like the names of the flights, routes, how much they cost, and information about the people who are travelling.
It is not necessary to take fully paid flight ticket before your visa is approved, If you do that, you could lose some or all of the money you paid for the trip ticket. So we advice the applicant to take dummy flight tickets until your visa gets approval. Once your visa is approved then you can pay the amount and book your actual flight tickets.
For customers who don’t have a plane ticket yet, we ask them to use the FlightGen app to make a trip itinerary. For cover letters, we suggest the BlinkDocs cover letter app.
- Arrival and departure from the Schengen area
- Departure and arrival to the United States of America
You can know more about flight itinerary for Portugal Schengen visa.
Cover Letter for Portugal Schengen Visa
You should aware of the essential requirement to submit a a cover letter for a Portugal Schengen visa along with a travel itinerary. Visa cover letter is a letter sent to the Portuguese consulate / embassy / VFS Global visa application center along with a Portugal visa application which briefly explains about the applicant’s purpose for travelling, employment status, and general day-to-day travel plans in order to support your visa approval.
If you are applying for a Portugal Schengen visa, then the format of your cover letter using BlinkDocsApp , then you can use the below format.
Many visas have been denied because they did not have proper Cover letter which support their visa documentation. To get your visa approval we help you to create your cover letter please take consultation here.
Know more about cover letter for Portugal Schengen visa.
Travel Insurance for Portugal Schengen Visa
For US green card holders, the travel health insurance is essential document to get approval for their Portugal Schengen visa. Travel insurance for Portugal can help protect travelers from medical expenditure and many other things which is associated with a number of unexpected travel disasters.
You must to have a valid Schengen approved Travel Health insurance before you apply for Portugal Schengen visa. Your travel Insurance should cover minimum coverage of EUR 30000 in medical care or emergency hospital stays. It must apply for all other Schengen countries. It should also cover fees associated with returning someone home for medical reasons.
You don’t need a Schengen visa to visit Portugal or any other Schengen country if you are a US citizen. However, you should still get travel insurance because medical costs for tourists can be high. If you plan to stay in Portugal for a long time such as for work or education purpose, then you should get health insurance instead of travel insurance.
Your insurance must also cover other countries that you plan to visit (if any) . Know more about Travel Medical insurance for Portugal Schengen visa here.
How to Apply for Portugal Schengen visa from US?
Follow the simple steps to apply for Portugal Schengen visa for US Green card holders:
- Determine the Portugal visa Type: The first step is to determine the which type of visa you need for Portugal visa.
- Visa Application Form: Once you are done with the Portugal visa type, then you need to fill the visa application form online for Portugal visa.
- Visa Requirements: You need to collect all important documents which is essential for Portugal Schengen visa
- Set up an appointment: After completing your visa application for Portugal, you must set up an appointment at a VFS Global Visa Application Centre to have your fingerprints and photo taken. This is referred to as ‘biometric information’.
- Pay visa fees: Please print the cover letter and payment fee receipt once after completing your online application for Portugal visa and paying the visa fee.
- Visit a Visa Application Centre: You must submit your completed Portugal visa application form at the Visa Application Centre in person.
- Wait for the Visa feedback: Once after visiting your visa appointment, you will have to wait for the your visa feedback from consulate officials.
- Track your visa application: You will be notified by email when the Visa Application Centre has received your choice. You can track your visa application here.
- Collect your passport: You can get your passport from the Visa Application Centre once your visa application has been approved. You have to collect your passport in person.
Where Should US Green card holder can Apply for Portugal Schengen visa?
VFS Global Visa application center to manage the all Portugal Visa Application in the United States. The VFS visa application center are located in Washington, New York and San Francisco
You can apply for short-term visa such as business, visitor, or tourist Schengen visas and residence/work permits for Portugal in the United States, you should submit your applications and provide biometrics at one of the VFS Global visa application centers.
Know more about How to:
- How to apply for Portugal Schengen visa in Washington
- How to apply for Portugal Schengen visa in New York
- How to apply for Portugal Schengen visa in San Francisco
Where Should make an appointment to get Portugal Schengen visa for US Green card Holder?
VFS Global plays a crucial role in guiding visa applicants through each stage of the Portugal visa application process by working in partnership with various governments worldwide.
To schedule a your Portugal Schengen visa appointment, you must make an online booking on the official website of the nearest VFS branch. As mentioned earlier, there are a total of 5 VFS Visa Application Centers available for you to submit the necessary documents and your Portugal visa application which are at New York, Washington D.C, Chicago, Huston, San Francisco.
Based on your jurisdiction, find out your nearest VFS Global visa application center, and set up an appointment for your Portugal visa application.
When Should I apply for Portugal Schengen visa from US?
If you have planned to visit Portugal, you need to know the processing time for Portugal visa. So you need to apply for visa at least two months before your intended departure date, because in some extreme cases, The visa application processing time may extend up to 60 days.
SO by keeping that in mind, you need to decide when to apply for the Schengen visa to visit Portugal.
What is the Processing time for Portugal Schengen visa for US Green card holders?
Generally, the Portugal Schengen Visa Application processing time will be minimum of 15 calendar days. but in some cases, the processing time for Portugal visa may take 30 to 45 days, such as when the consulates receives lots of applications in some seasons.
The Portugal visa processing time may extended up to 60 days, in some extreme cases.
How to Pay the Portugal Visa Fee From the United States?
Visa fees can be paid using the following methods:
- Credit card
- Certified checks
- Postal money order
If you choose to make the payment through a postal money order, it should be made out to “VFSServices USA Inc.” Additionally, please note that VFS Global charges an additional service fee of $47.24 USD per application.
You can pay with a credit card only if you are paying the fee at the appointment.
The fees for a applying for a Portugal visa in the United States are:
| Category | Portugal Visa Fee in EUR | Portugal Visa Fee in USD |
|---|---|---|
| Portugal Schengen visa application fee | 80 | 95.45 |
| Portugal Schengen visa fee for children aged between 6-11 years | 40 | 47.72 |
| Fee for children under 6 years | No fee | No fee |
| US residents holding a passport of Armenia, Azerbaijan, or Kosovo | 35 | 38.52 |
| Researchers travelling for the purpose of conducting scientific research or participating in a scientific seminar or conference. | No fee | No fee |
| US residents holding a passport of the Gambia | 120 | 132.07 |
What Should I do If my Portugal visa is Denied?
If your Schengen visa application for Portugal is declined, you have two options: you can either submit a new application for a Portuguese visa, or you can opt to appeal the decision.
When the Portuguese Embassy rejects an individual’s visa application, the decision is usually automatically forwarded for review (appeal) to the Portuguese Immigration Service. If this automatic review does not take place, the applicant will need to initiate the appeal process independently. The official refusal letter from the Embassy will provide clear guidance on how to proceed with the appeal.
If your Portuguese visa was declined due to insufficient information, and the facts and conditions that led to the denial remain unchanged, you may have the option to reopen your existing application. However, if the circumstances have evolved or no longer support your visa request, you will need to submit an entirely new application.
FAQ:
Can I travel to Portugal if I have obtained a Schengen Visa from another country – such as Spain?
Yes. Schengen Visas allow you to travel throughout the countries who are signed up to the agreement.
Can I travel to the Portuguese islands of Azores or Madeira on a Schengen Visa?
Yes. Although not on the continent of Europe – these are incorporated into the Schengen Area.