Start here: which family route are you on?
Most D6 mistakes start with the wrong route. Before ordering certificates or booking a consular appointment, decide which situation matches your family.
| Situation | Likely route | Where it starts | Key risk | What to do next |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sponsor is a non-EU resident in Portugal and family is abroad | D6 / family reunification | AIMA request by the resident sponsor, then a consular or VFS residence visa after approval. | Filing before sponsor timing, housing, means, or relationship evidence is ready. | Check the Law 61 timing rules and the documents-by-route table below. |
| Sponsor and family are applying together from abroad | Accompanying family | Consulate or VFS with the main applicant's residence visa file. | Calling it D6 when the main applicant is not yet resident. | Coordinate the family applications with the main D7, D8 / Digital Nomad, D2, student, work, or other visa route. |
| Sponsor is Portuguese, EU, EEA, or Swiss | EU/Portuguese family route | Consular or in-country family-member route, depending on status and nationality. | Using D6 rules when the family-member regime is different. | Check the MNE family member guidance. |
| Family member is already in Portugal | Lawyer-check in-country route | AIMA only if Article 103, Article 98(3), the person's status, and current access allow it. | Assuming legal entry, tourist status, or a still-valid stay is enough by itself. | Treat this as lawyer-check territory after the 180-day transition. Check current AIMA access and the in-country AIMA list. |
| Sponsor has a Golden Visa / ARI residence permit | ARI-related family route | AIMA/ARI family inclusion or a related residence route. | Missing ARI-specific handling or using the wrong public checklist. | Start with the Portugal Golden Visa route and confirm the sponsor's permit basis. |
| Adult family member can qualify independently | Independent visa may be cleaner | D7, D8, student, work, business, or another own-route visa. | Trying to prove dependency when the adult applicant has a stronger route. | Compare family reunification with the person's own visa eligibility. |
2026 law-change note: Law No. 61/2025 matters before you file
Law No. 61/2025 was published on 22 October 2025 and entered into force the following day. It amended Portugal's Foreigners Law, including Article 98 on family reunification.
- The general rule now requires the sponsor to have held a valid residence permit for at least two years, and the family member must fall within Articles 99/100 and have cohabited with or depend on the sponsor.
- For a spouse or equivalent partner who cohabited with the sponsor for at least 18 months immediately before the sponsor entered Portugal, the period can be 15 months.
- The waiting period does not apply to certain categories, including minors or incapable dependants, a spouse or equivalent partner who, together with the sponsor, is the parent or adopter of a minor or incapable dependant, and family members of residence permits under Articles 90, 90-A, or 121-A.
- Integration measures now matter after approval, including Portuguese language training, constitutional and civic values training, and compulsory education for minors.
- The 180-day transitional window after entry into force has now closed. In-country cases after that point should be checked against Article 103 and Article 98(3), not only against AIMA appointment availability.
Primary source: Diario da Republica, Law No. 61/2025. AIMA public guidance should also be checked before filing because operational pages can lag statutory text.
D6 family reunification visa at a glance
Use this table as a planning snapshot, then verify the exact consular checklist for the country where the family member applies.
| Field | 2026 planning answer | Source or verification point |
|---|---|---|
| Official name | Residence visa for family reunification. | gov.pt |
| Common names | D6 visa, family reunion visa, family reunification visa. | Common market usage. Check official wording in forms. |
| Who it is for | Qualifying family members of a non-EU foreign national who already holds Portuguese residence. | MNE |
| Who it is not for | Family of Portuguese/EU/EEA/Swiss citizens, people applying together before the sponsor is resident, or applicants with a stronger independent visa route. | MNE family-member route |
| Sponsor timing | General two-year residence-permit rule, plus the Articles 99/100 family-category test and the requirement that the family member has cohabited with or depend on the sponsor. Defined 15-month and exemption cases still need separate checks. | Law No. 61/2025 |
| Eligible family members | Spouse, stable partner, minor children, certain unmarried dependent adult children, dependent first-degree ascendants (parents of the resident or spouse), minor siblings under guardianship, and category-specific protection cases. | AIMA |
| Application path | Usually AIMA authorisation first, then consular residence visa, then Portugal entry and residence-card process. | VFS checklist example |
| Main document risks | Wrong route, missing AIMA authorisation, expired certificates, weak dependency evidence, missing legalisation, or inconsistent names and dates. | Check AIMA plus the local consular checklist. |
| Work and study | A family reunification residence card can support normal life in Portugal, but employment, self-employment, regulated activity, and study should be checked against the card wording and current legal advice. | Verify against the issued card and current legal framework. |
| Permit length | Do not confuse the consular entry visa validity with residence-card validity. AIMA states the family member's residence authorisation is generally for the same duration as the resident sponsor's permit, subject to the issued card, autonomous-permit exceptions, sponsor basis, and renewal rules. | Check the residence card and renewal notice when issued. |
| Application fee | gov.pt's family-service page currently lists €90 (EUR 90) for the residence visa request. MNE's general national-visa fee page lists €110 (EUR 110), and local consular or VFS fee schedules can differ. Descendants of residence-permit holders benefiting from family reunification are exempt from the visa fee; MNE says only spouses or ascendants pay. AIMA residence-title fees, service-provider, translation, apostille, notary, courier, and professional fees are separate. | gov.pt |
| Renewal issue | Integration measures, address, school enrolment for minors, sponsor relationship, and continued eligibility can matter at renewal. | Law No. 61/2025 |
Who can qualify as family?
Spouse and minor-child files are usually the most straightforward. Unmarried dependent adult children, dependent first-degree ascendant parents, unmarried partners, and guardianship files depend more heavily on evidence of dependency, shared life, legal custody, or care obligations.
AIMA's Article 98 pages list the family categories and evidence usually requested, including relationship certificates, dependency evidence, guardianship documents, and proof for stable unions.
| Family category | Can qualify? | Evidence normally needed | Common failure point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spouse | Yes, if the marriage is valid and sponsor requirements are met. | Marriage certificate, legalisation or apostille, translation if required, sponsor permit, housing and means evidence. | Old certificate, missing apostille, inconsistent names, or failing the post-Law 61 timing test. |
| Unmarried partner or stable union | Possible, but evidence-heavy and age-sensitive. | Proof of a de facto union for more than two years, recognised under Portuguese law, normally including cohabitation and shared-life evidence. Both partners should be at least 18 at the request date. | Assuming a relationship statement is enough. |
| Minor children | Yes, including children of the sponsor or spouse/partner where the legal relationship is proven. | Birth certificate, custody documents where relevant, consent from a non-accompanying parent if needed, school planning. | Custody and travel-consent gaps. |
| Adopted children or stepchildren | Possible where the legal relationship and custody are valid. | Adoption order, birth certificate, custody evidence, legalisation, and translations where required. | Foreign adoption or custody documents not recognised or not legalised correctly. |
| Unmarried adult children in education and dependent | Possible in defined circumstances, normally where unmarried, dependent, and studying in Portugal. | Birth certificate, enrolment evidence in Portugal, financial dependency evidence, sponsor support evidence, and Article 90-A / ARI-specific handling where relevant. | Weak dependency file, study outside the accepted framework, or an adult child who should apply under an independent route. |
| Dependent first-degree ascendants | Possible for dependent parents of the resident or spouse, subject to dependency and sponsor requirements. | Birth certificates linking the family line, dependency evidence, financial transfers, care evidence, housing and means. | Dependency treated as assumed because of age, or wider ascendant categories assumed without a specific legal basis. |
| Minor siblings under guardianship | Possible where legal guardianship is proven. | Guardianship order, birth certificate, consent/custody documents, school and care plan. | Informal care arrangement without a formal guardianship basis. |
| Refugee or unaccompanied-minor cases | Different family reunification rules and evidence can apply. | Protection-status documents and category-specific family evidence. | Using a standard D6 checklist for a protection-status case. |
Sponsor and applicant requirements
A strong D6 file separates the resident sponsor's right to reunify from the family member's identity, relationship, and admissibility documents.
Sponsor-side evidence
- Valid Portuguese residence permit. The permit basis can affect timing, exemptions, and route choice.
- Residence timing under Article 98. Check the two-year, 15-month, exemption, Articles 99/100, and cohabited-with-or-depend-on-sponsor rules introduced by Law No. 61/2025.
- Adequate accommodation. Lease, deed, address certificate, or other housing evidence may be needed.
- Means of subsistence. Prepare bank, income, employment, pension, or other support evidence without assuming one certificate covers all family sizes.
- Relationship or dependency support. Provide the documents that connect the sponsor to each applicant.
Applicant-side evidence
- Passport and visa forms. Passport validity and appointment forms depend on the consular jurisdiction.
- Relationship certificates. Marriage, birth, adoption, guardianship, or union documents must be valid for the route.
- Apostille or legalisation. Foreign documents usually need formal validation and may need certified translation.
- Criminal record certificate. Requirements vary by age, country of residence, and consular post.
- Insurance or medical cover. Some consular checklists request travel or medical insurance for the visa stage.
- AIMA authorisation notification. For family abroad, VFS checklists commonly request proof that AIMA has authorised the family reunification.
Minimum official checklist items to cross-check: passport validity; proof of regular status if applying outside the country of nationality; travel or medical insurance with repatriation where the consulate asks for it; criminal records from the country of nationality or any country of residence for more than one year, except where an under-16 exemption applies; minor travel authorisation where relevant; relationship, custody, dependency, or guardianship documents; and apostille, legalisation, or certified translation rules for foreign documents.
Means of subsistence planning
Do not rely on a generic online calculator. The official wage base, the family composition, the sponsor's income type, and the consular/AIMA view of sufficiency should be checked at filing time.
For 2026 planning, MNE's means-of-subsistence guidance uses the Portuguese minimum monthly salary as the base. Re-check the official figure and the consular/AIMA view before filing.
| 2026 planning figure | Amount or percentage | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Portuguese minimum monthly salary base | €920 | Use as the first adult / sponsor planning base, then confirm the current official wage at filing time. |
| First adult | 100% of the base | Plan around the full base amount for the first adult household member. |
| Each additional adult | 50% of the base | Useful for spouse, partner, or dependent adult planning, subject to the file facts. |
| Each child or dependent non-minor child | 30% of the base | Add for each child/dependent-child file, while also checking housing, school, custody, and support evidence. |
| Household scenario | Preparation logic | Verify before filing |
|---|---|---|
| Sponsor alone | Start with the current Portuguese minimum monthly wage as the base planning figure. | Current official wage base and whether the authority applies a different sufficiency view to the file. |
| Sponsor plus spouse or partner | Plan for the base amount plus an additional adult-dependent margin. | Current percentage or threshold used by the relevant authority, and whether the spouse/partner has independent income. |
| Sponsor plus one child | Plan for the base amount plus a child-dependent margin. | Current child-dependent calculation, school costs, housing adequacy, and custody/support documents. |
| Sponsor plus dependent parent | Plan for the base amount plus adult dependency, healthcare, housing, and support evidence. | Dependency proof, care needs, and whether an independent route would be cleaner. |
Documents by route
The same family certificate can appear in several routes, but the sequence and authority are different. This is why a consular D6 checklist should not be copied into every family case.
| Document set | Family abroad after AIMA approval | Family already in Portugal | Family applying together | Portuguese/EU family route |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIMA family approval | Usually central to the consular D6 file. | Handled directly with AIMA if eligible. | Not the classic D6 sequence. | Different family-member regime. |
| Relationship evidence | Required and often legalised. | Required and often legalised. | Required with the main applicant's visa pack. | Required, but under the EU/Portuguese family-member route. |
| Sponsor permit | Required. | Required. | Main applicant may not yet have a residence permit. | Portuguese/EU identity or residence evidence replaces the D6 sponsor permit logic. |
| Consular/VFS checklist | Yes, for the family member abroad. | Usually no consular visa if the person is already eligible to file in Portugal, but legal entry alone is not enough and Article 103 / Article 98(3) should be checked. | Yes, tied to the main application route. | Check the specific consular family-member list. |
Process: from first filing to residence card
The family process changes depending on whether your family is abroad, already in Portugal, or applying with you before you become resident.
Branch A: family outside Portugal
- Sponsor prepares relationship, housing, means, permit, and timing evidence.
- Sponsor requests family reunification with AIMA.
- AIMA assesses the right to reunification under the current law.
- Family member applies for the residence visa at the consulate or VFS after AIMA authorisation. Some VFS checklists, including the UK example, require submission within 90 days of AIMA authorisation; confirm the local deadline.
- Family member enters Portugal, attends AIMA/biometrics, and receives a residence card if approved.
Branch B: family already in Portugal
- Confirm legal entry, current status, and whether Article 103 and Article 98(3) allow an in-country request after the transitional window.
- Do not assume a tourist stay or valid entry converts cleanly into residence. Treat this branch as lawyer-check territory.
- Prepare the sponsor, relationship, dependency, housing, and means evidence for AIMA if the route is available.
- File with AIMA only when access and eligibility are confirmed.
- Attend biometrics and respond to any evidence requests; the residence card is issued only if the application is approved.
Branch C: family moving together
- Main applicant prepares their own residence visa route, such as D7 or D8 / Digital Nomad.
- Family members apply as accompanying family at the same time where allowed.
- Everyone enters Portugal under the correct visa path.
- AIMA appointment and card issuance follow after arrival.
- If the family cannot accompany, reassess whether D6 later is the right fallback.
Timelines and costs
Do not plan around a single "60 days" headline. Law No. 61/2025 gives AIMA up to 9 months for the Article 98 family reunification request; MNE's 60 days refers to the later residence-visa decision stage after AIMA approval, and appointment or backlog delays can still add time.
| Stage | Who controls it | Main delay risk | What to do early |
|---|---|---|---|
| Route diagnosis | Applicant, sponsor, adviser or lawyer | Choosing D6 when accompanying-family, EU-family, ARI, or independent visa is better. | Map the route before ordering documents. |
| Document preparation | Applicant and issuing authorities | Old certificates, missing apostilles, slow criminal records, translation delays. | Order civil and criminal documents early. |
| AIMA family reunification request | AIMA | Statutory decision period can run up to 9 months, with practical access, appointment availability, evidence requests, and Article 98 timing all affecting the file. | Build the sponsor evidence pack before filing. |
| Consular or VFS visa stage | Consulate, VFS where applicable | MNE lists 60 days for the residence-visa decision stage, but appointment availability and jurisdiction-specific checklist differences can add time. | Use the checklist for the exact country of application. |
| Entry, biometrics, card | AIMA and card-production systems | Appointment and card issuance delays after arrival. | Keep copies of the visa, entry stamp, address, and appointment evidence. |
| Cost item | What to expect | Source or note |
|---|---|---|
| Residence visa request fee | gov.pt's family-service page currently lists €90 (EUR 90) for the residence visa request, while MNE's general national-visa fee page lists €110 (EUR 110). Confirm the local consular or VFS fee at booking. Descendants benefiting from family reunification are exempt; MNE says only spouses or ascendants pay. AIMA residence-title fees are separate. | gov.pt service page |
| VFS/service-provider fee | Varies by country and provider. | Check the local VFS or consular page. |
| Apostille/legalisation | Varies by document and issuing country. | Budget for each civil and criminal document. |
| Translation, notary, courier | Varies by language, urgency, and jurisdiction. | Plan for official translations where required. |
| Professional support | Depends on route complexity and whether legal advice is required. | Movingto can coordinate administrative process support and connect you with licensed Portuguese lawyers where legal advice is needed. |
Rights, renewal, and long-term planning
A family reunification residence card is about residence first: living in Portugal with the sponsor under the approved family basis. Work, study, healthcare registration, school enrolment, Schengen travel limits, and renewal should all be checked against the card, the current law, and the person's circumstances. AIMA's baseline is that the family member's authorisation generally follows the sponsor permit duration, with autonomous-permit exceptions and the issued-card wording still controlling the individual case.
Law No. 61/2025 also added integration-measure language that can matter after approval. For minors, school obligations are not an afterthought. For adults, language and civic training can affect renewal planning.
Do not treat D6 as a shortcut to citizenship. Long-term residence and nationality are separate legal questions, and Portugal's nationality rules have changed recently.
How Movingto helps
Movingto helps families diagnose D6 versus accompanying-family, EU-family, ARI-related, or independent visa routes, build document checklists, review sponsor evidence, and coordinate with Portuguese legal professionals where legal advice is required.
Primary sources to check before filing
Immigration guidance changes. Use these as the first source set, then check the exact consulate or VFS jurisdiction before submitting documents.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Movingto provides administrative and relocation process support and works with licensed Portuguese lawyers where legal advice is required.