Portugal’s President to sign law easing regularisation for CPLP nationals

Lisbon: The Portuguese President will soon sign the law that facilitates rules for CPLP nationals to continue living in Portugal.

CPLP consists of nine nations that speak Portuguese and want to improve diplomatic ties with Portugal – Brazil and Timor Leste being top beneficiaries.

The new law will allow Brazilians and Timorese to apply for residence permits without having to leave Portugal.

The President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, is expected to sign the law approved in the Parliament, which intends to make it easier for CPLP nationals to regularise their status.

This law, once fully implemented, will allow nationals of CPLP countries – Brazil and Timor Leste, who have entered as tourists to obtain regular status by being permitted to apply for residence permits without having to leave Portugal, Schengen.News reports.

On the other hand, nationals of the remaining CPLP countries – Mozambique, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, and Sao Tome and Principe, who need a Schengen visa, still are required to apply for a visa in order to enter the country.

Another concern that this category has is that it is still unclear where CPLP nationals will file their applications for residency.

There is still no clear form, and no specific regulation indicating how the process will be for those who already have CPLP titles and for those who will use the new AIMA portal to apply for residency. We are talking about two different processes. The lock on the AIMA website is not open. We will wait for the President of the Republic to sign the decree to see if any new information comes out.

Thousands of immigrants are left uncertain about their future in Portugal, especially those from CPLP countries. However, the deadline for the President to sign the new law is set for Tuesday, February 11 and after this date, the status of immigrants in Portugal, whose residence permits have expired for almost a year now, can be regularised.

According to the new law, Brazilians and Timorese will be permitted to enter Portugal only by showing their passports, without having to apply for a Schengen visa prior to their arrival in the EU country. The new law will not only facilitate entry into Portugal but will also allow Brazilians and Timorese to apply to work, live or study in the country.

On the other hand, the other six African countries, nationals of which need a visa to enter Portugal, have to comply with the rules. In general, the new law is likely to be more beneficial for Brazilians and Timorese, especially, those who do not need a visa to enter Portugal as it is.

Applicants from CPLP countries are among the top applicants for Portuguese Schengen visas. According to statistics published by SchengenVisaInfo, 75.6 per cent of all visa applications that Angoleans filed in 2023 were submitted for Portuguese visas. Applicants from Mozambique filed 20,313 visa applications, 66 per cent of which were for Portugal.