Moving to Portugal with kids: your family's step-by-step guide

Moving to Portugal with your children is a big, exciting step. There's paperwork along the way, and it's much easier when you can see it all in one place. This guide lists the main official steps, tells you what each official page says, and links you straight to it. That way you can spend more of your energy on the good part: your family's new life here.

The main steps, at a glance

Step	Topic	What the official page says	Official source (checked 13 Nov 2026)
1	Residence (EU, EEA, Swiss nationals)	AIMA's website says the registration certificate is requested at the Câmara Municipal for the area of residence, within 30 days after three months from entry into Portugal.	AIMA
1	Residence (general rules)	AIMA's website says the residence-permit request is made by appointment and lists the documents that go with it.	AIMA
1	Visas	The official visa portal of Portugal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.	vistos.mne.gov.pt
2	Tax number (NIF)	gov.pt says any person, Portuguese or foreign, resident or not, can ask for a NIF, and that it is needed to buy goods or services, sign contracts or open bank accounts.	gov.pt
3	Health care	gov.pt says any foreign person with legal residence in Portugal can get a national health number (número de utente), given the first time they go to a public health unit.	gov.pt
4	Home	AIMA's residence-permit page lists a declaration of your address in Portugal among the documents.	AIMA
5	Bank account	gov.pt says the NIF is needed to open bank accounts.	gov.pt
6	Schools	Covered by our sister site.	Portugal School Guide
7	Settling in	Our family-life guides.	Settling in & family life (coming soon)

Step 1: Residence

AIMA (Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo) is the Portuguese agency whose website covers residence. It has separate pages for EU nationals and for residence permits under the general rules.

EU, EEA and Swiss nationals

AIMA's website says (checked 13 Nov 2026):

• The registration certificate (Certificado de Registo) formalises the right of residence in Portugal. It is requested at the Câmara Municipal (town council) for the area of residence, if the EU national stays in the country for more than three months and up to five years.
• Who can request it: nationals of the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Andorra and Switzerland.
• When: within 30 days after three months have passed since entry into Portugal.
• The minimum time to issue it is one month.
• The documents listed include a valid identity card or passport, and a declaration on your honour about your situation. For family members, the list includes a document proving the family relationship and the registration certificate of the EU national they are with or joining.

Residence permit under the general rules

AIMA's page on the residence permit under the general rules (article 77, no. 1) says (checked 13 Nov 2026):

• The request is made by appointment (or through an electronic platform that AIMA says is being introduced for holders of a residence visa), and is handed in in person at any Loja AIMA.
• The page lists these documents:
  • a valid passport or other valid travel document
  • a valid residence visa
  • proof of means of subsistence
  • a declaration, on your honour, of your home address, saying in what capacity you live there (for example owner or tenant). For tenants, the page lists a declaration from the landlord.
  • proof of family relationship, where relevant
  • proof of registration with the tax authority, if applicable
  • proof of registration with social security, if applicable
  • health insurance, or proof that you are covered by the National Health Service (SNS)
• The page says a temporary residence permit is valid for two years from the date it is issued and can be renewed for successive periods of three years, unless the law sets other periods.

Visas

For visas, the official place to check is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa portal: vistos.mne.gov.pt.

Family reunification (AIMA's online portal)

Note: AIMA marks this page as "Conteúdo em revisão/atualização" (content under review/update). It also says the information is indicative only. Check the live page before relying on it.

AIMA's FAQ for its online services portal says (checked 13 Nov 2026):

• At this stage, the portal accepts family reunification requests for children and young people up to 17 years old, inclusive.
• At the moment, requests through the portal are only for family members who live in Portugal.
• A request can be made for the whole family through the portal, as long as the household includes at least one minor.
• All documents issued outside Portugal, including birth certificates, must be apostilled or authenticated.
• Birth certificates are valid for one year from the date they were issued.

More on this topic soon: residence permits for families (coming soon). We're also writing guides for families coming from the USA (coming soon) and the UK (coming soon).

Step 2: Your tax number (NIF)

According to gov.pt (checked 13 Nov 2026):

• The NIF (Número de Identificação Fiscal), also known as the taxpayer number, is needed to buy goods or services, sign contracts or open bank accounts.
• Any person, Portuguese or foreign, resident or not resident in Portugal, can ask for one.
• It can be requested at any time.
• The service is the responsibility of the Tax and Customs Authority, whose website is the Portal das Finanças.

gov.pt also describes a combined service for foreign people (checked 13 Nov 2026):

• Foreign people with an address in Portugal can ask for the NIF, the social security number (NISS) and the national health service user number in one request.
• At the moment, this is done at 12 Espaços Cidadão.
• The page lists who can use it: foreign people with a Portuguese address, without a Portuguese Citizen Card, who meet one of these conditions: they have asked for or already hold a residence permit; they are nationals of an EU country; they have asked for international protection; or they have refugee status or are beneficiaries of international protection.
• For a minor, the request can be made by the father, mother, guardian or legal representative.

More detail soon: NIF for families (coming soon).

Step 3: Health care for the whole family

According to gov.pt's guide to health care for migrants (checked 13 Nov 2026):

• Whether living in or travelling in Portugal, any foreign person who feels ill or needs any kind of health care has the right to be seen at a health centre or hospital.
• Any foreign person with legal residence in Portugal can get a national health number (número de utente). It is given the first time you go to a public health unit, for example a health centre or hospital.
• Having a health number does not on its own guarantee that the SNS covers health costs. For that, the page says these details must be linked to the number: an identity document, a Portuguese NIF, a full address in Portugal and a valid residence permit. It adds that in some cases set out in law, the SNS can cover costs without these.
• Emergency medical number: 112. SNS 24 line: 808 24 24 24.

gov.pt's page on registering at a health centre says (checked 13 Nov 2026) that you register with your SNS health number, preferably at the health centre for your area of residence, and that anyone with Portuguese nationality, or foreign nationals with a residence permit in Portugal, can register.

SNS 24 is the SNS's digital service, with a website, an app and the 808 24 24 24 phone line.

More detail soon: health care for families (coming soon).

Step 4: Your family home

Finding the right home is one of the most exciting parts of the move. On the paperwork side, AIMA's residence-permit page lists a declaration of your address in Portugal among the documents (see Step 1). More detail soon: renting a family home (coming soon).

Step 5: A bank account

gov.pt says the NIF is needed to open bank accounts (checked 13 Nov 2026). More detail soon: opening a bank account (coming soon).

Step 6: Schools

School choice is a big part of a family move, so it has its own site. Our sister site, the Portugal School Guide, covers schools, fees, curricula, open days and enrolment, and keeps all school detail in one checked place. For a quick overview first, see schools in Portugal (coming soon).

Step 7: Settle in and enjoy it

This is the part families remember: new routines, a favourite café, the first beach weekend, the first friend from school. Our Settling in & family life (coming soon) section has guides on:

• helping your children prepare for the move (coming soon)
• your first 30 days in Cascais with children (coming soon)
• moving with a baby or toddler (coming soon)

Costs

We're building a family cost guide using official figures: cost of living for a family (coming soon).

Your next step

Open the official page for each step that applies to your family, and bookmark it. If you'd like it all in one place, our 90-day family checklist (coming soon) is coming soon, and you can join the waitlist for the Relocation Pack below.