CPLP residence in Portugal for Angola, Mozambique and Cabo Verde: visa and AIMA in 2026

The Agreement on Mobility between the member states of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries was signed in Luanda on 17 July 2021 ⁶. According to the press, Equatorial Guinea was the last of the nine members to hand in its ratification, in November 2022 ¹⁶.

Under Portuguese law, the agreement has two effects for a national of a state where it is in force:

• On the visa: when you apply for any type of visa, the consulate waives AIMA's prior opinion and consults the Schengen Information System databases directly and immediately. The issuance is communicated automatically to UCFE and AIMA ¹.
• On residence: with the residence visa in hand, you can request the CPLP residence permit in Portugal ².

The regime covers Angola, Mozambique, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau and São Tomé and Príncipe. All five countries remain on the European list of nationalities that need a visa even for short stays ¹².

Visa before travelling. Law no. 61/2025 rewrote article 87-A: now the person who can request the CPLP residence permit at AIMA is a national of a state of the Agreement who holds a residence visa ². AIMA already said that the grant presupposes a consular visa obtained expressly for that purpose ³. The government portal lists as eligible those who hold a CPLP residence visa issued from 31 October 2022 and those who filed an expression of interest with the former SEF by 31 December 2022 ⁵.

New card. The CPLP permit is now issued in the same model as the other temporary residence permits of the European Union, valid for two years ³. The government portal attributes the change in validity to Law no. 9/2025 ⁵.

Work visas in Luanda. Since 1 June 2026, the Consulate General in Luanda requires prior authorisation before the VFS appointment for the residence visa for employed work and for seasonal work of more than 90 days, according to RTP ¹⁵. The request is made by the company based in Portugal, or by its lawyer or solicitor, by e-mail to vistostrabalho.cgluanda@mne.pt; requests from intermediaries or from the workers themselves are not accepted ¹⁵. Companies that use the Cooperation Protocol for Regulated Labour Migration are outside this rule ¹⁵.

The visa portal lists these posts ⁸:

Country	Where to apply
Angola	Consulate General in Luanda, with a VFS centre; Consulate General in Benguela
Mozambique	Consulate General in Maputo, with a VFS centre; Consulate General in Beira
Cabo Verde	Embassy in Praia, with a VFS centre. Higher education study visas and family reunification are handled by the Embassy
Guinea-Bissau	Embassy in Bissau
São Tomé and Príncipe	Embassy in São Tomé

In Maputo, the VFS centre has operated since 10 February 2025 on the 8th floor of the Maputo Business Tower, and appointments are booked on the VFS website ¹⁴. VFS warns that intermediaries who promise early slots in exchange for money are fraud ¹⁴.

Apostille or legalisation. Cabo Verde and São Tomé and Príncipe have joined the Apostille Convention; Angola, Mozambique and Guinea-Bissau do not appear on the list ¹³. The portal asks for the criminal record certificate with an Apostille, where applicable, or legalised ⁶. In practice, for Angolan, Mozambican and Guinea-Bissauan documents, confirm with the post how to legalise them.

At the consulate, the common documentation of the CPLP regime asks for ⁶:

• an application form in the official model;
• two identical passport-type photographs;
• a criminal record certificate from the country of nationality, or from the country where you have lived for more than a year;
• proof of means of subsistence.

The general list for residence visas also asks for a passport valid for three months beyond the planned stay ⁷.

The means can be replaced by a statement of responsibility from the host entity (internship, work, exchange or volunteering), or from a Portuguese citizen or a foreigner residing in Portugal, with a notarised signature, the last year's IRS tax return and bank statements for the last three months ⁶. Anyone admitted to a higher education institution is exempt from proving means ⁶.

At AIMA, for the grant of the CPLP residence permit, the list includes a valid passport, an application with consultation of the Portuguese criminal record, a criminal certificate from the country of nationality or residence and proof of stable and regular means of subsistence, through an IRS return, an employment contract, a service contract or a statement of responsibility ³. The AIMA appointment is usually indicated in the remarks field of the visa; if it is not, use AIMA's contact form with the passport and visa numbers ³.

The CPLP permit is valid for two years ³. The years of legal residence count towards Portuguese nationality: since Organic Law no. 1/2026, the law requires at least seven years for nationals of countries whose official language is Portuguese, plus knowledge of the Portuguese language and culture ¹¹.

The residence visa, whichever it is, is valid for four months and two entries; within that period you file the application at AIMA ⁹. If your goal is to work, study or live on income, choose the residence visa for that purpose and prepare its specific documents.