Student visa for Portugal from Angola and Mozambique: funds, consulates and work

The visa portal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists these posts ³:

Country	Posts
Angola	Consulate General in Luanda, with a VFS visa centre; Consulate General in Benguela
Mozambique	Consulate General in Maputo, with a VFS visa centre; Consulate General in Beira

In Maputo, the VFS centre has been on the 8th floor of the Maputo Business Tower since 10 February 2025, and appointments open on the VFS website according to the consulate's capacity ⁹. VFS only receives applications: the consulate decides ⁹.

VFS warns against intermediaries who promise early appointments in exchange for money ⁹.

Apply early: the legal time limit for a decision on a residence visa is 60 days ⁶. The fee is 110 euros ⁴.

At the consulate. The visa portal exempts from means of subsistence a national of a third country with Portuguese as an official language who is admitted to a higher education institution ¹. Scholarship holders are also exempt from proving means and admission ¹.

At AIMA. To grant the student residence permit, article 91 of the Foreigners Act asks for enrolment, payment of tuition fees where applicable, means of subsistence and the National Health Service or health insurance ⁷. Whoever studies at an institution approved for the purposes of that law is exempt from proving tuition fees and means ⁷. Ask your university whether it is on the list of approved institutions.

The amount. The visa portal uses the guaranteed monthly minimum wage as its base, 920 euros in 2026 ². For study, the means must cover 12 months, and can fall to half if accommodation is arranged, or to as little as 10% if meals are arranged too ². For the household, the portal uses this scale: 100% for the first adult, 50% for each other adult and 30% for each child, minor or dependent ². The page does not say expressly how the scale combines with the study rule: the table below applies the two together, and that is our reading.

Situation	Per month	Per 12 months
Student alone	920 euros	11,040 euros
Student and spouse	1,380 euros	16,560 euros
Student, spouse and one child	1,656 euros	19,872 euros

Our calculation on the base and scale of ². Use the calculator below for your family.

The general documentation for residence visas asks for ¹:

• a signed application form in the official model;
• two identical passport-type photographs;
• a passport valid for more than three months beyond the planned stay;
• a criminal record certificate from your country of origin or from the country where you have lived for more than a year, waived for those under 16;
• travel insurance with medical expenses and repatriation.

For higher education, add proof of admission or that you meet the admission conditions ¹. The law also asks for health insurance for the length of the stay; students admitted to an approved institution are exempt from this proof ⁶.

Legalisation. Angola and Mozambique do not appear on the list of countries of the Apostille Convention ⁸. The portal asks for the criminal record to be apostilled where applicable, or legalised ¹: confirm with the consulate how to legalise yours.

The residence visa is valid for four months, with two entries, and is used to apply for the residence permit ⁶. With the visa, you receive a pre-authorisation of residence with provisional tax, Social Security and National Health Service numbers ⁶.

The higher education student residence permit is valid for three years, renewable for equal periods; if the course is shorter, it is valid for its length ⁷.

As a national of a state of the CPLP Mobility Agreement with a residence visa, you can also apply at AIMA for the CPLP residence permit ⁷. See our guide on CPLP residence to compare.

The Foreigners Act allows the holder of a student residence permit to carry out professional activity, employed or self-employed, as a complement to the activity that gave rise to the visa ⁷. The law sets no limit on hours in that article ⁷.

Study remains the reason for your residence: the permit depends on enrolment at a higher education institution ⁷. Organise your work around your classes.