A residence permit for one person is a project; a move for a family is choreography. Until recently, the choreography was flexible: secure your own status, then reunify family whenever suited you. Law 61/2025, in force since 23 October 2025, changed that for most applicants — and the change is easy to miss because it affects exactly the routes, like the D7 and D8, that people assume are the simple ones.
The headline change: a two-year wait
Most third-country sponsors — including D7 and D8 holders — must now hold two years of prior legal residence in Portugal before they can file for family members abroad. That is a material planning problem for a couple who intended to move together: under the current rule, the second spouse may need to wait years, not months, unless the family fits one of the exemptions below.
Who is exempt
- Golden visa holders — family is built directly into the main application, unaffected by the new wait.
- EU Blue Card holders and other highly qualified workers under the relevant statutory categories.
- Minor or incapacitated children, and spouses who already share a minor child with the sponsor.
- Couples who prove at least 18 months of cohabitation before the move qualify for a shortened 15-month wait rather than the full two years.
The documents still drag, exemption or not
Every relationship must be proven with civil documents — marriage certificates, birth certificates — that are recent, apostilled in the country of origin, and officially translated. Arriving family members now also face their own language and civic-integration expectations. For families with documents from several countries, this remains the slowest workstream in the entire move; start it before anything else.
Sequencing now decides more than convenience
Before filing anything, check which route your family actually qualifies for and whether reunification timing changes which route is right — a golden visa or Blue Card path can be the difference between reunifying immediately and reunifying in two years. This is precisely the family strategy work I do before any form is filed, and it now has to happen before you choose your visa, not after.
Written September 2026. Rules, thresholds, and fees change; always confirm the current position before acting. This note is general information, not legal or tax advice.