These measures apply to those entering Portugal without a visa.
Lisbon July 17, 2026 — Two doors that allowed visa-free immigration were closed by Parliament this morning, July 17th: the possibility of regularization through a minor child in the territory and via a vocational training course. With the abstention of Chega, the ruling party obtained the necessary votes for the final approval of the text , in this last session before the recess.
As seen in other votes in this area, the left-wing parties voted against the proposal. However, they do not have enough parliamentarians to surpass the number of seats held by the right-wing bloc, which unites PSD, Chega, CDS-PP, and Iniciativa Liberal .
The next steps before the changes come into effect are already known to immigrants: the text will now be reviewed by the President of the Republic , who has 20 days to decide, and then published in the Official Gazette (DRE). It is not yet possible to estimate when the changes will come into effect in practice, when it will no longer be possible to apply for this type of regularization .
In addition to the end of tacit approval , the same text will also apply to the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) for analyzing the renewal of residence permits. An additional 30 days have been added to the 60 days already stipulated by law.
Regarding changes to the possibilities for regularization within the territory, the Government's objective is to eliminate all entry routes into the country without a visa for residency purposes.