A IMGloablWealth.com News Report
Portugal has announced that Brazilian nationals will soon be required to submit visa applications in person, ending a postal system that had been widely used since the Covid-19 pandemic. The change, confirmed by the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will take effect on 17 April 2026 and will apply to both Schengen short-stay visas and national long-stay visas.
Under the new rules, Brazilian applicants must appear in person at one of nine visa application centres operated by VFS Global* in Brazil, or at a Portuguese embassy or consulate, to lodge their paperwork and provide biometric data.
The decision effectively ends the option of sending visa documents by courier – a channel that had grown in popularity during the pandemic. In 2025 alone, Brazil accounted for around 105,000 visa requests for Portugal, with roughly 40% submitted by post, according to industry reporting.
“While the new procedure may increase administrative burdens in the short term, Lisbon appears to be prioritising tighter verification and more standardised procedures as demand for entry and residency in Portugal continues to grow”
Security and verification concerns
Officials say the change is designed to strengthen security and improve the quality of applications. Requiring applicants to appear in person allows consular authorities to verify original documentation and collect biometric data directly. This is expected to reduce cases of incomplete or fraudulent submissions, which have been cited as a major cause of processing delays.
Any visa applications mailed after the April deadline will be returned without processing, reinforcing the shift to a strictly in-person system.
A key migration corridor
The change is significant because Brazil remains one of the largest sources of migrants and visitors to Portugal. Shared language, historical ties, and relatively accessible residency pathways have made the country one of the preferred European destinations for Brazilians seeking work, study, or relocation opportunities.
In recent years Portugal has also been grappling with a broader administrative challenge in its immigration system. The restructuring of immigration authorities and the transfer of responsibilities to the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) created a substantial backlog of residence and visa applications, highlighting the pressure on the country’s migration infrastructure.
Implications for mobility
For Brazilian travellers and migrants, the end of postal submissions means additional steps in the application process, including scheduling appointments at visa centres and appearing in person for biometrics.
While the new procedure may increase administrative burdens in the short term, Lisbon appears to be prioritising tighter verification and more standardised procedures as demand for entry and residency in Portugal continues to grow.
For investors, entrepreneurs, and internationally mobile professionals tracking European migration policies, the move underscores a broader trend: even countries traditionally open to migration are recalibrating procedures as application volumes rise.
*VFS Global is a Zurich- and Dubai-based company that manages visa and consular application services for governments worldwide. Founded in 2001, it operates thousands of application centres across more than 140 countries, handling document collection, biometrics, and administrative processing for embassies.
