Portugal · Working holiday
Portugal Working Holiday
Age limit: Ages vary by passport
Working Holiday: Youth Mobility visa (temporary stay visa E6, memoranda of understanding)
Checked against official sources on Rule changed 18 May 2026Change log
Key facts
Working Holiday is a working holiday route for Portugal. Conditions: ages vary by passport. Local work: casual jobs. Checked 2026-10-12 against the official source.
- Government fees
- €110 ≈ $120
- First stay
- 1 yr
Cost, time and long term
Government fees€110 ≈ $120
- EUR 110 (≈ $120)National visa processing fee.
Renewal1 year max, no extension
The stay is up to 12 months with no possibility of extension; the Uruguay memorandum limits activities to 6 months.
Permanent residenceTime here doesn't count
A temporary stay visa is not a residence authorization, and permanent residence requires five years on a temporary residence authorization (Art. 80).
CitizenshipAfter 10 years of residence
Legal residence on any visa counts toward the 10-year naturalisation period (7 for Portuguese-speaking and EU nationals), but this visa cannot be extended beyond 12 months.
Where to applyFrom abroad
Apply for the temporary stay visa (E6) at the Portuguese consulate; annual quotas apply per country.
Why this route may not fit
Check this before you apply.
- Can't be renewed: 1 year in total at most
- Time on this route doesn't count toward permanent residence
- Applications are made from outside Portugal, not after arriving
- Family members can't join on this route
- Only for passports from 10 countries
- Some ways in have an age limit
What you'll need
Who can apply9
- Age 18 to 30 for Argentina, Chile, Japan and New Zealand.
- Age 18 to 31 inclusive for Peru; Australia: at least 18 and not yet 31.
- Age 18 to 34 for Korea.
- Age 18 to 35 for Canada and Uruguay.
- Peru: applicants hold a degree or have completed two years of degree-level study.
- Argentina and Australia: tertiary qualifications or at least two years of undergraduate university study.
- United States: enrolled at a US accredited post-secondary institution or graduated within the last 12 months.
- Dependants cannot come with the participant under the Argentina, Chile, Japan, New Zealand, Peru and Korea memoranda; Australia bars dependent children; Uruguay allows them only with their own entry status.
- Argentina, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Korea and Uruguay: the applicant has not taken part in the programme before.
What you must show1
- Funds for travel and the stay, including a return ticket or proof of means.
Documents4
- Australia: functional Portuguese and a letter from the relevant Australian ministry with a signed solemn statement.
- Travel and health insurance for the whole stay, covering hospital costs and medical repatriation.
- No criminal record; Canada's list does not state this condition.
- Chile, Japan, New Zealand, Peru, Korea and the United States: the passport is valid for more than 12 months.
Steps2
- Argentine and Japanese applicants must live in their own country when applying; Uruguayan applicants apply at the Portuguese Embassy in Montevideo.
- Visa caps set by the memoranda: Argentina 100, Australia 500 a year, Canada 600, New Zealand 50 a year, Korea 200 a year, Peru 400, United States 400, Uruguay 200 a year.
What happens at day 183
How Portugal decides tax residence and treats foreign-source income, from its tax records.
- Stay on this route
Up to 1 year in total
- Tax residence
- More than 183 days in any 12-month period starting or ending in the tax yearResidence by presence.
- Foreign-source income
Resident individuals are taxed on worldwide income, including foreign-source income, at progressive rates from 12.5% up to 48% on the 2026 brackets set by the 2026 State Budget (Lei 73-A/2025: first bracket up to EUR 8,342, (≈ $9,320) top rate above EUR 86,634 (≈ $96,800)), plus an additional solidarity rate of 2.5% on taxable income above EUR 80,000 (≈ $89,400) and 5% above EUR 250,000 (≈ $279,000); non-residents are taxed on Portuguese-source income.
All tax rules for Portugal Tax records checked
What you need to arrange
- Health insurance
Travel and health insurance for the whole stay, covering hospital costs and medical repatriation
- Police certificate and civil documents
No criminal record
Taken from this route's requirements above. The authority's own list is the one that counts.
Full official text
Working Holiday: stays up to 12 months without extension for young nationals of Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, New Zealand, Peru, Korea, the United States and Uruguay, with work or study on a secondary basis; annual visa caps apply per country. 1 2 3 4
What you must show and pay
- A fee of EUR 110 (≈ $120) · National visa processing fee. 2
Requirements
- Age 18 to 30 for Argentina, Chile, Japan and New Zealand. 1
- Age 18 to 31 inclusive for Peru; Australia: at least 18 and not yet 31. 1 3
- Age 18 to 34 for Korea. 1
- Age 18 to 35 for Canada and Uruguay. 1
- Peru: applicants hold a degree or have completed two years of degree-level study. 1
- Argentina and Australia: tertiary qualifications or at least two years of undergraduate university study. 3
- Australia: functional Portuguese and a letter from the relevant Australian ministry with a signed solemn statement. 3
- United States: enrolled at a US accredited post-secondary institution or graduated within the last 12 months. 3
- Funds for travel and the stay, including a return ticket or proof of means. 1
- Dependants cannot come with the participant under the Argentina, Chile, Japan, New Zealand, Peru and Korea memoranda; Australia bars dependent children; Uruguay allows them only with their own entry status. 3
- Argentina, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Korea and Uruguay: the applicant has not taken part in the programme before. 3
- Argentine and Japanese applicants must live in their own country when applying; Uruguayan applicants apply at the Portuguese Embassy in Montevideo. 3
- Travel and health insurance for the whole stay, covering hospital costs and medical repatriation. 3
- No criminal record; Canada's list does not state this condition. 3
- Chile, Japan, New Zealand, Peru, Korea and the United States: the passport is valid for more than 12 months. 3
- Visa caps set by the memoranda: Argentina 100, Australia 500 a year, Canada 600, New Zealand 50 a year, Korea 200 a year, Peru 400, United States 400, Uruguay 200 a year. 1
Stay
- Up to 12 months with no possibility of extension; Uruguay memorandum limits activities to 6 months.
- Initial permitted stay: 12 months.
- Not renewable according to our source.
Nationality
Nationals of Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, New Zealand, Peru, South Korea, the United States and Uruguay. Open to: Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, New Zealand, Peru, South Korea, United States, Uruguay.
Work
Work is incidental to the holiday. Argentina, Australia, Chile, Peru, the United States and Uruguay: no more than 6 months of work; most memoranda bar a permanent work contract. New Zealand: no more than 3 months with the same employer. Courses are limited to 4 months (Australia, Chile) or 6 months (Argentina, New Zealand, Uruguay); Japan allows Portuguese language and culture courses.
Family
Dependants cannot accompany the participant under most memoranda (Argentina, Chile, Japan, New Zealand, Peru, Korea; Australia: dependent children; Uruguay: only with their own entry status). The Canada and United States lists do not state a rule.
Official sources
- Youth Mobility: general information and memoranda (E6 temporary stay visa) · Portuguese MFA visa portal (vistos.mne.gov.pt) · checked 2026-10-12
- National visa fees · Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Portuguese visa portal · checked 2026-10-12
- Necessary documentation: Youth Mobility · Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Portugal (Diplomatic Portal Visa) · checked 2026-10-12
- Signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between Portugal and the United States on a twelve-month pilot programme (Embassy of Portugal in Washington) · Embassy of Portugal in the United States · checked 2026-10-12 · published 2019-02-08
- Lei n.º 23/2007 (Foreigners Law, REPSAE), consolidated text current to Lei n.º 62/2026 of 10 September 2026 · Procuradoria-Geral Distrital de Lisboa (consolidated legislation) · checked 2026-10-10 · published 2026-09-10
- Lei Orgânica n.º 1/2026 of 18 May (amends the Nationality Law, Law 37/81) · Diário da República / Assembleia da República · checked 2026-10-11
Working Holiday and its alternatives
| Route | Money needed | Stay | Work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working Holiday | – | 1 yr | Casual jobs |
| Working Holiday · Argentina Spain | – | 1 yr | Casual jobs |
| Working Holiday · Australia Italy | Ages 18–35 · funds needed €10k ≈ $11k | 1 yr | Casual jobs |
| Working Holiday · Australia Greece | – | 1 yr | Casual jobs |
| Working Holiday Germany | – | 1 yr | Casual jobs |
Questions people ask
How much money do I need for the Working Holiday?
A fee of EUR 110 (≈ $120). National visa processing fee.
How long can I stay on the Working Holiday?
Up to 12 months with no possibility of extension; Uruguay memorandum limits activities to 6 months.
Can I work on the Working Holiday?
Casual jobs. Work is incidental to the holiday.
Can I bring my family on the Working Holiday?
Dependants cannot accompany the participant under most memoranda (Argentina, Chile, Japan, New Zealand, Peru, Korea; Australia: dependent children; Uruguay: only with their own entry status).
Who can apply for the Working Holiday?
Nationals of Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, New Zealand, Peru, South Korea, the United States and Uruguay. Open to: Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, New Zealand, Peru, South Korea, United States, Uruguay.
Does the Working Holiday lead to permanent residence in Portugal?
Time on the Working Holiday doesn't count toward permanent residence in Portugal. Time on the Working Holiday counts toward citizenship, which the rules allow after 10 years of residence. The stay itself ends after 12 months and can't be extended.
How are Working Holiday holders taxed in Portugal?
No special regime in our records is tied to the Working Holiday. The standard rules apply: Resident individuals are taxed on worldwide income, including foreign-source income, at progressive rates from 12.5% up to 48% on the 2026 brackets set by the 2026 State Budget (Lei 73-A/2025: first bracket up to EUR 8,342, (≈ $9,320) top rate above EUR 86,634 (≈ $96,800)), plus an additional solidarity rate of 2.5% on taxable income above EUR 80,000 (≈ $89,400) and 5% above EUR 250,000 (≈ $279,000); non-residents are taxed on Portuguese-source income.
More in Portugal
Similar visas elsewhere
≈ USD figures are approximate: daily reference rates from ExchangeRate-API, dated 12 Oct 2026, refreshed when the site is updated.
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An AI assistant answers from the published records on this page and cites them. It can't assess your personal eligibility. Don't include personal details.
How this was checked
Checked on 2026-10-12 against 6 official sources. Status: verified against the official sources.
Every figure on this page comes from the official source it links to. The record was researched against these sources, then reviewed separately, with special attention to effective dates and amendments. Where a source does not state something, the page leaves it out.
- Youth Mobility: general information and memoranda (E6 temporary stay visa) · Portuguese MFA visa portal (vistos.mne.gov.pt) · checked 2026-10-12
- National visa fees · Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Portuguese visa portal · checked 2026-10-12
- Necessary documentation: Youth Mobility · Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Portugal (Diplomatic Portal Visa) · checked 2026-10-12
- Signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between Portugal and the United States on a twelve-month pilot programme (Embassy of Portugal in Washington) · Embassy of Portugal in the United States · checked 2026-10-12
- Lei n.º 23/2007 (Foreigners Law, REPSAE), consolidated text current to Lei n.º 62/2026 of 10 September 2026 · Procuradoria-Geral Distrital de Lisboa (consolidated legislation) · checked 2026-10-10
- Lei Orgânica n.º 1/2026 of 18 May (amends the Nationality Law, Law 37/81) · Diário da República / Assembleia da República · checked 2026-10-11
Tracked since 2026-10-10. Rule changes and corrections are listed on the changes page, and the methodology page explains how facts are checked. Found something out of date? Email contact@stayglobe.app with a link to the official source.