CPLP Mobility Agreement: How Portugal Implemented Easier Residence for Lusophone Citizens

On 25 August 2022, the Diário da República published Law no. 18/2022, which, among other major immigration reforms, implemented Portugal’s commitments under the CPLP Mobility Agreement. This international agreement, signed in 2021 by Portuguese-speaking countries, aims to facilitate circulation, residence and professional mobility among member states.

The Portuguese implementation created a substantially simplified procedure for citizens of CPLP countries—including Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe, Guinea-Bissau and Timor-Leste. The law removes the need for SEF’s prior opinion in most cases and streamlines the issuance of visas for work, study or residence. It also eases the transition from temporary stay to longer-term residence.

For Portuguese-speaking applicants, this reduces the administrative burden considerably. Instead of navigating multiple layers of approval, applicants follow a faster, more predictable path. This has resulted in a significant increase in regularisation requests and visa approvals for Brazilians in particular, who represent the largest foreign community in Portugal.

For non-CPLP foreigners—such as Americans, British, Canadians, Israelis and other expat groups—the change does not create new rights, but it does affect processing times. By channelling CPLP applicants through simplified procedures, Portugal aims to reduce bottlenecks, indirectly helping all foreigners by allowing immigration authorities to better manage workload.

More broadly, the implementation of the CPLP Mobility Agreement signals Portugal’s strategic intention to deepen ties within the Lusophone world while promoting managed and structured immigration policy.

Official source: Diário da República, Law no. 18/2022, 25 August 2022 (https://dre.pt)