International Students

studying in portugal

International Students

We’re excited to welcome you to our diverse community of international students from over 70 countries!

At the Polytechnic University of Leiria, you’ll find a friendly and supportive academic environment where you’ll quickly feel at home.

International Student Status

In Portugal being a non-Portuguese student doesn’t make you necessarily an international student.

In 2014, the Portuguese government created the International Student Status, a mechanism that allows non-Portuguese or non-European Union students (with some exceptions) to apply for a bachelor’s or master’s degree.

With the International Student Status, you will get special higher education entry requirements, applications, and registration procedures, as well as fees and places.

You can get the International Student Status:

You can’t get the International Student Status:

• If you do not have Portuguese nationality;
• If you are not a national from a Member State of the European Union;
• If you are not legally residing in Portugal until the 1st of January of the year in which you intend to enroll in higher education for more than two years, continuously, and if you are not a family of foreign citizens that hold a resident permit for more than two years;
• If you don’t intend to enrol in higher education through special regimes.

Note: If you register with the International Student Status, you will keep it until the end of your study programme. All relevant regulations for international students can be consulted here. Please note that the content is in Portuguese. For more information, please contact the Academic Services.

• If you’re a citizen from a member state of the UE and a legal resident in Portugal on the 1st January of the year in which you intend to enrol in higher education for more than two years;
• Or if you’re a family member of foreign citizens who held a Portuguese resident permit for more than two years.

In this case, you should apply through the Portuguese National Contest or any other special regime or national contest. 

For further information consult:

international students

Bachelor’s Programmes Applications

1. Browse our programmes and consider which one suits you better;
2. Then check out our international student’s advice and see if you’re eligible and review the admission requirements to make sure you have the right qualifications. Here you may also find the vacancies available as well as the required documents;
3. Application deadlines vary so check out the application calendars;
4. The application is submitted online. The first step is to create a new account.
5. If you are applying in the first phase, you may also be eligible for a scholarship ( see below).

1. If you are not a Portuguese native speaker check out Portuguese language courses;
2. Start your application on our Applications Portal – INFORESTUDANTE
3. Confirm you have received an automatic confirmation email;
4. Answer all the questions and prepare to pay the €60 application fee;
5. On the announced date, check your email to see if you received the results of your application;
6. If you were admitted, you can proceed with your online enrolment — just make sure to check the calendar for the exact dates;
7. After completing your enrolment, you’ll be able to request the Multi-Purpose Certificate online — required for visa purposes.

international students

Master’s Programmes Applications

For international students who want to attend a degree/undergraduate or master’s degree at Politécnico de Leiria, the institution has available three types of scholarships :

• Merit Award
• Incentive for Cooperation to the Development
• AUIP Scholarships

Students from outside the EU

Before coming to Portugal, students from outside the EU must obtain a study visa at their home country’s Portuguese Consulate.

 Documents required to obtain a study visa:

• Online application
• Valid travel document (more than three months after the expiry of the visa)
• Three passport photos
• Criminal record
• Medical certificate or health insurance
• Proof of housing conditions in Portugal
• Proof of Finance Survival in Portugal
• Certificate of enrolment* in the Politécnico de Leiria.
• An updated Vaccination Plan and a Transcript of Records are also required, which must be authenticated by the Portuguese Consulate in the country of origin, to be able to see their qualifications recognized in Portugal.

*_{You can download this certificate, a.k.a. Multipurpose Certificate, from InforEstudante, after completed the process of enrolment.}

Tips

1. Apply for your student visa as soon as possible. You’ll have to apply for a visa at least one month in advance before coming to Portugal.
2. Check with the relevant embassies/consulates regarding which documents you need to obtain a visa.
3. Double-check all forms and the information you fill in.
4. Always keep copies of the originals you submit! You may need them later.

EU students

You do not need a visa to come to Portugal. However, you need to obtain a residence permit if your stay exceeds 90 days. If this is your case, you must present your ID (e.g. passport), financial support statement, and health care guarantee at the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA).

More information

This information does not exempt you from consulting the official guidelines provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MNE) and the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA, I.P.)

Upon Arrival in Portugal

• Upon arrival in Portugal, it is recommended that you check your situation with the competent authorities, specifically AIMA (Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MNE) and Local Centres of migrants’ Integration Support (CLAIM ). These institutions provide up-to-date information on visas, residence permits, and other legal requirements.

At Politécnico de Leiria

• Register at the nearest health center.
• Renew your student visa at the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA).

Other Information

• Once you have enrolled at the Polytechnic University of Leiria, you’ll be entitled to personal accident insurance coverage (on-campus).
• Citizens of the European Union must present their EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) guaranteeing health care coverage to the National Health Service (Serviço Nacional de Saúde – SNS).
• Entrance in Portugal does not require specific vaccinations unless students are arriving from a geographical risk area.

Our international student communities are growing fast, which means we can provide specialist advice to our international applicants considering their place of origin.