VisaPortugal lets holders of work residence permits change employers without a new card
A September law replaced the need for a new residence title with notification to AIMA. Workers and employers still have separate contract and registration duties.
Official source date: 2026-09-10
Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
A September change for existing employment residents
Portugal’s Law 62/2026 allows holders of residence authorisation for professional employment to change employer by notifying AIMA, without obtaining a new residence title. Published on 10 September and effective the following day, the amendment appears in Article 88(8) of the foreigners law. This is a current explanation of that change, rather than a new announcement on 2 November.
The practical distinction is between changing a job while holding the relevant authorisation and applying for permission to reside for the first time. A job offer alone does not put an applicant in the former group. Workers should check the legal basis recorded for their residence before relying on this provision. The official law, available through the Lisbon public prosecution service’s legislation database, lets applicants and employers identify the provision they intend to use. It establishes notification, but the cited clause does not specify a notification fee or a detailed submission channel.
Put the employment terms and immigration evidence in writing
The Azores government’s foreign-worker recruitment guide explains the written-contract requirements for foreign and stateless workers. The contract must identify the parties and their addresses, refer to the worker’s visa or residence documentation, and describe the employer’s activity, the job, pay, workplace and normal hours. It must also record the contract date and starting date. The worker should receive a copy, with the relevant entry and residence evidence attached as required.
These details matter when an existing resident moves to a new company: the new contract should accurately describe the employment being notified, rather than merely reproduce an old employer’s information. The guide also explains the exemption from these special written-contract formalities for EEA nationals and nationals of states providing reciprocal equality in access to professional activity. It does not turn that exemption into a residence route for other nationalities. Employers must also provide information identifying the workplace-accident insurer and policy. Use the guide to review the employment paperwork, not to determine eligibility under every immigration category.
The employer has a separate Social Security deadline
The national government service page for notifying a worker’s admission, updated on 14 August 2026, states that employers must communicate the admission to Social Security during the 15 days before the activity starts. It provides a limited alternative of notification within 24 hours after starting for very short contracts involving seasonal agricultural activity or tourist events, and for shift work. Those exceptions should not be treated as a general permission to register ordinary recruitment late.
This is the employer’s employment-registration obligation. It is distinct from the worker’s immigration notification to AIMA, so completing one should not be assumed to complete the other. Before agreeing the first working day, ask the new employer who will make the Social Security submission and keep the resulting evidence with the signed contract. The official admission-service page identifies the responsible Social Security institution and links its practical registration guidance and governing legislation. It is the resource for checking this deadline; the immigration amendment is the resource for the residence-card consequence.
Confirm the AIMA channel and keep contact details current
AIMA’s March 2026 frequently asked questions document predates the September amendment and does not provide a verified employer-change workflow in the material reviewed. Applicants should therefore ask AIMA which submission category and supporting evidence apply to their particular authorisation, rather than select an unrelated online option merely because it is available. Keep a dated copy of the notification and any response. No universal employer-change processing period or new administrative charge is confirmed here.
Where a new job also involves moving home, the FAQ does provide a separate address-change procedure. It directs applicants with renewal matters to the contact form’s renewal-portal address-correction category. Residents with their title and no ongoing process are directed instead to the data-change category for an address correction without issuing a new card. The applicant supplies the requested details and supporting documents. Use that FAQ to identify the appropriate address service, while treating the employment notification as a separate enquiry. Updating an address cannot replace notifying the change of employer.
