Portugal Law Intelligence - Immigration & Legal Guide for Foreigners

AI-powered legal assistant that searches 7 official Portuguese government sources to answer questions about visas, immigration, taxes, residency, social security, and more -- in any language you speak. Get plain-language answers with official legal citations for less than $0.16 per question.

The Problem

You have rights in Portugal. You just cannot understand them.

The Portuguese government publishes every law, every regulation, every legal update. Your lease. Your employment contract. Your tax obligations. Your residency status. It is all publicly available.

But it is written in dense legal Portuguese. Cross-references lead to cross-references. Archaic terminology sits alongside modern EU directives. Information is scattered across multiple government websites. Google Translate gives you words, not understanding.

There is now a third option beyond expensive lawyers or guessing.

Portugal Law Intelligence searches seven official Portuguese government sources simultaneously and explains the answers in plain language -- in whatever language you speak. Ask in English, get answers in English. Ask in Mandarin, get answers in Mandarin. The law does not care what language you speak.

Features

• Multilingual Support -- Ask questions and receive answers in any of 15 supported languages. The AI auto-detects your language and responds accordingly.
• 7 Official Sources Searched Simultaneously -- Every answer draws from Diario da Republica, AIMA, Portal das Financas, ePortugal, ACM, Seguranca Social, and PGD Lisboa (consolidated legislation database).
• Plain Language Explanations -- Complex legal jargon converted to understandable explanations at 3 detail levels: simple, detailed, or technical.
• Intelligence Output -- Every answer includes confidence levels, related topics, common pitfalls, required documents, estimated costs, and action items.
• Official Legal Citations -- Every answer includes references to specific laws (e.g., Lei n.o 23/2007) and direct links to government pages.
• Flexible AI Providers -- Use the integrated Google Gemini (no API key needed), or bring your own Anthropic Claude or OpenAI GPT-4 key for lower per-query costs.
• Transparent Pricing -- Approximately $0.16 per question with pay-per-event billing. No subscriptions, no hidden fees.

Official Sources Searched

Source	Website	Coverage
Diario da Republica	dre.pt	Official Portuguese legal gazette -- all laws, decrees, and regulations
AIMA	aima.gov.pt	Immigration agency -- visas, residency permits, and procedures
Portal das Financas	portaldasfinancas.gov.pt	Tax authority -- IRS, NHR, fiscal matters
ePortugal	eportugal.gov.pt	Government services -- procedures, requirements, and deadlines
ACM	acm.gov.pt	Migration integration -- support services for immigrants
Seguranca Social	seg-social.pt	Social security -- benefits, contributions, and healthcare
PGD Lisboa	pgdlisboa.pt	Procuradoria-Geral Distrital de Lisboa -- comprehensive consolidated legislation database with 3,978+ indexed diplomas covering all areas of Portuguese law

Who This Is For

Expats Moving to Portugal

The D7 visa looks perfect for your retirement income. Then you start reading the actual requirements in legal Portuguese. Ask the question. Get the official answer. No appointment needed. A single consultation with an immigration lawyer costs $100-300. This Actor costs $0.16 per question.

Digital Nomads

Can you work remotely on a D7 visa? How do NHR tax rules apply to your income? You need accurate information from official sources, not forum speculation. Get answers with confidence levels so you know how reliable the information is.

EU Citizens Relocating

You have free movement rights, but the Portuguese details matter. Registration requirements, tax obligations, social security contributions -- get the Portuguese interpretation of EU law explained in your language.

Immigration Consultants and Lawyers

Your clients ask the same questions repeatedly. Get answers with supporting citations in 30 seconds instead of 30 minutes. Use the technical explanation level for professional-grade summaries with full legal references.

How to Use

1. Type your question about Portuguese law in any language
2. Choose your explanation level: simple (everyday language), detailed (thorough), or technical (for legal professionals)
3. Optionally describe your situation for more relevant answers
4. Click "Start" and receive a comprehensive answer in under 2 minutes

Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
question	string	Yes	--	Your legal question in any language
explanationLevel	string	No	simple	Detail level: simple, detailed, or technical
context	string	No	--	Additional context about your situation
language	string	No	auto	Response language (auto-detects from question by default)
aiProvider	string	No	integrated	AI provider: integrated (Gemini), anthropic (BYOK), openai (BYOK)

Example Input

{
  "question": "What are the requirements to get a D7 visa in Portugal?",
  "explanationLevel": "simple",
  "context": "I'm a US citizen with retirement income"
}

Multilingual Examples

Ask in any language and the AI responds in the same language:

• English: "What documents do I need for a work visa?"
• Spanish: "Cuales son los requisitos para la Golden Visa?"
• German: "Was sind die Anforderungen fur ein Arbeitsvisum?"
• French: "Quelles sont les conditions pour obtenir un visa D7?"
• Portuguese: "Quais sao os requisitos para visto de residencia?"
• Chinese: "D7签证的要求是什么？"
• Arabic: "ما هي متطلبات تأشيرة الإقامة؟"

Output Example

Each run produces a structured JSON object with the following fields:

{
  "question": "What are the requirements to get a D7 visa in Portugal?",
  "answer": "The D7 visa (passive income visa) allows non-EU citizens to live in Portugal...",
  "keyPoints": [
    "Minimum passive income of EUR 760/month required",
    "Must apply at Portuguese consulate in your country",
    "Valid for 4 months, convert to residence permit in Portugal",
    "Proof of accommodation required",
    "Clean criminal record needed"
  ],
  "summary": {
    "executiveSummary": "The D7 visa requires proof of passive income, health insurance, and clean criminal record...",
    "actionItems": ["Get NIF number", "Open Portuguese bank account", "Gather apostilled documents"],
    "requiredDocuments": ["Passport", "Proof of income", "Health insurance", "Criminal record"],
    "estimatedCosts": [{"item": "Visa fee", "amount": "90", "currency": "EUR"}]
  },
  "intelligence": {
    "confidenceLevel": "high",
    "confidenceReason": "Based on direct analysis of Lei 23/2007 and AIMA guidelines",
    "relatedTopics": ["NHR tax regime", "Family reunification", "Path to citizenship"],
    "commonPitfalls": ["Not having apostilled documents", "Insufficient proof of income stability"]
  },
  "references": [
    {
      "law": "Lei n.o 23/2007",
      "articles": ["Art. 54", "Art. 55"],
      "url": "https://dre.pt/...",
      "source": "Diario da Republica (Official Law)"
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "name": "Autorizacao de Residencia",
      "source": "AIMA",
      "url": "https://aima.gov.pt/..."
    }
  ],
  "metadata": {
    "explanationLevel": "simple",
    "aiProvider": "gemini",
    "sourcesAnalyzed": 5,
    "lawsFound": 2,
    "govPagesFound": 3,
    "timestamp": "2025-01-15T10:30:00.000Z"
  }
}

Pricing

Transparent pay-per-event (PPE) pricing with no subscriptions or hidden fees:

Event	Cost	Description
Law Search	$0.01	Search Diario da Republica and government sources
Law Fetch	$0.02	Fetch full text of a specific law
AI Question (Integrated)	$0.15	Full question-answer using integrated Gemini AI
AI Question (BYOK)	$0.02	Full question-answer using your own API key
AI Explanation (Integrated)	$0.08	AI explanation of a specific law using Gemini
AI Explanation (BYOK)	$0.01	AI explanation using your own API key

Typical question cost: approximately $0.16 (1 search + 1 AI question with integrated Gemini).

That is less than a coffee. A single consultation with an immigration lawyer costs 100-300x more. With BYOK mode (bring your own API key), the platform cost drops to approximately $0.03 per question.

Common Topics Covered

Immigration and Visas

• D7 passive income visa requirements and process
• Golden Visa investment options and thresholds
• Digital nomad visa eligibility
• EU citizen registration in Portugal
• Work permits and employment visas
• Family reunification procedures

Taxes and Fiscal Matters

• NHR (Non-Habitual Resident) tax regime
• IRS tax obligations for residents
• Freelancer taxation (recibos verdes)
• Double taxation treaties
• Crypto and investment income taxation

Social Security and Healthcare

• Registration for foreigners
• Healthcare access via SNS
• Pension rights and international transfers
• Social benefits eligibility

Housing and Rental Law

• Tenant rights under Portuguese law
• Rental contract requirements (NRAU)
• Landlord obligations and eviction rules

Citizenship and Nationality

• Naturalization requirements (5 years residency)
• Citizenship through marriage
• Citizenship by descent (Sephardic, Portuguese parents)

Key Portuguese Laws Referenced

Law	Topic	Description
Lei n.o 23/2007	Immigration	Main immigration law (Lei de Estrangeiros)
Lei n.o 37/2006	EU Citizens	EU free movement rights in Portugal
Lei n.o 13/2019	Housing	Rental law (NRAU) amendments
Codigo do Trabalho	Labor	Employment law and worker rights
Lei n.o 102/2017	Nationality	Citizenship requirements

FAQ

Can I trust AI to explain law?

This tool does not generate answers from AI training data alone. It searches the actual official Portuguese government sources in real-time and then explains what it found. Every answer includes direct links to the original government sources so you can verify everything yourself.

Is this legal advice?

No. This tool tells you what Portuguese law says. It does not tell you what you should do. That is what lawyers are for. Use this for legal literacy. Use lawyers for legal strategy.

Can I use this in any language?

Yes. The AI supports 15 languages including English, Portuguese, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, and Hindi. It auto-detects your question language and responds accordingly.

How current is the information?

The Actor scrapes official government websites in real-time. If a law was published in Diario da Republica this morning, it can find it this afternoon. The AI model has a knowledge cutoff, but the legal source data is always current.

What about AIMA/SEF changes?

Portugal's immigration authority restructured in 2023 (SEF became AIMA). This tool searches current AIMA sources alongside the underlying legislation. You get both: what the law says and what the current processing reality looks like.

What does the confidence level mean?

• High -- Laws directly address your question with clear, unambiguous answers
• Medium -- Laws are related but may not cover your exact situation
• Low -- Limited direct sources found; answer may involve interpretation

What AI providers are supported?

Three options are available:

1. Integrated (Google Gemini) -- No API key needed. AI cost is included in the per-question price ($0.15).
2. Anthropic Claude (BYOK) -- Provide your own Anthropic API key. Platform cost drops to $0.02 per question.
3. OpenAI GPT-4 (BYOK) -- Provide your own OpenAI API key. Platform cost drops to $0.02 per question.

Technical Details

• Runtime: Node.js 20+ on Apify platform
• AI Models: Google Gemini 2.5 Flash (integrated), Claude Sonnet 4 (BYOK), GPT-4o (BYOK)
• Scraping: Cheerio for HTML parsing with retry logic and graceful degradation
• Validation: Zod schemas for input validation
• Memory: 512 MB minimum, 4096 MB maximum
• Typical run time: 30-120 seconds depending on source availability

Legal Disclaimer

IMPORTANT: This information is for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute professional legal advice. Immigration and legal matters can be complex and highly dependent on individual circumstances. Always consult a qualified Portuguese lawyer or immigration specialist for specific legal matters, visa applications, or important decisions affecting your legal status.

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Built for the global community living in and moving to Portugal. Ask any question about Portuguese law -- visas, residency, work permits, taxes, rental rights, social security, citizenship. The law is complicated. Understanding it does not have to be.