Portuguese Blue Card

The Portugal Blue Card program starts on September 9th, 2012! If you're not familiar with Portugal, you should check it out as it's lovely. I proposed to my fiancée, now wife, at the Castle of São Jorge overlooking Lisbon, so naturally I have a soft spot for this place.

To qualify for the Portuguese Blue Card, you must:

Rua Augusta Lisboa (I've been there and it's lovely)
Photo by Osvaldo Gago

• Have a minimum one-year employment offer or contract
• Have a university degree of five years experience in your field
• Be offered a salary of at least one and a half times the national average (around €2000 per month)
• Have health insurance or be registered in their national health system
• Must not be registered with the Portuguese Social Security system
• Have a diploma or other proof of qualifications if it's an unregulated profession
• Provide proof of certification if it is a regulated profession

In other words, the barrier's fairly low.

Note that the Portuguese Blue Card is not available for family members of EU citizens.

Remember that the EU Blue Card will eventually give you permanent residency in Europe. Read up on the Blue Card and find out what it can do for you.

Read the complete list of Overseas Exile European Blue Card summaries here.