My Portugal digital nomad visa was refused. How can I challenge the decision?

Checked on 2026-10-25

Portugal's Foreign Ministry lists three routes: a complaint to the consulate within 15 days of notification, a hierarchical appeal to the Foreign Minister within three months, or a court action at the Lisbon Administrative Court within three months. The routes can be combined. Each administrative challenge costs €75. The consulate is the authority that refuses the visa.

Key facts

What	The law says	Source
Who refuses	The consular authority	Lei 23/2007, art. 53.12
Complaint (reclamação)	To the author of the decision, at the consulate, within 15 days of notification	MNE, Mecanismos de impugnação (citing CPA art. 191)
Hierarchical appeal (recurso hierárquico)	To the Foreign Minister, lodged at the consulate, within 3 months of notification	MNE, Mecanismos de impugnação (citing CPTA arts. 58–59 and CPA art. 193)
Court action	At the Tribunal Administrativo de Círculo de Lisboa, within 3 months of notification	MNE, Mecanismos de impugnação (citing CPTA arts. 22, 58 and 69)
Combining routes	Allowed; an appeal suspends the court deadline, and you can go to court without waiting for the appeal	MNE, Mecanismos de impugnação (citing CPTA art. 59.4–5)
Cost	€75 per administrative challenge, except family reunification cases	MNE, Mecanismos de impugnação and Emolumentos (citing Portaria n.º 229/2021, art. 15.5)

Three routes

The Foreign Ministry’s visa portal says a refused national visa can be challenged under Portuguese law in three ways:

Complaint to the consulate. Within 15 days of being notified, you can ask the person who made the decision to reconsider it. You file it at the consulate or consular section.
Hierarchical appeal. Within three months of notification, you can appeal to the member of the government responsible for foreign affairs. This is also filed at the consulate.
Court action. Within three months of notification, you can bring an action to annul the decision at the Lisbon Administrative Court (Tribunal Administrativo de Círculo de Lisboa).

You can combine them

The ministry says these options do not exclude each other. If you appeal first, the deadline for going to court is suspended while the appeal runs, and you can decide afterwards whether to sue. You can also appeal and go straight to court without waiting for the appeal decision.

Cost

The ministry charges €75 for processing each administrative challenge of a visa decision, except challenges arising from family reunification authorisations. It cites Portaria n.º 229/2021, article 15.5.

What the law checks: visas are granted only to applicants with no entry ban or Schengen alert and with means of subsistence, a valid travel document and travel insurance (Lei 23/2007, art. 52.1). A visa is refused after a conviction for a crime punishable in Portugal by more than one year, or when the applicant is a danger or threat to public order, security or national defence, or public health (art. 52.3–4).

Sources

Change history

2026-10-25: Page created

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