Portugal visa guideA Portuguese business or conference visa is a Schengen short-stay visa (type C) for meetings, training, conferences and seminars of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. It does not allow paid work. From Punjab you apply in person at VFS Global in Chandigarh, Jalandhar or New Delhi, and the Embassy of Portugal in New Delhi decides, normally within 15 calendar days.
Portugal wants two letters with specific contents: an introduction letter from your employer, signed and stamped by HR or the directorate, and an invitation from the Portuguese partner with a day-to-day schedule. Conference visitors add the organiser's letter and proof that the fee is paid.
Do Indians need a visa for a business trip to Portugal, and which one?
Yes. Meetings in Lisbon, a supplier visit in Porto or a conference anywhere in Portugal need a Schengen short-stay visa, type C, filed in VFS's "Business/ Conference" category. It allows up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the Schengen area. There is no e-visa route for it; you apply in person at VFS Global.
For anyone living in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh or Delhi, the decision is made by the Embassy of Portugal in New Delhi. Only residents of Goa, Maharashtra, Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli go to the Consulate General in Goa.
Portugal business visa at a glance
- VisaMeetings, training, conferences, seminars
- Schengen type C, Business/Conference
- Stay
- Up to 90 days in any 180-day period
- Decided byFor Punjab and most of India
- Embassy of Portugal, New Delhi
- Filed atChandigarh, Jalandhar or New Delhi for Punjab
- VFS Global
- Key lettersConferences: organiser's letter plus proof the fee is paid
- Employer's introduction letter and partner's invitation
- FeeVFS service charge on top, paid online when booking
- €90
Embassy of Portugal New Delhi checklist and VFS Global Portugal India, checked 14 Oct 2026
A business visa does not allow paid work in Portugal. VFS lists the work and residence routes, such as subordinated professional activity or independent work, as separate national visa categories with their own checklists.
Where do applicants from Punjab apply?
At VFS Global, which the Embassy describes as the only service provider authorised to file Portuguese visas in India. Of VFS's Portugal centres, the ones that serve Punjab's jurisdiction are Chandigarh (Elante Offices, Industrial and Business Park Phase I), Jalandhar (Aman Plaza, Lajpat Nagar) and New Delhi. Mumbai, Pune and Goa handle the Goa consulate's files. You must have lived legally in the Embassy's jurisdiction for at least 6 months.
Two Portugal-specific steps come before the appointment. VFS asks you to pay its service charge online while booking, and the slot is confirmed only once that payment goes through. Then, on the day, you attend yourself: the Embassy says an application cannot be submitted by a third person, so a company's travel desk can prepare the file but cannot lodge it for you. VFS takes all 10 fingerprints and a digital photo at the counter.
For busy dates around trade events, keep an eye on our Portugal appointment availability page.
Which documents depend on your situation?
The Embassy's New Delhi checklist for business or conference trips asks for these letters, beyond the common list:
- Introduction letter from your employer, original. On company letterhead, signed and stamped by HR or the directorate, stating your position, length of service, the dates and purpose of the trip, and whether the company is paying.
- Invitation from the business partner in Portugal, original or copy. Signed and stamped, with your full details (name, address, email and phone number), the dates and purpose of the trip, and a detailed day-to-day schedule of the meetings or training.
- For a conference, workshop or seminar: an invitation or acceptance letter from the university, research organisation or organising committee, on its letterhead, signed and stamped, with the dates, the purpose and whether it covers expenses, plus proof that you have paid the attendance fee.
- Your own covering letter, original, explaining why you are applying for a business or conference visa.
What you add for money depends on your role:
Employee
- What the checklist asks for
- 3 months of salary slips and of the salary account statement, 3 months of personal statements, ITR-V for 2 assessment years, and the employer's approval of leave
Proprietor, partner or director
- What the checklist asks for
- Business registration certificate, GST registration with annexes A and B, partnership deed or proof of proprietorship; 3 months of personal and business statements; company and personal ITR-V for 2 years
Retired, travelling for a board or advisory role
- What the checklist asks for
- Pension bank statement for 3 months and proof of regular income from property or a business
All financial documents must be originals, on A4, with the bank's stamp and signature. As with every Portuguese file, the papers go in the exact order of the checklist, unstapled, with a copy of each original; the Embassy keeps originals that come without one.
How much is the Portugal business visa fee?
The visa fee is €90, which VFS's fee table showed as ₹9,889 on 14 October 2026, and VFS's service charge was ₹3,437 per application including GST, paid online at booking. Neither is refunded if the visa is refused or the application is withdrawn. Our filing fee is shown at the top of this page.
How long does it take, and when should you apply?
Portugal's visa portal and VFS both give 15 calendar days from the date the application is considered admissible, with a maximum of 45 calendar days in individual cases. The checklist notes that the clock starts only when the file reaches the Consular Section, up to two working days after you lodge it, and that the Embassy's public holidays do not count.
On timing, follow the strictest official line. VFS's short-term visa page says applications are accepted only within 3 months of the requested arrival date, while other official pages mention six months. VFS takes applications only until 15 working days before travel, excluding its own handling time, and the Embassy strongly advises applying at least one month ahead. A confirmed flight booking does not move your file up the queue. If a client meeting is fixed, apply as soon as you are inside the 3-month window.
Why do Portugal business visas get refused for Indian applicants?
Refusals come on the EU's standard form. On business files these are the usual weak points.
No day-by-day schedule
The checklist asks the Portuguese partner for a detailed day-to-day schedule of meetings or training. A one-line "we invite you to visit our office" leaves the purpose of the stay unproved. Ask for the schedule with dates, places and people.
An employer letter missing the basics
The introduction letter must be signed and stamped by HR or the directorate and state your position, length of service, the trip's dates and purpose, and who pays. Leave one out and the officer cannot confirm your job or your return.
A conference without proof of registration
For conferences and seminars, the organiser's letter is not enough on its own: the checklist also asks for proof that the attendance fee has been paid.
Company money that does not show
Owners must give business registration or GST papers, three months of business and personal statements, and company and personal ITR-V for two years. Gaps here leave the officer unsure the business is real and funding the trip.
A visit that looks like a job
Words like "joining", "deputation" or "project work on site" suggest employment, which needs a national work visa. Describe meetings, negotiations, training or the event you will attend.
If you are refused, Portugal's visa portal lists three routes: a complaint to the officer who decided within 15 days, a hierarchical appeal to the foreign affairs minister within three months, or a case at the Administrative Court of the Lisbon Circle within three months. Each appeal procedure carries a €75 administrative cost. The full list of refusal grounds is on our Schengen refusal reasons page.
Tips for a stronger business file
- Match the dates. The invitation, the employer's letter, the flight reservation and the hotel bookings should show one set of dates.
- Name who pays. Both letters should say whether the company, the host or you are covering travel, accommodation and daily costs. Portugal's own yardstick for means of subsistence is €75 for each entry plus €40 for each day.
- Flight reservation in your name with departure and return dates, plus intra-Schengen bookings if you continue to another state.
- Original insurance from an approved Indian insurer, with a QR code, covering at least €30,000 for the entire stay, together with the Travel Health Declaration.
- Translations. Anything in a language other than English or Portuguese needs a proper translation, or it counts as missing.
- Past refusals. If any embassy or high commission refused you a visa in the last 2 years, include the refusal notice or a written explanation, and use your covering letter to show what has changed.
- Onward travel. If the trip continues to the UK, USA or Canada after Schengen, the checklist wants that visa obtained beforehand; copies of valid UK, US or Canadian visas help your file.
- Frequent travel. The EU Visa Code allows multiple-entry visas of up to five years for applicants who show a need to travel often and have used earlier visas lawfully, and Indians can move up the April 2024 cascade: two Schengen visas lawfully used within three years can lead to a two-year multiple-entry visa.
What does a conference visa need that a meeting visa does not?
Two things, both from the organiser's side. First, an invitation or acceptance letter on the institution's letterhead, from the university, research organisation or organising committee, signed and stamped, with the dates and purpose and a statement of whether it covers your expenses. Second, proof that you have paid the conference, seminar or workshop fee.
A conference trip still needs your employer's introduction letter and your own financial papers. If the organiser is a university or research body and you are going as a researcher, check the Embassy's fee list: scientific research national visas are free, but a Schengen business or conference visa carries the €90 fee. For the full picture on Portugal, start at the Portugal country page, and for a holiday after the event see the Portugal tourist visa guide.
Official sources
- Visas, Embassy of Portugal in New Delhi
- Appeal Mechanisms, Portugal visa portal (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
- Deadline for filing application, Portugal visa portal (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
- Means of subsistence, Portugal visa portal (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
- VFS Global Portugal India: visa types, fees and processing time
- VFS Global Portugal India: visa application centres
- Visa Code, consolidated text (EUR-Lex)
- European Union adopts more favourable Schengen visa rules for Indians, EU Delegation to India
