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I am a national of a country that requires a visa to the EU for nearly any purpose (including tourism). I obtained a Portuguese Type D visa for the purpose of eventually migrating there for a company (and I was working remotely with them in the meantime). However, I was laid off.

The visa is still valid (see picture). What isn't clear to me is

  • Can I still enter Portugal with that visa up to two times (as long as it's valid)?
  • Can I use this to enter other EU countries (again as long as it's valid)? The reason is that only "Portugal" is mentioned under "Valid for" in the visa.

There are some articles about what happens once you've moved there (and gotten a residence permit) - neither of which applies to me since I was laid off after getting the visa but before moving. Some suggest that the residence permit is "tied" to an employer, but I'm not sure whether that applies in my case as I can't see such an endorsement there (and I only have the entry visa and not the residence permit card). Thanks in advance.

Note: this was under the "Tech Visa" category. enter image description here

phoog
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  • Did the company assist with your D visa application eg as a sponsor? – Traveller Apr 23 '23 at 18:33
  • @Traveller Yes. – Leaderboard Apr 23 '23 at 18:35
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    This is a question that you should ask the Portugiese consulate that issued the visa. Since the purpose for which the visa was issued no longer applies, it may have been canceled. Only they can tell you that for sure. – Mark Johnson Apr 23 '23 at 19:03
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    AFAIK Portuguese companies that sponsor tech visas have to be certified by the Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation (IAPMEI). They may be obliged to inform the authorities of changes to job offers/contracts, which could mean your visa is cancelled. As @MarkJohnson already commented, you should check this with the consulate that issued your visa. – Traveller Apr 23 '23 at 19:38
  • @Traveller Given the usual levels of speed, efficiency and competence of Portuguese bureaucracy, I would be quite surprised if they had cancelled the visa already. – lambshaanxy Apr 23 '23 at 23:15

2 Answers2

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As far as I can tell, the Tech Visa is tied to your continued employment at the qualified Tech Visa employer, so if you're laid off, you no longer qualify for the visa. While this official page doesn't straight up answer if the employee can change jobs or what happens if they're laid off, it does state that visa renewals can only be done by the employer: https://www.growinportugal.com/10-things-to-know-about-portugal-tech-visa/

Whether Portuguese immigration has gotten the memo about your job offer being cancelled is a different story. I would guess no, but legally speaking you probably should not attempt to enter Portugal with it and you run a risk of being denied entry if you try. If you want to reduce that risk, you could try contacting the embassy that issued it and double-checking that the visa is still valid using some excuse that does not tell them you've been laid off.

If the visa is still valid, then yes, it's valid through the Schengen area: Can I visit other Schengen countries on a long-term Schengen visa or residency permit?

lambshaanxy
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    You said "using some excuse". *DO NOT LIE TO IMMIGRATION.* Lying to immigration will be extremely bad for you! – user253751 Apr 24 '23 at 15:37
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    @user253751 Checking if your visa is still valid with the embassy != lying to immigration. – lambshaanxy Apr 24 '23 at 21:28
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    What @lambshaanxy means is that you need to verify the validity of the visa without mentioning that you're fired. – Nelson Apr 26 '23 at 03:44
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I asked the Portuguese Embassy in Riyadh (as per some comments in this thread). Their response is given below:

Thank you for your message.

The visa was issued for a specific purpose, based on your work relation with a company in Portugal. So, the visa is no longer valid, as you don't fulfill the requirements any more.

The visa is also not valid to travel to other countries in the Schengen area, as it was not issued for that purpose.

Best regards,

So the answer appears to be no to both parts of my question. @lambshaanxy answer in this thread is correct as a result.

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