NOVA IMS is located in Campus de Campolide, a Campus that provides some facilities such as school residence, food services, photocopy services, bank machine and bookshop, besides all the services that you can find at NOVA IMS, as Academic Services, IT services and Library and Documentation Services.

At Academic Services you can find all the support and information you need regarding for instance: enrollment, timetables and calendars (Exams Schedule, Academic Calendar).

Helpdesk support is provided by IT Department to every NOVA IMS enrolled student, IT Department also offer a software set from ESRI, Clarck Labs, Microsoft, MicroStrategy, OutSystems, QlikView, SAP, SAS and SYBASE for teaching and research purposes.

Specialized in the areas of Statistics and Information Management, NOVA IMS Library aims to provide students, teachers and researchers access to documentation and information necessary for the development of their scientific and academic activities.

Here you can access about 5,000 books, theses and dissertations in paper and electronic version from the UNL Repository, and full-text electronic journals from JSTOR, Emerald, Wiley Blackwell and B-On Online Knowledge Library (over 22.000 scientific international publications from 19 publishers).

Click here for more Useful Information.

It’s student's responsibility to guarantee they fulfil the necessary requirements to be eligible for a student visa.

Applicants from EU/EFTA nations as well as some other nations do not need a visa to study in Portugal.

Starting in 2024, travellers that currently do not need a visa to visit EU member countries will require an ETIAS.

EU/EFTA nations students who remain in Portugal for longer than 3 months must apply for the Certificado do Registo de Cidadão da União Europeia (CRUE Certificate of Residency).
This certificate must be applied for at their local Council within the 30 days following their first three months in national territory.

Please see: https://www.acm.gov.pt/-/sou-cidadao-europeu-e-necessario-registar-me-para-residir-em-portugal- 

Holders of a residence permit issued by a Member State of the European Union are authorised to entry and stay into national territory for a maximum of 90 days within any 180-day period. In order to extend their stay, they need to apply for a residence permit for higher education students with visa exemption under no. 4 of article 91 of REPSAE.

Please see: https://imigrante.sef.pt/en/solicitar/estudar/art91/

Applicants from non-EU nations normally need a visa to study in Portugal. In order to find out if they need a visa and how to apply, they must contact the embassy or consulate of Portugal in their home country.
Application processing times can vary greatly depending on volume of applications and the applicant’s home country. It is recommended to submit the complete application at least two months prior to the student’s departure.

As a general rule, the necessary documents for student visa applications for entry in Portugal are:

• National Visa application filled and duly signed by applicant;
• 2 Photos, even, passport type, recent and in good condition to identify the applicant;
• Passport or other travel document, valid for 3 months after the estimated date of return. Photocopy of passport (biographical data);
• Proof of regular status, if you are of a nationality other than that of the country where you are applying for a visa, valid for more than the date of expiry of the visa you are applying for;
• Valid travel insurance, covering necessary medical expenses, including urgent medical assistance and possible repatriation;
• Criminal record certificate, issued by the competent authority of the country of the applicant’s nationality or of the country where the applicant has resided for over a year (except for applicants under sixteen), with the Hague Apostille (If applicable) or legalised;
• Request for criminal record enquiry by the Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA);
• Proof of financial resources/means of subsistence, as defined by decree of the competent government members;
• Fulfils admission criteria or has been accepted to university for a study program and has enough financial resources to attend such program;
• Lodging/accommodation certificate in Portugal.

The referred documents are the mandatory initial documents to be submitted. The consular post may request additional documents, at their discretion, so this information should be confirmed when requesting a Visa.

Starting in 2024, travellers that currently do not need a visa to visit EU member countries will require an ETIAS.

Portuguese visa processing time varies depending on the purpose of your visit. It can take anywhere from two weeks up to two months, so it is advisable to start the Portuguese visa application process as soon as you receive your Admission Letter.

It is not recommended to entry in Portugal with a Tourist Visa (Schengen Visa).
Although it’s also possible to entry in Portugal with a Schengen visa and then try to apply for a Residence Permit for Higher Education Students, it’s known that the Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA) has a huge backlog and delay time for scheduling appointments, which can be a problem since a Schengen visa is only valid for 90 days.

In accordance with Ordinance no. 111/2019, of 12 April, which reinforces the simplification of the process of access and residence in Portugal by higher education students who are nationals of countries outside the European Union (EU), following student's admission, NOVA IMS’ Admissions Office shares with the Directorate General for Higher Education (DGES), responsible for transmitting it to the Directorate General of Consular Affairs and Portuguese Communities (DGACCP), the lists of admitted students.

The International Student Support Office provides a visa information, offering further assistance on applying for a student visa as well as information on related areas of immigration.
Please assure you have all the required documents/conditions before requesting our help.

Please be aware that NOVA IMS cannot interfere in Embassy’s decision.
The Visa process is managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and NOVA IMS cannot intervene in the process.

You can find information regarding visas and entry in Portugal at:

• Portal das Comunidades Portuguesas;
• AIMA - Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo (Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum);
• VISA - Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The application at NOVA Information Management School does not include an offer for a room in a dormitory.

NOVA University of Lisbon has 3 Residence Halls to accommodate students from the 9 existing Faculties: https://www.unl.pt/en/life-nova/accommodation

Priority is given to SASNOVA scholarship students and students on exchange programmes (Erasmus) when allocating accommodation. Although Residence Halls are not managed by NOVA IMS, International Students must request accommodation at the Erasmus Office of the Faculty they will be studying in. Since there’s a limitation of places available for each Faculty, most students have to find a room themselves on the private market.

Please visit: https://www.novaims.unl.pt/pt/ensino/alunos/programas-de-mobilidade/erasmus/useful-information/.

Please notice that the information contained on the websites mentioned are the responsibility of the respective organizations.

• EU/EFTA nations students who remain in Portugal for longer than 3 months must apply for the Certificado do Registo de Cidadão da União Europeia (CRUE Certificate of Residency).
  This certificate must be applied for at their local Council within the 30 days following their first three months in national territory.

Please see: https://www.acm.gov.pt/-/sou-cidadao-europeu-e-necessario-registar-me-para-residir-em-portugal- 
Please see: https://informacoeseservicos.lisboa.pt/en/services/detail/european-union-citizen-registration-certificate (for Lisbon Council).

• Holders of a residence permit issued by a Member State of the European Union planning to stay in Portugal for longer than 90 days must apply for a Autorização de Residência/Residence Permit for higher education students with visa exemption under no. 4 of article 91 of REPSAE, upon arrival in Portugal.
• Third Country nationals holding a Residence Visa and planning to stay in Portugal for longer than 90 days must apply for a Autorização de Residência/Residence Permit for higher education students.

Please check your visa stamp, usually for student visas there’s already a scheduled appointment. If so, you should have a link on your visa stamp. If not, you’ll need to schedule and follow the procedure.

The application for residence permit should be scheduled and submitted personally on a standard form signed by the applicant or his/her legal representative. The application may be submitted at any Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA) directorate or regional delegation, which, after proceedings and decision, will forward it to the directorate or regional delegation of the applicant’s area of residence.

Please see: https://imigrante.sef.pt/en/solicitar/estudar/art91/

For third-country nationals, the required documents are similar to the ones required for visa applications:

• Passport or any other valid travel document;
• Valid residence visa issued under article 62 of REPSAE, except in applications submitted under nº. 4 of article 91;
• Evidence that the applicant has adequate accommodation;
• Permission for Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA) to check portuguese criminal record;
• Evidence of entry into the national territory and the criminal record of the applicant’s country of nationality or criminal record of the applicant’s country he/she had lived in for over one year, in cases of nº. 4 of article 92 of Law no. 23/2007 – REPSAE (exemption of a residence visa);
• Evidence of registration in a higher education institution;
• Health insurance or evidence in which is covered by the National Health Service;
• Evidence of the means of subsistence and evidence of tuition payment is not required to students of higher education admitted in a higher education institution approved under decree order of the members of the Government of the Interior and High Education, under no. 5 of article 91 of REPSAE.

You can find information regarding entry and stay in Portugal at:

• Portal das Comunidades Portuguesas;
• Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA);
• VISA - Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR VISA EXPIRES BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE COUNTRY…

• Call Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA) (+351 217 115 000) and schedule an interview to renew your visa. Due to the high number of queries, your call is more likely to be taken early in the morning (8am) or late in the evening (7pm).
• Holders of short stay visa or temporary stay visa can also schedule on-line an appointment at a Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA) Bureau Renew to extend their period of permanence.
• After you schedule your interview (probably in a two/three month’s time) you will need to gather the documents they ask for you to renew your visa.
• After you gather all these documents you go to Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA), wait patiently, and pay. Then you receive a receipt that you MUST keep, for this will be the only proof that you have renewed your visa. Give one to two months for your visa card to be finally ready.

Please see: https://imigrante.sef.pt/en/prorrogar-permanencia/

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR RESIDENCE CARD/TITLE EXPIRES BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE COUNTRY…

• The application for the renewing of a residence permit shall be made/scheduled on-line between 90 and 30 days previous to the expiry of the title.
• After you schedule your interview you will need to gather the documents they ask for you to renew your permit.
• After you gather all these documents you go to a Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA) Bureau, wait patiently, and pay. Then you receive a receipt that you MUST keep, for this will be the only proof that you have renewed your permit. Give one to two months for your Residence Card/title to be finally ready.

Please see: https://imigrante.sef.pt/en/renovar-residencia/art91-2/

HOW TO OBTAIN A LODGING CERTIFICATE:

• If you live at a Students’ Residence: this will be included in the letter from the institution/residence.
• If you don’t live at a Students’ Residence: you will need to go to the corresponding Junta de Freguesia (which is a kind of city hall of each neighbourhood) and ask for a comprovativo de morada/proof of address. That might be a little complicated given that at Junta de Freguesia they will ask for two witnesses to confirm that you really live wherever you say you live. If you have received any commercial letters, i.e. bank, newsletters, at your Lisbon address, it should work as well. Sometimes a Multipurpose Certificate stating your address issued by the school might also help.

HOW TO OBTAIN A CRIMINAL RECORD

Foreign citizens wishing to apply for or renew a residence permit in Portugal do not need a certificate of criminal and contumacy record. They can authorize the Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA) to access their record, without having to go to the criminal record service points.

Online
If you request the certificate of criminal record online, you must access the website Registo Criminal Online.

In person
You can apply for a criminal record certificate in person:

• at one of the branches of the Criminal Identification Services, which can be scheduled through the contacts at each branch;
• in the Courts, being able to make an appointment using the court appointment scheduling form;
• in Citizen Spaces, where this service exists. You can request information and make an appointment by calling 300 003 990 or using the contact form on the ePortugal portal.

The National Health Service (SNS) in Portugal has a network of bodies and services which provide complete healthcare to the whole population, through which the State guarantees peoples' right to health.
The SNS is made up of all the public entities that provide healthcare - hospitals, local health units, health centres and family health units, or groups of health centres.

Under EU legislation on Social Security, nationals from the EU member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland enjoy the same benefits as Portuguese citizens in terms of access to free or reduced-cost healthcare.
In order to benefit from these services, the citizens falling in the category mentioned above need to show the EHIC (European Health Insurance Card).

Third Country nationals must hold medical insurance or benefit from other special medical coverage/arrangements for the entire stay in Portugal.

Third Country nationals, who have been residing in Portugal for more than 3 months (90 days), may wish to apply for the National Health Service Card (Cartão do Utente do SNS). The card is free of charge and gives you access to Portuguese Public Health Service. To obtain the NHS card foreigners must show in the health services in their area of residence, documentation proving their residence authorisation in national territory, according to the situations.

Opening a bank account in Portugal is recommendable to third country nationals as withdrawal from foreign banks can be rather expensive and foreign credit cards may not always be accepted.

The procedure to open a bank account is quite simple. You will need: your passport or international ID card, an address in Portugal and a Portuguese fiscal number.

Please check the documentation provided by the Embassy/Consular Services, usually for student visas, there’s already the provision of a temporary NIF number. If not, you’ll need to schedule and follow the procedure.

Following the legislative amendment to article 19 of the General Tax Law (LGT), operated by the Decree-Law No. 44/2022, of July 8, and consequent Circular Letter No: 90057, of July 20, 2022, upon registration and attribution of a Tax Identification Number (NIF) to a national or foreign citizen, as a non-resident, with address in a third country, i.e. in a country not belonging to the European Union (EU) or the European Economic Area (EEA), the appointment of a tax representative is not mandatory.

The request for the attribution of NIF to foreign citizens from third countries can be made electronically, on the Tax Office portal (via e-balcão), presented by the representative (resident in Portugal), or in person at the citizen's shop, and in the Tax Office services by prior appointment.
Scheduling must be requested through Tax Office Portal by registering at the Face-to-Face Service by Appointment accessible through the Portal's home page in the lower right corner under "Contact us" or, by calling 217 206 707 from the Telephone Assistance Centre, at working days, from 09:00 to 19:00 (Portuguese language).

Alternatively, you can also schedule an appointment for the Tax Office service at the National Immigrant Support Centre (CNAI) Lisbon by calling 808 257 257 / 218 106 191, at working days, from 09:00 to 19:00 (English language), or by emailing cnaim.lisboa@acm.gov.pt

National Immigrant Support Centre (CNAI) Lisbon
Rua Álvaro Coutinho, 14
1150-025 LISBOA
cnaim.lisboa@acm.gov.pt
9h-19h00m

You can also request to book an appointment using the Tax Office Services emails of the tax office of the area where you intend to live.

Before going to a service desk in person, we recommend booking in advance. If you choose to go to a service desk without booking, it is recommended that you do so early in the morning, to guarantee a service ticket.
You must be in the Tax Office service before 9 a.m., after which you can take the D ticket, which has a maximum limit of 50 per day.

You should bring with you a copy and the original of the following documents: Passport and proof of address in the country of origin.

Holders of a residence permit for higher education students issued/applied for in Portugal, or students in higher education holding a residence permit granted by the Member State of the European Union covered by a European Union or multilateral program with mobility measures or by an agreement between two or more higher education institutions (see procedure for communication of mobility), may carry out a professional activity, as worker or self employed, in addition to the activity that gave rise to the visa (whenever their entry and stay has been authorised).

Students wishing to work in Portugal need to communicate/notify Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA).
The communication/notification, when not submitted at the same time of the application or renewal of the permit, shall be sent by the applicant to the Directorate or Regional Delegation of Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA) within the area of residence, preferably by e-mail (see contacts of Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA)’s Public Service Bureaus) together with copies of the following:

• Passport (biodata page);
• Residence permit or the communication from Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA) supporting the authorisation of stay in Portugal (for students in mobility);
• Contract of employment; or
• Service contracts of declaration of starting of an activity within tax administration (for the carry out of an independent professional activity);
• Supporting proof of registration within social security.

Please see: https://imigrante.sef.pt/en/solicitar/estudar/com-exercicio-atividade-profissional-estudantes-ensino-superior/

HOW TO APPLY FOR A SOCIAL SECURITY IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (NISS)

The Social Security Identification Number (NISS) allows access to rights and obligations in Social Security.

The NISS request is made by filling out the form available on the Social Security portal, to which the necessary documents must be attached in each case.

Foreign people

• from the European Union, European Economic Area or Switzerland
  • civil ID document from the country of origin and its copy.
• from third country
  • Passport, Residence Permit, Residence Authorization (temporary or permanent) or other civilian identification document from the country of origin and its copy.

Please see: https://en.seg-social.pt/registration

The Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas da Universidade Nova de Lisboa (FCSH) organizes a Portuguese language and culture course targeted to foreign international mobility students. Classes are held in its facilities located at Av. de Berna, n. 26–C, P–1050 LISBOA. These classes will not be offered at NOVA IMS' Campus.

You can find out more information about these courses at FCSH is this website: http://ple.fcsh.unl.pt/en/start/

NOVA IMS Social Mobility Scholarship

NOVA IMS offers a social mobility scholarship for students with a proven need for financial aid. This mission is associated with the development of the fundamental pillars of the Inclusion Policy of Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, universality, social mobility and talent.

Please see: https://www.novaims.unl.pt/en/education/programs/postgraduate-programs-and-master-degree-programs/nova-ims-social-mobility-scholarship/

NOVA University Lisbon provides its students with access to various financial supports in collaboration with the General Directorate of Higher Education (DGES), companies, institutions and individuals, promoting the participation of society for a good common – higher education.

Please see: https://sas.unl.pt/en/scholarships-2/scholarships_/

The sub23 is a travel card for higher education students, up and including the age of 23, that offers discounts on travel passes.

The «sub23@superior.tp» travel card will have the following discounts on the price of the monthly passes in force, namely the intermodal, combined and network or line passes:

• 60% for Higher education students who benefit from the Higher Education Direct Social Action Support;
• 25% for other Higher Education students.

To access these discounts, you must:

• Obtain from NOVA IMS Academic Services a sub23 Enrollment Declaration, which proves the student's enrollment, as well as whether or not he/she is a beneficiary of the Direct Social Action in Higher Education;
• Deliver these documents to the transport company to issue the sub23 pass card.

The card is valid for a maximum period of 4 years, up to and including the age of 23.
At the beginning of each academic year, it is necessary to present, to the transport operator, an updated statement from NOVA IMS Academic Services, in order to regain the right to the discounts provided for by the sub23 pass.

If you want more information about NOVA IMS degrees, contact any members of the team: