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Portuguese short-stay visas for UK residents are decided by one of two consulates general, in London or in Manchester, depending on the county you live in. Both take applications only through VFS Global: London's at the London centre, Manchester's at the centres in Manchester and Edinburgh.
Portugal is on our free Telegram channel in London and Edinburgh, so you can follow its new dates without paying. This guide covers which centre is yours, the booking rules and the new walk-in days in London, the documents on the UK checklist and the fees. For the general rules, see how to apply for a Schengen visa from the UK.
Where you apply
Apply to Portugal if it is your main destination. VFS publishes a county list for each consulate and says you can apply only at the centres for your county:
- Consulate General in London: Greater London, the South East, the South West, the East of England and the Channel Islands. You apply at VFS London (weekdays 08:30 to 13:00).
- Consulate General in Manchester: the Midlands, the North of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. You apply at VFS Manchester, 50 Devonshire Street North, or VFS Edinburgh (both weekdays 08:30 to 12:00); Edinburgh files go through Manchester and take two days longer.
Neither list names the Welsh counties, so if you live in Wales check with VFS which centre to use before you book. You need a valid UK residence permit: VFS says holders of a UK visitor (C) visa are accepted only for essential travel, such as business, study, health or EU family members. Everyone, children included, applies in person, and each family member books their own appointment under the right category, or loses the service fee.
Step by step
- 1
Fill in the form
Portugal's Schengen form is a fillable PDF on its VFS page for the UK: complete it on screen, print it, and sign it twice, at field 37 and under the declaration at the end. - 2
Book at VFS Global
On Portugal's VFS booking page, at the centre for your county, up to six months before you travel. - 3
Gather the documents
Show the originals and hand in photocopies, unless an original is asked for. - 4
Attend the appointment
Hand in the form and documents, give fingerprints, and pay the visa fee and VFS's service fee. - 5
Wait for the decision
VFS gives a minimum of two weeks, and has said since July 2024 that applications from its UK centres take at least two to three weeks more. You get an email when the decision is back at the centre.
Documents
The country's own checklist is the one that counts. The core of it:
- Passport issued within the last ten years, valid at least three months after you leave the Schengen Area, with two blank pages.
- Proof of your UK immigration status, such as your eVisa and a share code, valid beyond your return.
- The signed application form and a photo to the ICAO passport standard.
- Travel medical insurance with at least €30,000 cover, valid in every Schengen country for the whole trip.
- Recent bank statements, and a letter from your employer or proof of studies or self-employment.
- A flight reservation, and hotel bookings or an invitation letter.
On top of that, VFS Global's Portugal checklist for the UK asks for:
- A personal statement explaining why you are applying, with the purpose of the trip and your itinerary.
- Your UK residence permit (original and photocopy) or share code, valid at least one month after you return.
- Your last three months of bank statements, showing your name and address and an end balance dated within the last month. The latest balance must cover €75 for each entry plus €40 for each day in the Schengen Area.
- A signed, dated employer letter addressed to the consulate or the Portuguese foreign ministry, issued within the last three months, plus your last three payslips. The self-employed bring a letter from an accountant or solicitor, their latest self-assessment and, if they have one, a Companies House certificate.
- Round-trip tickets with invoices, in your name, and accommodation booked for the whole stay.
- If someone hosts or sponsors you, a “term of responsibility” they sign, with the signature certified by a notary, lawyer or solicitor.
Fees and processing time
- Visa fee, adults
- €90, paid in pounds at the current exchange rate
- Children aged 6 to 11
- €45
- Children under 6
- Free
- VFS service fee
- £32.85 including VAT, per application (VFS Global, November 2026)
- Processing
- At least two weeks, plus two to three weeks at the UK centres (VFS Global)
VFS says fees can be paid by card at every centre, and in cash only in London; cheques and bank transfers are not accepted, and all fees are non-refundable.
Applications and refusals
In 2025, the consulates of Portugal in the UK received 21,015 short-stay Schengen visa applications: 4.1% of all those lodged in the UK, and the 6th most of any Schengen country. They refused 7.3% of the applications they decided; across every Schengen country in the UK the rate was 10.5%, according to the European Commission's visa statistics.
- Applications, 2025
- 21,015
- Rank in the UK
- 6th of 28 Schengen countries
- Refused
- 7.3%
- All Schengen countries in the UK
- 10.5% refused
The Commission counts applications where they are lodged, not by nationality, so these are residents of the UK of many nationalities. A refusal rate is an average over every applicant and says little about any one file; and the country you apply to is set by your main destination, not by its refusal rate.
What applicants reported
118 applicants in the United Kingdom have reported their Portugal visa to Visa Catcher's statistics. The median time from appointment to passport back was 7 days.
- Reports
- 118
- Appointment to passport back (median)
- 7 days; typically 5–12 days
- Approved
- 99% of 118 with a known outcome
- Validity granted (median)
- 4 months
- Multiple entry
- 87%
See every Portugal report from the United Kingdom · how the statistics work
How often new dates appear
London. Our monitors saw new Portugal appointments appear in London 161 times in the last 90 days, on 56 different days; the typical gap between two releases was about 4 hours. The latest release we saw was on 10 November at 05:00 UK time. Over the past year (559 releases), 40% came on Mondays and Thursdays.
Manchester. Our monitors saw new Portugal appointments appear in Manchester 194 times in the last 90 days, on 60 different days; the typical gap between two releases was about 5 hours. The latest release we saw was on 10 November at 11:36 UK time. Over the past year (371 releases) they were spread across the week and the day, with no day or hour that stands out: new dates can appear at any time.
Edinburgh. Our monitors saw new Portugal appointments appear in Edinburgh 47 times in the last 90 days, on 31 different days; the typical gap between two releases was about 20 hours. The latest release we saw was on 6 November at 22:17 UK time. Over the past year (280 releases) they were spread across the week and the day, with no day or hour that stands out: new dates can appear at any time.
Getting the appointment
The form is the easy part. The hard part is a free date with VFS Global: when demand is high the calendar can stay empty, and new dates go quickly when they appear. In the last 90 days our monitors saw new dates appear in Manchester 194 times, typically about 5 hours apart.
These are the ways to get a date, including ours:
Check the VFS Global portal yourself
Free
Who books: You
Log in, choose the centre and category, and look at the calendar. New dates appear when the centre releases them or someone cancels, so this means checking again and again.
Visa Catcher free channel (@UKVFSBot)Our service
Free
Who books: You
Portugal is on the free channel. It posts new dates on Telegram and you book them yourself.
Visa Catcher personal alertsOur service
£30 / 30 days
Who books: You
Telegram alerts for the route you choose, including routes the free channel does not carry. No passport details needed.
Visa Catcher auto-bookingOur service
£70 / applicant
Who books: Visa Catcher
We watch the route and book the appointment on the applicant's behalf, so it needs their passport details.
Each Portugal route we track has its own page, and every route is on the UK appointment board page. For how the booking systems work, see how to book a Schengen visa appointment in the UK.
Questions
- Do I apply for a Portugal visa in London or Manchester?
- It depends on your county. Residents of Greater London, the South East, the South West and the East of England apply at VFS Global in London, for the Consulate General in London; residents of the Midlands, the North of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland apply at VFS Global in Manchester or Edinburgh, for the Consulate General in Manchester. VFS says you can apply only at the centres for your county.
- Can I apply for a Portugal visa in London without an appointment?
- From November 2026 the Consulate General in London holds walk-in days at VFS London, every Wednesday except bank holidays, from 08:30 to 12:30, subject to capacity. For short-stay visas they are open only to applicants who can prove they have held at least three Schengen visas before. It is not a daily walk-in service, so check the consulate’s announcements for the dates.
- How much money do I need for a Portugal visa from the UK?
- VFS Global’s checklist asks for your last three months of bank statements, with the latest balance covering €75 for each entry plus €40 for each day in the Schengen Area.
- When are new Portugal appointments released in London?
- The Consulate General of Portugal in London said in October 2025 that appointments open weekly, every Thursday, on the VFS Global booking platform. For urgent or essential travel, it asks you to email visas.cglondres@mne.pt with proof.
- What is the refusal rate for Portugal Schengen visas in the UK?
- In 2025, the consulates of Portugal in the UK refused 7.3% of the short-stay visa applications they decided, against 10.5% across all Schengen countries in the UK, according to the European Commission’s visa statistics. They received 21,015 applications, the 6th most of any Schengen country.
Sources
- Consulate General of Portugal in London: visa appointments (21 October 2025)
- Consulate General of Portugal in London: jurisdiction
- VFS Global: Portugal visa application centres in the UK
- VFS Global Portugal, UK: how to apply and jurisdiction
- VFS Global Portugal, UK: tourist visa, fees, documents, processing time and form
- VFS Global Portugal, UK: centres and opening hours
- VFS Global Portugal, UK: book an appointment
- VFS Global Portugal, UK: counties that apply in London (PDF)
- VFS Global Portugal, UK: counties that apply in Manchester or Edinburgh (PDF)
- VFS Global Portugal, UK: walk-in days in London (16 October 2026)
- VFS Global Portugal, UK: longer processing time (9 July 2024)
- EU Visa Code, Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 (consolidated text of 28 June 2024)
- European Commission: visa policy and the short-stay visa fee
- European Commission: Schengen visa statistics for consulates, 2025 (2025-consulates-schengen-visa-statistics.xlsx)
Rules and fees are set by the consulates and their visa centres and can change; check the official pages above before you apply. Our coverage, prices and release statistics on this page are live. Visa Catcher is an independent appointment-tracking service, not affiliated with any visa centre, embassy, consulate or government.