Lisbon is the capital city of Portugal and lies on the north bank of the Tagus estuary where it broadens to enter the Atlantic Ocean.
With 600,000 inhabitants, and a metropolitan area of roughly 3 million people, Lisbon is Portugal’s largest city and its cultural, administrative, commercial and industrial hub. Built on seven hills overlooking the Tagus river, Lisbon is a historic capital where 20 centuries of cultural influences mingle with modern trends and life styles creating spectacular contrasts.
The prestige of Portuguese universities has been attracting a growing number of international students – around ten thousand students from all over the world study in Lisbon to obtain a full degree (bachelor, masters and/or doctorate) and there are 3,500 students studying in mobility periods, namely under Erasmus program.
Launched in 2015, the website Study in Lisbon is a partnership between Câmara Municipal de Lisboa and the city’s universities, that has the objective of optimizing the study experience in the Portuguese capital. With Study in Lisbon, studants arriving in Lisbon can find the answers to many of their questions, whether related housing, scholarships or places to visit.
Lisbon is 2 to 3 hours away from the majority of European cities and few hours away from North America and Brazil (6 to 8 hours). Lisbon’s International Airport is 7 Km away from the city center.
To travel from the airport to the city center there are many options:
Students arriving in Lisbon by train can get off at Oriente Station or Santa Apolónia Station. Both stations are a few minutes away from the historic center of the city.
More information:
There is a vast network of public transports serving the Lisbon area and its suburbs – bus, metro, elevator, tram, train, are some of the possibilities.
The tram and bus tickets can be purchased at any sales outlet or inside buses, directly from the driver, at a higher rate. The metro tickets must be purchased at the respective stations. There are passes for bus travel / tram / metro valid for 30 days, and rechargeable prepaid travel cards.
The Zapping card can be used as a multimodal ticket in the different city transport networks and suburbs, particularly in CP - Comboios de Portugal, Transtejo, Carris and Metropolitano de Lisboa. This rechargeable card can be purchased in retail outlets Transtejo, Carris, the Lisbon Metro stations, CTT and Payshop agents, charged with a minimum of € 1.80 and a maximum of 15 €, and the accumulated balance on the card cannot exceed 20 €.
Carris, a public transport company (bus and tram), covers the area of the entire city of Lisbon. Most buses and trams circulate between 6am and 11pm, while at night service runs from 11pm to 4am. Services are substantially reduced over the weekends.
Metropolitano de Lisboa is the easiest means of transport and the fastest for circulating in the city and runs between 6am and 1am.
More information:
Metropolitano de Lisboa
Carris – Transportes Públicos de Lisboa
Lisbon is one of the cheapest cities in the European Union. The Portuguese capital occupies the 2nd and 6th place among the 35 cities that make up the ranking prepared by Cushman & Wakefield in the years 2010 and 2011, respectively.
The table below shows the prices of some products that are usually consumed by a student.
|
Products |
Price |
|
Newspaper |
1,60€ |
|
Cinema ticket |
7,00€ |
|
Metro ticket |
1,45€ |
|
Bus (Carris) ticket |
1,80€ |
|
Tram (Carris) ticket |
2,90€ |
|
Full meal in average restaurant |
15€ |
|
Full meal in the Social Services cafeteria |
2,65€ |
|
1 Coffee |
0,60€ |
|
1 Coca-Cola (33cl) |
1,00€ |
|
1 Beer |
1,00€ |
|
Photocopy (A4 page) |
0,05€ |
Average monthly budget:
|
Expenditures |
Average Price |
|
Accommodation |
250 / 500€ |
|
Food |
150€ / 200€ |
|
Transport |
35 - 60€ |
The Euro is the oficial currency in Portugal.
More Information:
Currency Converter of the Bank of Portugal
In Lisbon, students can find many accommodation solutions that range from the universities’ residences, as well as rentals of apartments or rooms.
Retail stores: Weekdays - from 9am to 1pm and 3pm to 7pm , but some shops remain open during lunch hour. On Saturdays, business closes at 1pm, although some shops in city centers remain open in the afternoon. In shopping centers, opening hours are longer, usually from 10am to midnight.
Banks: Open Monday to Friday between 8:30am and 3pm
Pharmacies: Weekdays: 9am / 1pm and 3pm / 7pm. Saturday: from 9am to 1pm. All pharmacies, when closed, have directions to the nearest pharmacy where service is open 24 hours a day. More information on 24 Hour-Service Pharmacies in Lisbon.
Mail: Post offices are open from 9am to 6pm on weekdays. The central stations and the Airport are open on Saturdays.
Electric current: 230/400 volts at a frequency of 50 hertz. The sockets follow European standards. The use of blades (American standard) must be combined with a 230-volt transformer and also an adapter plug.
In Lisbon, Winter is mild and Summer is hot, but more moderate due to its proximity to the sea. Spring and Fall often register sunny days with mild temperatures.
|
Average Values |
JAN/MAR |
APR/JUN |
JUL/SEP |
OCT/DEC |
|
|
Air
|
ºC |
17.1 |
21.8 |
26.3 |
17.2 |
|
ºF |
62.8 |
71.2 |
79.3 |
53.0 |
|
|
Sea
|
ºC |
14.9 |
17.5 |
19.5 |
16.1 |
|
ºF |
58.8 |
63.5 |
67.1 |
60.0 |
|
Before leaving their countries, international students must confirm that they have na insurance that covers this type of stay.
Um estudante estrangeiro não comunitário que pretenda ingressar na Universidade NOVA de Lisboa deverá:
a) Possuir passaporte válido, com validade superior em pelo menos três meses à duração da estadia pretendida;
b) Ter visto válido e adequado à finalidade pretendida, caso seja necessário. O visto deve ser sempre solicitado numa missão diplomática ou posto consular de carreira português sedeado no estrangeiro.
O Visto de Residência para Estudo é concedido para obtenção de autorização de residência para os efeitos indicados. O nacional de Estado parceiro deve:
Possuir documento de viagem, cuja validade cubra pelo menos a duração prevista da estada;
No caso de ser menor de idade nos termos da legislação nacional, seja autorizado por quem exerce o poder paternal para a estada prevista;
Só é possível obter o visto de estudo apresentando os seguintes documentos:
Um estudante só poderá matricular-se numa das se, antes de sair do seu país, tiver obtido o Visto de Residência para Estudo, qualquer que seja a duração do período de estudos. Relembramos a necessidade de encaminhar a candidatura com antecedência, relativamente aos prazos indicados, dado que a obtenção do Visto de Estudo poder demorar até 60 dias após a entrada do pedido.
O Visto de Residência para Estudo é válido pelo período de 120 dias (cerca de 4 meses). À chegada a Portugal, os alunos deverão contactar o SEF – Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras para agendamento de uma reunião para obtenção da Autorização de Residência.
A Autorização de Residência é válida durante um ano. A renovação deste documento deverá ser feita 30 dias antes da sua data de expiração, mediante marcação de nova reunião com o SEF – Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras.
Esta informação não dispensa a consulta junto do SEF – Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras.
Alto Comissariado para as Migrações: informacoes@acidi.gov.pt
Linha SOS Imigrante: 808 257 257
Os estudantes devem tentar chegar a Portugal durante o dia e de preferência durante a semana, pois será mais fácil contactar alguém caso haja necessidade de ajuda, nomeadamente na Faculdade onde irão ter aulas. Os estudantes deverão fazer-se acompanhar de boletim de vacinas.