I have a criminal record in the UK, and I'm concerned about how it might affect my application for a Portuguese D2 visa. Here is a summary of my offenses: Conviction 1: Offense - Common Assault Age at the time - 28 years old Date of offense - 17/02/17 Outcome - Caution (No imprisonment) Conviction 2: Offense - Actual Bodily Harm Age at the time - 17 years old Date of offense - 26/08/06 Outcome - Warning (No imprisonment) Conviction 3: Offense - Damage of property under £5000 Age at the time - 16 years old Date of offense - 04/07/05 Outcome - Reprimand (No imprisonment) I was a juvenile for two out of the three convictions and was never required to go to court for any of them. The most serious outcome I received was a caution and a warning. I never went to prison, was never fined, and never received community service.
In accordance to Portuguese Law, a necessary requirement to obtain a temporary residence permit is not having been convicted for a crime punished in Portugal with prison for more than one year. Nonetheless, there is the possibility to request local authorities for the removal of the criminal information from the record due to the time passed since the criminal event, which is advisable.
To apply for a residence visa, you cannot have been convicted of a crime (in any country) when that crime in Portugal is punished with a sentence of more than 1 year in prison, even if the sentence is served in freedom, as is the case of probation. "Common Assault" can be punished with 3 years, so you are not eligible to obtain a residence visa to Portugal.
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