Recruitment for Lisbon or Porto usually takes 3 to 6 weeks from the online form to the day you fly out. When your documents are ready and a training session is about to start, 2 weeks is sometimes enough. The process has 7 steps: online form, presentation call, online tests, interview with the employer, document check, offer with a training date, then flight and housing. Here is what happens each week, what every step checks, and what speeds things up or slows them down.
The typical timeline, from application to the first day of training
The pace depends mostly on you: the faster you reply and the sooner your papers are ready, the shorter the timeline. We recruit French, German and Dutch speakers for customer advisor and content moderator roles with a large international company based in Lisbon and Porto, so the steps below apply to those three markets. You work in your native language, and English is used internally. The open positions are listed on our page of jobs in Portugal with housing included.
| Week | Step | Format and duration |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Online form | 1 minute, CV optional, answer within 24 hours |
| Week 1 | Presentation call with an Expat-U recruiter | 15 minutes, by video or phone |
| Week 1 or 2 | Online tests | Grammar in your native language, English, logic, typing |
| Week 2 | Interview with the employer | 30 minutes by video |
| Week 2 or 3 | Document check | Valid EU ID, availability, departure date |
| Week 2 or 3 | Offer and training date | 12 month contract, choice of session |
| Week 3 to 5 | Flight and housing arranged, departure | Airport pick-up, move into the shared flat |
| Following weeks | Paid training, then start of the job | 2 to 4 weeks of training |
Week 1: you fill in the form, you get an answer within 24 hours and you book a 15 minute slot with an Expat-U recruiter. The call checks your situation (nationality, availability, level of English) and gives you a straight presentation of the job, the salary and the housing. The online tests follow right away, often the same day or the next.
Week 2: if the tests go well, the employer invites you to a 30 minute video interview. This is the decisive step, the one that leads to the offer. We explain how to prepare in our guide to the video interview for a job in Portugal.
Weeks 2 to 3: the employer checks your documents, sends you a written offer and proposes a training date. Weeks 3 to 5: the flight and the housing are arranged, you fly out, and someone is waiting for you at the airport. Paid training starts on the following Monday and lasts 2 to 4 weeks depending on the project, before you take your first calls.
What each step checks
None of the steps is a trap. Each one checks one specific point, and you can prepare for each of them in a few hours.
| Step | Duration | What is assessed | How to pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online form | 1 minute | Native language, nationality, preferred city, availability | Answer every question, leave a phone number you actually pick up |
| Presentation call | 15 minutes | Motivation, realistic plan, basic English | Prepare 2 or 3 questions, take the call somewhere quiet |
| Online tests | 30 to 45 minutes | Spelling and grammar in your language, English comprehension, logic, typing speed | Re-read your answers, practise typing 10 minutes a day |
| Employer interview | 30 minutes | Speaking, listening, handling an unhappy customer, spoken English | Give concrete examples, test camera and sound beforehand |
| Documents | 24 to 72 hours | Valid EU identity document, availability, departure date | Scan both sides before you even apply |
| Offer | 48 hours to answer | Agreement on the role, the training date and the conditions | Read the contract, ask your questions, answer quickly |
A CV is not required when you fill in the form, but it speeds up the document step and reassures the employer. If you prepare one, keep it in English and on one page: our article on the CV for jobs in Portugal gives a simple template to follow.
What saves time
Four levers are enough to go from 6 weeks down to 2 or 3.
- Documents ready: ID card or passport scanned on both sides. For an EU citizen, nothing else is requested at this stage.
- Quick replies: answering an email or a WhatsApp message the same day often saves a full week, because interviews and training sessions fill up on a first come, first served basis.
- Availability within 3 months: the employer plans its training sessions over that horizon. If you can start within 4 weeks, you move to the front of the queue.
- Decent English for internal use: your customers speak your language, but the tools, the trainers and part of the team communicate in English. B1 to B2 is enough, as we explain in our article on the English level to work abroad.
| Scenario | Documents | Responsiveness | Availability | Total time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fast | Scanned on day 1 | Same day replies | Immediate | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Standard | Sent within 3 days | Replies within 48 hours | Within the month | 4 to 5 weeks |
| Slow | ID card to renew | Replies after several reminders | In 2 to 3 months | 6 weeks or more |
What costs time
Delays almost always come from the same causes. An expired ID blocks the document check: look at the expiry date before you apply, because a renewal takes several weeks in most EU countries. A wrong phone number or a mailbox that filters unknown senders makes you miss the presentation call. An interview postponed twice pushes your training date to the following month, because sessions only start on fixed dates. Finally, hesitating for several days over the offer can cost you your place in the session you wanted, since positions are allocated as candidates confirm. If you have a doubt about the city, the date or the shift pattern, say it to the recruiter during the first call: an honest answer saves everyone time.
The role of the recruitment agency
Expat-U is a recruitment agency that is free for the candidate: you pay nothing at any stage, no file fee and no commission. Our role stops at pre-selection: the form, the presentation call and sending the tests. The 30 minute interview, the document check, the offer and the contract are handled directly with the employer, a large international company with several thousand employees in Portugal. We stay reachable throughout the process to answer your questions about housing, the flight or the departure date. This is the model recommended by the European employment network EURES: a free intermediary, a contract signed directly with the employer.
After you sign: NIF, NISS, housing and flight
Once you accept the offer, there is almost nothing left for you to do on the admin side. The employer creates your NIF (tax number) and your NISS (social security number) when you arrive, and registers you with the company health insurance. Housing in a shared flat is provided for the whole duration of the 12 month contract, with rent, bills and internet covered, including if the contract is renewed. Your flight to Lisbon or Porto is reimbursed for French speaking candidates and paid directly by the company for German and Dutch speaking candidates. At the airport, someone welcomes you and takes you to your accommodation. The salary is around 1,060 € gross per month, paid 14 times a year, and the initial training is paid. To know your rights as an EU citizen working in another member state, the Your Europe portal sums up the essentials.
Applying with Expat-U for Lisbon or Porto
Expat-U recruits French, German and Dutch native speakers aged 22 to 35, EU citizens with at least a secondary school diploma, for customer advisor and content moderator roles in Lisbon and Porto. The form takes 1 minute, the CV is optional and the answer comes within 24 hours. If you want a clean European CV before the call, the free Europass template is recognised across the EU. The positions open this week, with the city, the shift pattern and the training date, are on our page of jobs in Portugal with housing included.
FAQ
How long between the application and the departure for Lisbon?
Count on 3 to 6 weeks in general. With a valid ID, quick replies and a training session about to start, 2 weeks is possible.
Is a CV required to apply?
No, the form takes 1 minute and no CV is needed. A one page CV in English still speeds up the document check and helps the employer prepare the interview.
Which tests do you take before the interview?
Four online tests, 30 to 45 minutes in total: grammar and spelling in your native language, English comprehension, logic and typing speed. You take them from home, on a computer.
Does the recruitment process cost anything?
No. Expat-U is free for the candidate at every step. The flight is reimbursed or paid by the company depending on your market, and housing is provided for the whole 12 month contract.
What happens in the first week after arrival?
Airport pick-up, move into the shared flat, NIF and NISS created by the employer, then the start of the paid training of 2 to 4 weeks before you take your first customer contacts.
Last updated on 21 October 2026.
