Visas and residence permits in Portugal (including D7 and digital nomad routes)

The visa portal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists the residence visa categories and their documents. They include:

• Subordinate work: an employment contract, a promise of contract or a statement of interest from an employer in Portugal.
• Independent work or migrant entrepreneur: a service contract or proposal, or a business project; the Startup Visa route requires a declaration from IAPMEI.
• Highly qualified activity: a contract or job promise of at least six months for a salary of at least 1.5 times the average annual gross salary or three times the social support index (IAS), with lower thresholds for some shortage professions. The EU Blue Card and the "Tech Visa" for certified companies are related routes.
• Study, research, internships and volunteering: proof of admission or of the research, internship or volunteering agreement.
• Retirement, religious purposes or passive income (commonly called the D7 visa): a document showing your pension, or income from movable or immovable property, or from intellectual or financial assets. gov.pt gives a decision period of 60 days for this visa.
• Remote professional activity – digital nomads (commonly called D8): a work contract or employer declaration, or service contracts with clients abroad; proof that your average monthly income over the last three months was at least four times the national minimum wage; and a document showing your tax residence. With the 2026 minimum wage of €920, four times the minimum wage is €3,680 a month (HomiStart calculation). A temporary stay visa for remote work also exists for stays of less than a year.
• Family reunification: the visa is issued after AIMA has approved the reunification request made by the family member living in Portugal; you then have 90 days to apply for the visa.

Informal names such as D7 and D8 are common in relocation guides, but the official pages use the descriptive names above.

The means of subsistence that non-EU nationals must have to enter and stay in Portugal are set by Ministerial Order (Portaria) 1563/2007. It uses the national guaranteed minimum wage as the reference amount: €920 a month in 2026 under Decree-Law 139/2025. For family reunification AIMA counts 100% of the minimum wage for the first adult, 50% for each additional adult and 30% for each child under 18 or dependent adult child.

AIMA accepts different kinds of proof depending on your situation: an employment contract and payslips for the last three months, service contracts and receipts, pension certificates, statements of income from financial investments, or proof of funds held in Portugal. The consulate decides what is sufficient for your visa and may ask for more documents.

Apply at the Portuguese consulate or visa application centre that serves your country of residence. Every residence visa application needs:

• the signed national visa form and two recent photos;
• a passport valid at least three months beyond your planned return date;
• proof of legal status if you apply outside your country of nationality;
• a criminal record certificate from your country of nationality or any country where you lived for more than a year (not required under 16), apostilled or legalised;
• travel insurance covering medical expenses, urgent care and repatriation, unless a bilateral agreement replaces it;
• proof of means of subsistence, plus the category-specific documents.

The application fee for national visas is €110 (visa portal, checked October 2026), with exemptions for some groups such as children under six. A residence visa is valid for four months and allows two entries. Its purpose is to let you enter Portugal and apply for the residence permit.

Holders of a residence visa (other than CPLP visas) can request their residence permit appointment online through AIMA's contact platform: choose Autorização de Residência and then Autorização de Residência com Visto Consular (Não CPLP), give your passport and visa numbers and upload copies of both (AIMA notice of 2 June 2025). Keep proof of every request and contact.

At the appointment you hand in AIMA's application form signed by you, and usually:

• your passport and valid residence visa;
• proof of means of subsistence;
• a sworn statement of where you live and, if you rent or stay with someone, a declaration from the landlord or host (owners show the land registry certificate);
• proof of registration with the tax authority (NIF) and with Social Security, where applicable;
• health insurance or proof that you are covered by the National Health Service;
• proof of family ties if relatives apply with you.

Among other conditions, AIMA checks that you have no conviction for a crime punishable in Portugal with more than one year in prison and no entry ban. Fees are charged for receiving the application and for issuing the card; amounts are in AIMA's fee table. Several AIMA offices hand out residence cards at set times, in some cases only to people who have been notified to collect them; check the instructions you receive.

A temporary residence permit is generally valid for two years from the date the card is issued and renewable for successive periods of three years. AIMA states the same for the remote-work (digital nomad) permit.

Renewals of temporary permits can be requested on the AIMA portal from 90 days before the expiry date and should be requested at least 30 days before it expires. If your permit expired more than six months ago, gov.pt explains that renewal is no longer possible and you must file a new residence permit application at an AIMA office.

Keep your payment and submission receipts. Several public services accept proof of a pending AIMA renewal while your case is processed.

After at least five years with a temporary residence permit you can apply for a permanent residence permit. AIMA requires proof of means of subsistence and accommodation, proof that your tax and social security obligations are up to date, and proof of basic Portuguese — for example a certificate of level A2 or higher from a Português Língua de Acolhimento course, an IEFP basic Portuguese certificate, or a test at a recognised assessment centre (CAPLE). The EU long-term resident status is a separate application with similar requirements.

Law 61/2025 amended the foreigners law in October 2025. According to a law-firm summary of the new text:

• The job-seeker visa is now limited to people with specialised technical skills to be defined in a ministerial order. It is valid only for Portugal, and if you do not start work or regularise your status before it expires you must leave and can only reapply after one year.
• Family reunification generally requires the family member in Portugal to have held a residence permit for two years. Exceptions include minor or incapacitated children, a spouse who is the parent of a dependent minor, and family members of holders of highly qualified, teaching, cultural, investment or EU Blue Card permits. The decision period is nine months, extendable once in complex cases.
• Citizens of CPLP countries (Portuguese-speaking countries) who hold a residence visa can apply in Portugal for a CPLP residence permit; entering as a tourist and applying later is no longer the route.

Check the current status on the visa portal and AIMA before relying on these points.