Portugal Passive Income (D7) Visa

Nadia Dardón

Immigration Content Writer

Last update 18 September, 2026

Community

Join thouthands of remoters!

Join the community

Portugal Rating from Citizen Remote

Overall 4.0

Internet Infrastructure 5.0

Country Stability 4.0

Cost of Living 4.0

Ease of Obtaining Visa 3.0

Taxes 4.0

Quick Visa Facts

Visa length 2 years

Possible to extend? Yes, renewable for 3-year periods after initial period.

Who can apply? Retirees and people living on passive income (pensions, rent, dividends, royalties). Remote workers should use the D8.

Minimum Income Requirements €920 a month in passive income (100% of the 2026 minimum wage), plus 12 months of funds

Time for visa applications 60-day legal deadline at the consulate; the AIMA permit stage can take months

Want to know if you can apply?

Complete a visa quiz and see if you qualify!

You've got income that shows up whether or not you work that month. A pension, rent from a flat, dividends, royalties. You want to live in Portugal on it. That's exactly what the D7 is for.

The catch is that a lot changed between 2023 and 2026, and most D7 guides still describe the old version. The agency you deal with has a new name, the tax break everyone quotes is closed, family reunification got slower, and citizenship now takes twice as long.

Here's the 2026 version, checked against the Portuguese government's own documents.

What changed, in one list

October 2023: SEF, the old immigration service, was replaced by AIMA (Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum). Anything telling you to book with SEF is out of date.
2024: the Non-Habitual Resident (NHR) tax regime closed to new applicants.
23 October 2025: Lei 61/2025 added a waiting period before you can bring family over through reunification.
1 January 2026: the minimum wage rose to €920 a month, which raised the D7 income bar with it.
19 May 2026: the new nationality law doubled the residence needed for citizenship, from 5 years to 10.

Who the D7 is for, and who it isn't

The D7 is officially the residence visa for pensioners and people living on their own income. The embassy checklist asks for proof of a pension or of income from property, intellectual property or financial investments.

Notice what's missing from that list: a salary or freelance income. If your money comes from working remotely, even for foreign clients, you're the target applicant for the Portugal digital nomad visa (the D8), not the D7. Older guides tell remote workers to use the D7 because the D8 didn't exist before October 2022. It does now, and the D7 checklist lists pensions and passive income, not salaries.

If you have both, a pension plus some freelance work, apply on the passive income if it clears the bar on its own.

Note: The D8 Visa is now the primary visa for digital nomads. The D7, previously used by remote workers, is now discouraged for those with active employment income.

How much income you need in 2026

The D7 income floor is tied to the Portuguese minimum wage, which is €920 a month for 2026. The multipliers come from Portaria 1563/2007:

Main applicant: 100%, so €920 a month
Second adult (usually your spouse or partner): 50%, so €460 a month
Each child: 30%, so €276 a month

A couple needs €1,380 a month. A couple with one child needs €1,656.

The checklist also asks you to prove financial resources for at least 12 months. For a single applicant that's €11,040. You'll also need to show the income is available in Portugal, which in practice usually means a Portuguese bank account. To open one you need a NIF, the Portuguese tax number, so sort that early.

These figures move every January with the minimum wage. If you're applying in early 2027, check the new rate before you print your bank statements.

The documents

From the embassy's D7 checklist:

National visa application form, signed
Two recent passport photos
Passport valid for at least three months beyond your intended stay, plus a copy of the data page
Proof of legal status in the country you're applying from, if you're not a citizen there
Travel insurance covering medical expenses, urgent medical care and repatriation
A police clearance certificate issued less than 90 days before you apply, from your country of nationality or any country you've lived in for over a year, apostilled or legalised
Proof of financial resources for at least 12 months
Proof of your pension or passive income, and proof it's available in Portugal

You'll also need proof of accommodation, like a rental contract or a property deed, by the AIMA stage at the latest, and some consulates ask for it up front. The police certificate is the item that sinks timelines, because of that 90-day window. If you're American and living abroad, our guide to getting an FBI background check from overseas walks through it.

The insurance question

This is the most common D7 question, and a lot of guides get it backwards.

For the visa itself, the embassy checklist asks for travel insurance that covers medical expenses, urgent medical care and repatriation. The checklist doesn't set a minimum cover amount. The €30,000 figure you'll see quoted comes from the rules for short-stay Schengen visas, so it's a sensible floor, but it isn't a published D7 requirement.

After you land, the picture changes. Once you're a resident you can register with the SNS, Portugal's national health service, but getting registered takes time. Keep private cover in place until you're registered so there's no gap.

Citizens of CPLP countries, the Portuguese-speaking community including Brazil, don't need to present travel insurance for the visa at all.

Our Portugal travel insurance guide covers what to buy, or you can get a quote for nomad health insurance directly.

How to apply, step by step

Get your NIF and a Portuguese bank account. Most applicants need both to prove income is available in Portugal.
Book your appointment at the Portuguese consulate or the VFS centre that handles visas for your country. Slots can go weeks out, so book before your documents are finished.
Submit your documents and pay the fee. Your consulate or VFS centre lists the current fee, and VFS adds its own service charge on top.
Wait for a decision. Portuguese law gives consulates 60 days to decide on a residence visa. If they ask for a missing document, the clock stops until you send it.
Enter Portugal. The D7 is a residence visa that allows two entries and a stay of four months. It exists to get you in the door and to your AIMA appointment.
Attend your AIMA appointment. Consulates often schedule it when they issue the visa. AIMA has been badly backlogged since it took over from SEF, so bring every original document and keep copies of everything.
Get your residence permit. The first permit lasts two years and renews for three years at a time.

Bringing your family

If your family can qualify and apply at the same time as you, ask your consulate about doing that. Bringing people over later got slower.

Under Lei 61/2025, in force since 23 October 2025, you generally need to have held your residence permit for two years before you can request family reunification. For a spouse or partner, the wait drops to 15 months if you lived together for at least 18 months right before you moved.

There are exemptions. Minor or incapacitated children in your care aren't subject to the wait, and neither is a spouse or partner who is the other parent of that child. Holders of the golden visa and certain highly qualified permits are exempt too, but the D7 isn't on that list.

Permanent residence and citizenship

Permanent residence is still available after five years of legal residence.

Citizenship is where the big change landed. Under Lei Orgânica 1/2026, in force since 19 May 2026, naturalisation now requires 10 years of legal residence, or 7 for citizens of EU and CPLP countries. The clock starts when your residence permit is issued, not when you applied. We cover the detail on our Portugal digital nomad visa page, since the same rule applies to D8 holders.

If a Portuguese passport in five years was the main reason you picked the D7, redo the maths before you commit.

Taxes

Spend more than 183 days a year in Portugal, or make it your habitual home, and you become a tax resident. That means declaring your worldwide income, including foreign pensions, rent and dividends.

For 2026, income tax is progressive with rates from 12.5% to 48%, set by the 2026 State Budget. Portugal has tax treaties with many countries to prevent double taxation, and how your pension is taxed often depends on the treaty with the country paying it.

The NHR regime closed to new applicants in 2024. Its replacement, known as IFICI or NHR 2.0, is aimed at specific research, innovation and high-skill jobs, so it rarely fits someone living on a pension or investment income. Get advice from a Portuguese tax adviser before you move, not after your first return is due.

Do you need a lawyer?

No, the D7 is designed to be done yourself. The documents are standard and the checklist is public.

What people actually pay lawyers for is time and friction: getting the NIF and bank account set up remotely, chasing AIMA, and checking a file before submission. Fees aren't standardised and quotes vary a lot, so get two or three in writing and ask exactly what's included. The key question is whether they'll handle the AIMA stage, because that's where most D7 applicants get stuck.

What is the Portugal D7 Visa and who is eligible?

The D7 is Portugal's residence visa for pensioners and people living on passive income, like rent, dividends, royalties or investment returns. If your income comes from a salary or freelance work, look at the D8 digital nomad visa instead.

How long does it take to get approved for the Portugal D7 Visa?

Portuguese law gives consulates 60 days to decide on a residence visa, and the clock stops if they ask for a missing document. The AIMA residence permit stage after you arrive can take considerably longer.

Can I work in Portugal with the D7 Visa?

Once you hold the residence permit, Portuguese law lets permit holders work, employed or self-employed. But you qualify on passive income, so a salary won't get you the D7, and you'll need to keep meeting the income requirement when you renew.

What are the main financial requirements for the Portugal D7 Visa?

For 2026, €920 a month for the main applicant (100% of the minimum wage), plus 50% (€460) for a second adult and 30% (€276) per child. You also need to prove resources for at least 12 months, which is €11,040 for a single applicant, and show the income is available in Portugal.

How long is the Portugal D7 Visa valid, and can it lead to citizenship?

The visa lets you enter and stay for four months while you get your residence permit. The first permit lasts two years and renews for three. Permanent residence is available after five years, but since 19 May 2026 citizenship requires 10 years of legal residence, or 7 for EU and CPLP citizens.

Do I need health insurance for the Portugal D7 Visa?

For the visa, the embassy checklist asks for travel insurance covering medical expenses, urgent care and repatriation. CPLP citizens are exempt. Once you're resident you can register with the SNS, the national health service, and it's sensible to keep private cover until you're registered.

Can I get help applying for the Portugal D7 Visa?

If you need help applying for a visa, you can talk to Citizen Remote. Get specific advice from one of the independent third-party professionals in our network, or work with an independent third-party professional in our network through our platform.

Author