Portugal digital nomad visa: requirements (2026)

Legal framework

Portuguese Immigration Act (Lei n.º 23/2007, as amended); residence/temporary-stay visas issued by consulates via the MNE portal (vistos.mne.gov.pt), residence permits administered by AIMA. Golden Visa (ARI) under Art. 90.º-A, amended by Lei n.º 56/2023 (Mais Habitação).

The Portugal digital nomad visa

Portugal's D8 digital nomad visa lets remote workers live in Portugal while working for an employer or clients based abroad.

Visa

D8 digital nomad visa

Issued by

a Portuguese consulate, then AIMA

Income requirement

around €3,680/month (four times the minimum wage)

Duration

1 year, renewable and convertible to a residence permit up to 5 years

Cost

around €250–€300 in visa and residence-permit fees

Tax

may access reduced rates under Portugal's inbound-resident tax regime

Visa rules and thresholds change often; confirm the current figures with the official source before applying.

Key points: digital nomad & residency in Portugal

1. 01Dedicated remote-work (D8) visa

   The MNE consular portal lists residence visas for subordinate and independent professional activity; independent applicants must show average monthly income over the last three months of at least four times the minimum guaranteed remuneration, plus proof of fiscal residence and services provided to one or more entities.

   vistos.mne.gov.pt vistos.mne.gov.pt

2. 02Income threshold (2026)

   Means of subsistence are pegged to the national minimum wage, set at €920/month for 2026 by Regulatory Decree n.º 139/2025 of 29 December; the D8 income requirement of 4x equals roughly €3,680/month.

   vistos.mne.gov.pt

3. 03Temporary-stay vs. residence track

   Remote workers can choose a temporary-stay visa (shorter, lower subsistence threshold of ~50% of minimum wage) or a residence visa that converts into an AIMA residence permit after arrival. The residence track is the route toward long-term residency.

   vistos.mne.gov.pt vistos.mne.gov.pt

4. 04Alternative route: D7 passive income

   The D7 residence visa remains available for those with stable passive income (pensions, rents, dividends); like other residence permits it is issued for 2 years and renewable for 3-year periods.

   vistos.mne.gov.pt vistos.mne.gov.pt

5. 05Golden Visa (ARI), real estate removed

   Residency-by-investment under Art. 90.º-A still operates (e.g. €500k qualifying funds/research, €250k cultural heritage, job creation), but Lei n.º 56/2023 (Mais Habitação) ended new real-estate-based Golden Visas. AIMA now processes ARI renewals through an online portal.

   aima.gov.pt diariodarepublica.pt

6. 06Path to long-term status

   Residence-permit holders (D8/D7/ARI) can apply for permanent residence and citizenship after five years of legal residency, subject to absence limits during the permit's validity.

   aima.gov.pt vistos.mne.gov.pt

Portugal digital nomad visa: FAQ

Timeline of decisions

1. 3 May 2026Law
   President Promulgates Revised Nationality Law Extending Citizenship Residency to 10 Years

   President António José Seguro signed amendments to Portugal's Nationality Law requiring most foreign nationals to hold 10 years of continuous legal residency before qualifying for citizenship (7 years for EU/CPLP nationals), up from the previous 5 years; the law also resets the residency clock to AIMA permit issuance date. The law awaits Official Gazette publication before entering into force and directly affects the long-term value proposition of the D7, D8, and Golden Visa pathways.

   Get Golden Visa

2. 23 Dec 2024Law
   IFICI (NHR 2.0) Officially Regulated, Portaria 352/2024/1

   Ministerial Order 352/2024/1 formally regulated the Tax Incentive for Scientific Research and Innovation (IFICI), Portugal's narrower replacement for the NHR regime, with retroactive application to 1 January 2024; eligible highly skilled professionals receive a 20% flat income-tax rate for 10 years but eligibility is restricted to defined high-value-added categories, excluding the broad professional access the NHR offered digital nomads and retirees.

   KPMG Flash Alert

3. 1 Jan 2024Law
   NHR Tax Regime Closes to New Applicants, Lei 82/2023

   Lei n.º 82/2023 (29 December 2023) abolished the Non-Habitual Resident scheme for all new entrants from 1 January 2024; a transitional window allowed applicants already present in Portugal who met stricter criteria to register until 31 March 2025. Ending the NHR removed one of Portugal's most powerful draws for high-earning digital nomads and retirees.

   RFF Lawyers

4. 29 Oct 2023Decision
   AIMA Replaces SEF as Portugal's Immigration Authority

   The Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) absorbed the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF) effective 29 October 2023, taking over all residency permit applications, renewals, and asylum processing; AIMA inherited a backlog of roughly 347,000 pending cases and faced an 18-month clearance timeline, significantly slowing D7 and D8 processing in 2024.

   Fragomen

5. 6 Oct 2023Law
   Mais Habitação Law (56/2023) Eliminates Golden Visa Real Estate and Capital Transfer Routes

   Law 56/2023 enacted the More Housing package, stripping out property purchase and €1.5 million capital transfer from the Golden Visa (ARI) programme, routes used by roughly 75% of all applicants, leaving only fund investment (€500k), cultural heritage donation (€250k), scientific research (€500k), and job-creation paths. The reform was framed as a housing-affordability measure after Portuguese prices rose 55% over a decade against 9% income growth.

   IR Global

6. 1 Sept 2023Guidance
   PM Costa Announces Abolition of NHR Tax Regime, Citing Housing Inequality

   Prime Minister António Costa publicly declared the NHR programme a 'measure of fiscal injustice' that inflates housing demand, triggering immediate concern among the large expat community; the announcement preceded formal legislation by three months and prompted a surge in last-minute NHR registration applications through year-end 2023.

   Global Citizen Solutions

7. 30 Oct 2022Law · official
   D8 Digital Nomad Visa Enters into Force via Foreigners Act Amendment

   Amendments to Lei 23/2007, approved by Parliament in July 2022 and effective 30 October 2022, formally created the D8 residency visa for non-EU remote workers employed by or contracting with entities outside Portugal, requiring income of at least four times the Portuguese minimum wage (≈ €2,800/month); Portugal became one of the first EU states to codify digital-nomad residency in statute.

   Portuguese Government (portugal.gov.pt)

8. 7 Oct 2012Law
   Golden Visa (ARI) Programme Launched, Law 29/2012 and Ministerial Order 305-A/2012

   Portugal's centre-right government introduced the Autorização de Residência para Atividade de Investimento (ARI) to attract foreign capital during the sovereign-debt crisis, granting residency to non-EU investors meeting real-estate or capital thresholds with minimal physical presence requirements; over its lifetime the programme raised more than €7.5 billion and issued over 12,000 permits before the 2023 real estate route closure.

   Wikipedia / Law 29/2012

9. 23 Sept 2009Law
   Non-Habitual Resident (NHR) Tax Regime Created, Decree-Law 249/2009

   Decree-Law 249/2009 amended the Portuguese Personal Income Tax Code (CIRS) to introduce the NHR regime, offering new tax residents a flat 20% rate on Portuguese-sourced income and exemption on most foreign-sourced income for 10 non-renewable consecutive years; designed to attract skilled professionals and retirees, it became the primary fiscal incentive underpinning Portugal's appeal to remote workers and digital nomads for 14 years.

   Wikipedia / Decree-Law 249/2009

10. 4 Jul 2007Law · official
    Lei 23/2007 (Foreigners Act), Foundational Framework Including D7 Passive Income Visa

    Portugal's comprehensive Foreigners Act established the legal architecture for all non-EU residency visas, including the D7 'Passive Income' visa permitting retirees and individuals with stable foreign income (pensions, dividends, remote-work earnings) to obtain Portuguese residency; the D7 long served as the principal route for remote workers before the dedicated D8 category was created in 2022.

    Diário da República (dre.pt)

Sources

1. 1.vistos.mne.gov.pt/en/national-visas/necessary-documentation/residency
2. 2.vistos.mne.gov.pt/en/national-visas/general-information/type-of-visa
3. 3.vistos.mne.gov.pt/en/national-visas/necessary-documentation/means-of-subsistence
4. 4.vistos.mne.gov.pt/en/national-visas/necessary-documentation/temporary-stay
5. 5.aima.gov.pt/pt/viver/autorizacao-de-residencia-para-investimento-art-90-o-a
6. 6.diariodarepublica.pt/dr/detalhe/lei/56-2023-222477692