FAQs

Digital Émigré was created to provide information and resources to help investors and remote workers get residency and citizenship in Europe. The website doesn’t provide legal advice, but we can put you in touch with immigration lawyers in our trusted network.

Being a temporary resident in a country gives you the right to live there for a certain period of time. After a certain number of years (this differs by country), you can apply for permanent residency as the next step. Permanent residency gives you additional rights and you won’t need to renew your permit so often. However, only EU citizenship (i.e. naturalization in a country) will give you full freedom of movement, with the right to live, work, study, do business, and retire in any of the EU/EEA countries.

Unfortunately not. Only EU citizenship can do that. If you’re British and you want to regain freedom of movement, the only option is to naturalize as a citizen of another country in the EU. Here are the easiest EU countries to get second citizenship.

The D7 visa, otherwise known as the retiree visa or passive income visa, is a way to become a resident in Portugal using proof of passive income from outside the country.

Portugal uses a broad definition of ‘passive income’. In practice, most forms of income originating from outside of Portugal will be eligible. That includes investment income, royalties, pensions, rental income, and dividends, as well as salary from remote employment.

You will need to have income of at least the Portuguese minimum wage (€740 per month), plus another 50% for any dependents over 18, and another 30% for each dependent under 18. You will also need proof of enough savings to cover you and any dependents for the first year in Portugal.

Since Portugal announced its new digital nomad visa (October 2022), it’s become less likely that Portuguese consulates will accept salaried remote work for the D7 visa. You would probably have to apply for the digital nomad visa instead.
We recommend checking with your nearest Portuguese consulate, or with an immigration lawyer.

Yes, proof of regular monthly income is required. The minimum is €740 per month for the main applicant, plus 50% more for the dependent spouse, and 30% more for each dependent child. However, we recommend a minimum of €1,000 to allow for rising costs of living in Portugal.

You can use an online service like Bordr.io to open the account for you, or a lawyer can open one for you as part of the D7 visa handling service. This process uses Power of Attorney.

It’s not a requirement, but many applicants prefer to have an experienced professional handle their application, to improve chances of success and reduce stress. We can put you in touch with a trusted lawyer that offers a full D7 visa handling service.

The Blue Card relates to work contracts physically located within the EU, as opposed to remote work. You could try this website to enquire further: https://www.apply.eu/BlueCard/Portugal/

The initial D7 visa is double entry, so you can make one trip out and back if needed, while waiting for your residency appointment. Once you have your residency permit, you can travel back and forth freely.

No. Citizenship and residency are two different things.

That depends on your passport and whether you need a Schengen visa to enter the EU. If yes, then Portuguese residency will allow you to travel freely in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in 180, without applying for a Schengen visa. If you don’t need a Schengen visa (e.g. UK, US, Canada, Australia), then Portuguese residency won’t make any difference. You’ll have the same right to travel freely in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in 180.

From submitting your application at the embassy to receiving your passport with the D7 visa, it takes approximately 6-8 weeks, depending on the individual embassy. 

NHR stands for ‘non-habitual residency’, which is a special tax scheme created by the Portuguese government to encourage skilled workers and foreign pensioners to live in Portugal and contribute to the economy. In return, Portugal offers them preferential tax treatment on certain types of income for a period of 10 years.

No. NHR is only a tax scheme. It has to be used in conjunction with one of the residency options, such as the D7 visa, Portugal Golden Visa or Portugal HQA Visa. Tax residency is compulsory for D7 visa holders, but optional for Golden Visa and HQA visa holders). You can also use NHR in conjunction with residency under EU freedom of movement rights (for EU passport holders only).

Only if they haven’t been resident in Portugal within the last five years. There are no restrictions by citizenship. Portuguese nationals can also get NHR, if they’ve been out of the country for over five years.

Yes. You can only submit an NHR application once you have registered a Portuguese address with the tax authorities.

Yes, because the US imposes citizenship-based taxation. However, as the US and Portugal have a double tax treaty, it’s unlikely that you would have to pay taxes to both countries. This is not tax advice and you should consult a tax advisor for more specific information for your situation.