Portugal Digital Nomad Visa (D8): Requirements, Income and How to Apply
The Portugal digital nomad visa, usually called the D8, lets you live in Portugal while you work remotely for an employer or clients based outside Portugal. You need average income of at least €3,680 a month over your last three months, which is four times Portugal’s 2026 minimum wage, plus accommodation, travel insurance and a clean criminal record. It leads to a two-year residence permit, renewable for three years at a time, and after five years you can apply for permanent residency.
At a glance
| Minimum income | €3,680 a month (2026), averaged over your last three months |
| First permit | A 4-month residence visa, then a 2-year residence permit |
| Renewable? | Yes, for 3 years at a time |
| Apply from inside Portugal? | No, only at a consulate or visa center abroad |
| Leads to permanent residency? | Yes, after 5 years: a national permanent permit or EU long-term resident status |
| Leads to citizenship? | Yes, you can apply after 10 years of legal residence, or 7 years if you’re a citizen of an EU or Portuguese-speaking country |
| Special tax regime | IFICI exists, but it’s tied to roles at qualifying Portuguese entities |
| Freelancers and business owners? | Yes, with clients outside Portugal when you apply |
| Work in Portugal later? | Yes, once you hold the residence permit |
Who can apply for the Portugal digital nomad visa?
You can apply if you’re a non-EU citizen who works remotely, as an employee or as an independent professional, for people or companies based outside Portugal. Article 61-B of Portugal’s foreigners law sets this out, and it asks you to prove the work relationship: an employment contract or employer’s declaration, or contracts for the services you provide.
That covers:
- Employees with an employment contract or employer’s declaration that allows them to work remotely (the UK visa centers ask for both)
- Freelancers and other independent professionals with clients outside Portugal
- Business owners, who can show their company’s articles of association, a services contract, or other proof of services provided to clients outside Portugal
“Digital nomad” is the popular name for this visa. Portugal’s law calls it a residence visa for remote professional activity, and neither name means you’ll be moving from country to country. The residence version expects you to live in Portugal, and long absences can cost you the permit.
Portugal’s rules for this visa set no degree or experience requirement. You qualify through your remote work and your income.
Your employer and clients have to be outside Portugal when you apply. The law covers remote work for people or entities with their home or registered office outside the country. If you’re applying with a Portuguese job, you need a different work visa, and if you’re applying to freelance or run a business for Portuguese clients, you need the visa for independent work or entrepreneurs.
Once you hold the residence permit, you can work for Portuguese employers and clients too. Article 83 of the foreigners law gives residence permit holders the right to work as an employee or self-employed, without going back to a consulate for a new visa. If you change employer, you tell AIMA. AIMA issues this permit under the article for employed work (article 88), and that article says switching to self-employed work means replacing your residence card. AIMA hasn’t published how it applies this to D8 holders, so ask before you start freelancing for Portuguese clients or open a business. The conditions for renewing your permit (article 78) are enough income, somewhere to live, being up to date with tax and social security, and no prison sentences adding up to more than a year. Keeping your foreign employer or clients isn’t one of them.
Applying as an employee of your own company isn’t ruled out, but get professional advice before you apply this way. Portugal’s document lists ask for a contract or employer’s declaration and say nothing about who owns the employer. In the UK and the US, a company is a separate legal entity from its owner, so being employed by a company you own is a normal setup, with or without being a director. It also has tax consequences in more than one country.
Two versions of the visa
- Temporary stay visa: for stays of less than a year, with multiple entries. The consulate has 30 days to decide. It doesn’t lead to a residence permit, so the time doesn’t count toward permanent residency.
- Residence visa: valid for four months and two entries. During that time you apply in Portugal for a residence permit. This is the version usually called the D8.
What’s the minimum income for the Portugal digital nomad visa?
You need average monthly income over your last three months of at least four times Portugal’s minimum wage. The minimum wage rose to €920 on 1 January 2026, so the threshold is €3,680 a month, or €44,160 a year.
The consulate looks at the three-month average, so steady income helps more than one big month. Wherever you apply, expect to show:
- Employees: your employment contract or a letter from your employer confirming you work for them, plus bank statements showing your salary arriving
- Freelancers: contracts with clients outside Portugal, or other proof of the services you provide them, plus invoices and bank statements showing those payments
- Business owners: your company documents, proof of billing to clients outside Portugal, and bank statements
What the US and UK visa centers ask for. Each consulate publishes its own checklist, and the details differ:
| US visa centers | UK visa centers | |
|---|---|---|
| Bank evidence | US bank or credit card statements in your name for the last 3 months | Bank statements, plus a balance of at least €920 |
| If you’re employed | Your contract or an employer’s declaration | Your contract, a letter from your employer confirming you can work remotely from Portugal, your last 3 payslips and your P60 |
| Proof of tax residence | Yes. The checklist lists it after the self-employed documents, but Portugal’s visa portal asks every applicant for it | Yes, such as your P60 or latest tax return |
If you live somewhere else, use the checklist from the consulate that covers where you live.
Savings. To be safe, have about €11,040 in the bank, the figure some guides quote, unless your visa center’s checklist sets a lower one. The UK visa centers ask for a balance of at least €920, and the US checklist doesn’t set a separate figure.
Not earning €3,680 a month yet? The Portable Income Launchpad is a six-week program for experienced professionals turning their expertise into remote income that meets a visa threshold like this one.
What health insurance do you need for the Portugal digital nomad visa?
For the visa itself, you need travel insurance that covers medical expenses, urgent medical care and repatriation. Portugal’s foreigners law lists travel insurance as a condition for residence and temporary stay visas, and doesn’t set a minimum amount.
The visa centers add their own detail:
- UK: the insurance has to cover the full 120 days from your planned entry date. Eligible British nationals can use an S1 form instead.
- US: the insurance has to cover medical expenses, urgent medical care and possible repatriation.
When the consulate grants the residence visa, it also issues a pre-authorization with provisional Portuguese tax, social security and national health service numbers.
By the time of your residence permit appointment with AIMA, Portugal’s immigration agency, plan to have health insurance valid in Portugal with at least €30,000 of coverage. AIMA’s document list for this permit doesn’t require it, but advisers report that AIMA can ask for it and that travel insurance may not be accepted. For EU long-term resident status later, you’ll need health insurance or proof that you’re covered by Portugal’s national health service.
Check that your insurer’s letter shows:
- Your name, and policy dates that cover your planned entry date and at least the first 120 days
- That the policy is valid in Portugal
- That it covers medical expenses, urgent care and repatriation
Can you bring your family?
Yes, in two ways, and the rules changed in October 2025.
Applying together. Family members can apply for residence visas alongside yours. You need extra income for each person. To be safe, budget for €1,840 a month more for a spouse or partner and €1,104 for each child, on top of your €3,680, unless your consulate confirms lower amounts. AIMA’s rules set 50% of the minimum wage for each extra adult (€460) and 30% for each child (€276), but those percentages are sometimes applied to the visa’s €3,680 threshold instead.
Family reunification after you arrive. Since Law 61/2025 came into force in October 2025, you need to have held your residence permit for two years before you can bring family over. There are exceptions:
- Children under 18, or dependents who can’t legally look after themselves, and a spouse or partner who’s their other parent, can join you without the wait
- If you and your spouse or partner lived together for at least 18 months before you moved, the wait drops to 15 months
You also need housing suitable for your family and enough income to support everyone without social benefits. Family members who join this way have to take part in Portuguese language and civic training, and their permit renewals depend on it.
How long does the visa last, and can you renew it?
The first residence permit lasts two years, and you renew it for three years at a time. You apply for renewal at least 30 days before your permit expires, and you need to show you still have enough income and somewhere to live, and that you’ve kept up with your Portuguese tax and social security obligations.
The residence visa gets you into Portugal for four months. In that time you attend an appointment with AIMA to apply for the permit. AIMA has 90 days to decide, which it can extend by 30 days in exceptional cases. It has 60 days to decide a renewal, and your renewal receipt counts as your residence document for 60 days, which can be extended.
AIMA can cancel the permit if you’re away from Portugal for six months in a row, or eight months in total, during the permit’s validity, without good reason. The law makes an exception if you were working, running a business, or doing cultural or social work while you were away, and you can ask AIMA to approve a longer absence before you leave. Ask before you rely on either.
How are you taxed in Portugal on this visa?
You become a Portuguese tax resident if you spend more than 183 days a year in Portugal, or have your habitual home there, and Portugal then taxes your worldwide income at progressive rates of up to 48%.
Portugal’s old tax break for new residents, the NHR regime, is closed to newcomers. Its replacement is IFICI. If you qualify, IFICI taxes the income from your qualifying work in Portugal at 20% for ten years and exempts most foreign income. You can’t have been tax resident in Portugal in the previous five years, and the regime is tied to specific roles: higher education and research, certified startups, jobs at companies recognized by AICEP or IAPMEI, and listed highly qualified professions at companies that meet set conditions. A remote job for a company with no qualifying Portuguese link won’t fit. If you think you qualify, you have to register by 15 January of the year after you become resident.
Talk to a Portuguese tax adviser who works with your home country before you move.
Does the Portugal digital nomad visa lead to permanent residency or citizenship?
Yes. After five years of legal residence, Portugal gives you a choice of two permanent statuses.
National permanent residence permit. You need to have held temporary residence permits for at least five years, have no prison sentences adding up to more than a year in that time, be up to date with tax and social security, and show enough income, somewhere to live and Portuguese at A2 level. The permit has no expiry date, though you renew the card every five years. AIMA can cancel it if you’re away from Portugal for 24 months in a row, or 30 months in any three years, without good reason.
EU long-term resident status. You need five years of legal, unbroken residence, stable and regular income, health insurance or national health service cover, somewhere to live and Portuguese at A2 level. Absences don’t break the five years if each one is under six months and they add up to no more than ten months. The card lasts at least five years and renews on request. You lose the status if you spend 12 months in a row outside the EU, or six years in a row outside Portugal, unless there’s a specific reason such as work. It also gives you the right to apply to live in most other EU countries, though not Denmark or Ireland, on the conditions each one sets, such as proof of income and health insurance. The national permit doesn’t give you this.
Citizenship. Lei Orgânica 1/2026 changed the rules for applications made from 19 May 2026. You now need 10 years of legal residence, or 7 years if you’re a citizen of an EU country or a Portuguese-speaking (CPLP) country. You also need Portuguese at A2 level, a test or certificate showing you know Portuguese culture, history and national symbols, knowledge of citizens’ rights and duties and how the Portuguese state works, a formal statement that you support democratic principles, proof you can support yourself, and no prison sentence of more than three years for serious crimes. You can add separate periods of legal residence together if they fall within 12 years, or 9 if you’re an EU or CPLP citizen. Portugal assesses applications already pending on 19 May 2026 under the old law.
Portuguese at A2 level. All three statuses need Portuguese at A2 or above, the upper beginner level of the European language framework. You can prove it by passing an exam, such as the CIPLE, run by CAPLE at the University of Lisbon, or by completing a government-approved course, such as Português Língua de Acolhimento (PLA). PLA courses run at public schools, IEFP training centers and Centros Qualifica, are usually free, and are open to residence permit holders. A Portuguese school qualification also counts.
How do you apply for the Portugal digital nomad visa?
You apply at the Portuguese consulate or visa center that covers where you live, then finish the process with AIMA once you’re in Portugal.
From your home country
- Get a Portuguese tax number (NIF). You’ll need it for a lease and a Portuguese bank account.
- Arrange accommodation in Portugal. The UK visa centers accept property deeds, a lease of at least 12 months registered with the Portuguese tax office (Finanças), or a certified term of responsibility from a host in Portugal. The US visa centers accept a signed lease or an invitation, and may admit a hotel or Airbnb booking of at least six months.
- Get a recent criminal record certificate. The UK visa centers want it issued within the last 90 days, and that’s a safe rule wherever you apply. US residents need an FBI check, apostilled or in its sealed original envelope. UK residents need an ACRO certificate.
- Arrange travel insurance that meets your visa center’s conditions.
- Gather the rest: the national visa form, two photos, your passport, a signed personal statement on why you’re moving and where you’ll live, proof of your work relationship, three months of income evidence, bank statements and proof of fiscal residence. The UK visa centers want your passport valid for at least 90 days beyond the 120-day visa period. The US visa centers want it valid for three months after your planned return.
- Submit your application. The consulate has 60 days by law to decide a residence visa.
- Travel to Portugal within the visa’s four-month window and apply for the residence permit at an AIMA appointment. Your visa may come with an appointment already assigned by Portugal’s foreign ministry. If it doesn’t, request one through AIMA’s online contact form once you’re in Portugal: choose “Autorização de Residência”, then “Autorização de Residência com Visto Consular (Não CPLP)”, enter your name exactly as it appears on your visa, and upload copies of your passport and visa.
Can you apply from inside Portugal?
No. You apply through a consulate or visa center in the country where you live, then complete the process with AIMA once you’re in Portugal.
Why do applications get refused?
Consulates and AIMA can refuse you if you have a serious criminal conviction or an entry ban, or if you can’t show enough income, travel insurance or accommodation. These are the grounds in the law:
- A conviction for a crime that carries more than a year in prison in Portugal
- An entry ban or a Schengen alert against you
- Not enough income, or income from a Portuguese employer or Portuguese clients
- No travel insurance, or no accommodation when you’re asked for it
In practice, check these too:
- A three-month average that only reaches €3,680 because of one large month
- Payments with no contract, invoice or bank trail
- A criminal record certificate older than 90 days
- A file that’s missing documents at your AIMA appointment
What advisers report
These points come from three relocation guides published between July 2025 and July 2026, and from AIMA.
- Expect to wait for your AIMA appointment. If your visa doesn’t come with an appointment, you request one through AIMA’s online contact form. Advisers report waits from a few weeks to several months, depending on the office.
- Bring a complete file. Since 28 April 2025, AIMA rejects residence permit applications that are missing documents at the appointment, without time to send them later.
- The card comes by mail. After the appointment, the residence card arrives by mail, usually within 2 to 12 weeks.
- Don’t plan travel on a temporary document. Portugal’s extensions apply inside Portugal, so airlines and other Schengen countries don’t have to accept an expired card with a renewal receipt, or the temporary document you get at your appointment. Advisers report people being refused boarding. Travel outside Portugal once your card arrives.
Sources for this section: AIMA: online appointments for consular visa holders (June 2025), Worktugal (July 2025), Impossible To Name (February 2026) and GrowIN Portugal (July 2026).
Who this visa suits
Portugal’s digital nomad visa suits you if Portugal is where you genuinely want to live, and you already earn at least €3,680 a month from employers or clients outside the country. It asks for more income than Italy or Spain, but there’s no degree or experience requirement. Greece’s figure looks lower, but it’s counted after tax.
What sets it apart is the flexibility once you’re here. Once you hold the residence permit, you can also work for Portuguese employers and clients, or start a business, without going back to a consulate for a new visa. Spain limits employees to foreign companies and caps freelancers’ Spanish work at 20%. Italy lets your employer or clients be in Italy, but the permit is for remote work.
After five years you can choose national permanent residence or EU long-term status, and you can apply for citizenship after 10 years, or 7 if you’re an EU or CPLP citizen. All three need A2 Portuguese.
Look elsewhere if you earn less than €3,680 a month, or if you want to apply from inside the country, which Spain allows.
What I’d check first: whether your income clears €3,680 averaged over your last three months, not just in your best month.
How does the Portugal digital nomad visa compare with other countries?
| Country | Minimum income (a month) | First permit | Apply from inside the country? | Leads to permanent residency? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal | €3,680 | 4-month visa, then 2-year permit (renewals 3 years) | No | Yes, after 5 years |
| Italy | About €2,066 | 1 year, renewable | No | Yes, after 5 years |
| Spain | About €2,849 | Up to 3 years in Spain, or a 1-year visa then up to 3 years | Yes | Yes, after 5 years |
| Greece | €3,500, after tax | 1-year visa, then a 2-year permit | No, since February 2026 | Yes, after 5 years on the permit |
Portugal asks for more income than Italy or Spain. Greece’s €3,500 looks lower, but it’s counted after tax, so it’s usually the harder bar to clear. Portugal’s first permit lasts two years, longer than the first permit in Italy or Greece. For the full side-by-side comparison, see our digital nomad visas page.
FAQ
What are the requirements for the Portugal digital nomad visa?
You need remote work for an employer or clients outside Portugal, average income of at least €3,680 a month over your last three months, accommodation in Portugal, travel insurance, a recent criminal record certificate, and a valid passport.
Is it easy to get a digital nomad visa in Portugal?
There’s no degree or experience requirement, so the main tests are your income and your paperwork. The harder part comes after the visa, when you need a complete file for your AIMA appointment and may wait months to get one.
What’s the difference between the D7 and the D8?
The D8 is for people working remotely for employers or clients outside Portugal. The D7 is for passive income such as pensions, rent and dividends, with a threshold equal to the minimum wage of €920 a month in 2026.
Can I live in Portugal and work remotely for a UK or US company?
Yes, on this visa, as long as the company is based outside Portugal and your income meets the threshold. For any stay longer than 90 days, you need a national visa, such as this one.
Can I apply as a freelancer?
Yes, with contracts for clients outside Portugal, invoices and bank statements showing at least €3,680 a month on average.
Can I work for Portuguese clients or a Portuguese employer once I’m living there?
Yes. Your clients and employer have to be outside Portugal when you apply. Once you hold the residence permit, you can also work for Portuguese employers and clients, or start a business, without going back to a consulate for a new visa. If you plan to go self-employed in Portugal, ask AIMA first whether you need a new residence card.
Can I bring my family?
Yes. Family members can apply alongside you, with extra income for each person. If they join later through family reunification, you need two years of residence first, except for children under 18 or dependents who can’t legally look after themselves, and a spouse or partner who’s their other parent.
Does the D8 qualify me for IFICI?
Not by itself. The visa and the tax regime are separate, and IFICI is tied to specific roles at qualifying Portuguese entities.
How long until I can get Portuguese citizenship?
You need 10 years of legal residence for applications made from 19 May 2026, or 7 if you’re an EU or Portuguese-speaking (CPLP) national, plus Portuguese at A2 level.
How hard is it for me to move to Portugal from the UK?
The rules are the same as for other non-EU citizens, with a few UK-specific documents. You apply through the Portuguese visa centers in the UK with an ACRO criminal record certificate, a 12-month lease registered with Finanças (or property deeds, or a host’s certified term of responsibility), and travel insurance or an S1 form if you’re eligible. If you’re employed, you also need a letter from your employer confirming you can work from Portugal, and your P60.
Can I apply as a US citizen?
Yes, on the same rules as other non-EU citizens, through the Portuguese visa centers in the US. You need an FBI criminal record check, apostilled or in its sealed original envelope, and US bank or credit card statements for the last three months. The US checklist accepts a signed lease or an invitation, and may admit a hotel or Airbnb booking of at least six months. Your passport needs to be valid for three months after your planned return.
If you don’t qualify: alternatives and similar visas
If your income is passive, look at Portugal’s D7 visa, which has a much lower income threshold and is for people with passive income. If your work is mainly for Portuguese clients from the start, or you want to run a business there, look at Portugal’s visa for independent work or entrepreneurs.
To compare other digital nomad visas, see our digital nomad visas page, or start with:
- Italy’s digital nomad visa, with the lowest income threshold of the visas we cover
- Spain’s digital nomad visa, which you can apply for from inside Spain in some cases
- Greece’s digital nomad visa, with 2-year permits after the first year
Sources
- Law 23/2007, Portugal’s foreigners law (consolidated text) (official)
- AIMA: residence permit for remote professional activity (official)
- AIMA: means of subsistence (official)
- DGERT: minimum wage for 2026 (official)
- VFS Global UK: residence visa for remote professional activity, March 2026 (official visa center checklist)
- VFS Global USA: digital nomad checklist (official visa center checklist, undated)
- AIMA: permanent residence permit (art 80) (official)
- AIMA: EU long-term resident status (art 125) (official)
- AIMA: Portuguese language questions and answers (official)
- Portugal’s visa portal (MNE): residence visa documents (official)
- CAPLE, University of Lisbon: CIPLE exam (official)
- Directive 2003/109/EC on long-term residents (official, EU)
- Portal das Finanças: IFICI questions and answers (official)
- Portaria 352/2024, the IFICI regulation (official)
- Lei Orgânica 1/2026, the nationality law changes (official)
- GrowIN Portugal: AIMA backlog in 2026 (relocation news)
- AIMA: online appointments for consular visa holders, June 2025 (official)
- Diário da Cidadania: AIMA appointment requests for consular visa holders, August 2026 (immigration news)
- Worktugal: AIMA appointments (relocation guide)
- Impossible To Name: Portugal D8 guide (relocation guide)
- Get Golden Visa: Portugal D8 guide (residency consultancy guide)
- Citizen Remote: Portugal D8 guide (relocation guide)
Educational information, not legal, immigration or tax advice. Rules change, so check the official sources before you apply.