The Portugal D7 Visa is a residence visa that allows non-EU and Swiss citizens with passive income to apply for residency in Portugal.
The passive income requirements for the Portugal D7 Visa are marginally less than the investment requirements for the Portugal Golden Visa. This makes it the ideal option for pensioners and entrepreneurs.
The Portugal D7 Visa offers several benefits. For one thing, the Visa gives the holder the right to Non-Habitual Resident (NHR) status, which gives them lower tax rates and, in some cases, no taxes at all.
Holders of a D7 visa are also entitled to stay in Schengen regions for a maximum of 90 days. Moreover, they can apply for citizenship after staying in Portugal for five years.
In this article, we have compiled a step-by-step guide to simplify the process of applying for a D7 visa.
Applicants must meet the minimum wage requirement to be eligible for the D7 visa. This means applicants must provide proof of earning at least €760 per month; this amount increases by €460 for every additional family member joining them on the application. Besides this monthly income, you should prove that you have enough financial means according to your family unit deposited in a Portuguese bank account.
Your pension, intellectual property, dividends from stocks and businesses (that you don't actively manage), investments, rental properties, royalties, and other things can all be sources of passive income. As of 2023, you cannot include earnings from a remote job when applying for a Portugal D7 visa under the revised SEF rules.
The financial requirement increases if you wish to bring your family to Portugal. The dependent spouse must have 50% of the minimum income as the main applicant (€4,560 per annum). Furthermore, children under 18 years and non-minor dependents must meet 30% of the minimum income requirement (€3,010 per annum).
The D7 Visa also requires you to have health insurance that can cover medical emergencies for the entire duration of your stay. The insurance must provide a minimum medical coverage of €30,000. Fortunately for you, we have created a comprehensive guide to health insurance in Portugal.
It is worth mentioning that you do not need to pick an insurance plan specifically from a Portuguese firm. Any international health insurance plan will work so long as it can cover all medical expenses, including repatriation charges in case of emergencies.
Applicants for the D7 visa must have a clean criminal record, as the authorities conduct a background check before granting the visa.
However, one can still apply for the Portugal D7 Visa as long as the crime they were convicted of does not include more than one year of imprisonment under Portuguese laws.
It is worth noting that hiring a law firm to deal with the D7 visa process can guarantee your application’s success. You can rest easy after enlisting the aid of lawyers, as they manage the tricky aspects of the application process.
This includes helping you find a place to live and making sure your long-term lease is registered with Financas. Many Portuguese landlords don't report their rent income, which could cause your application to be turned down. Getting a D7 visa requires putting together all the necessary paperwork and translating all documents into Portuguese. Doing both of these things makes sure that the visa will be approved and not turned down.
You can get this form from SEF’s official website. You will need to submit a properly filled-out hard copy of this form when you apply for the visa at the Portuguese Consulate.
Your passport must be valid for three additional months after the duration of your stay. It should also have at least two blank pages for Visa stamps
Your travel insurance must also cover medical expenses.
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This includes a bank statement for the last six months and an ITR Model 5 for the last three years.
You can get the certification either from your country of origin or your country of residence for more than a year.
Applicants from the US will need to get the FBI Criminal Record Certificate instead of a state-level certification. Meanwhile, UK applicants must apply for the police certificate from Acro. We have a partnership with a Canadian/American business that will handle your Criminal record certificate for as little as $40.
A long-term rental lease (valid for at least 12 months) or property deeds that qualify can serve as proof of accommodation.
The cover letter should provide your reason for applying for a Portugal D7 visa. It should also provide all necessary information about your stay in Portugal, including your source of income and your place of residence.
Step 1: Procure all the mandatory documents
Although you will not need the documents until Step 4, it is better to gather the ones mentioned in the previous section before you proceed further.
Step 2: Acquire proof of residence
One of the most cumbersome requirements of the D7 Visa application process is getting proof of residence before stepping foot in Portugal.
You can choose to rent a property via online rental services or ask a friend to send you an invitation letter. If you opt for the latter, your friend must send you a document called a “term of responsibility.”
Step 3: Obtain a Portuguese NIF number
A NIF number is a unique taxpayer identification number. You will need the NIF number to open an account. The whole process of getting a NIF number can be done from afar with the help of a tax lawyer who lives in Portugal. a Portuguese bank.
The entire process of getting a NIF number can also be done remotely before you even move to Portugal. At Movingto, for example, we include the NIF services in all their visa prices.
Check out our article comparing NIF prices.
Step 4: Open an account in a Portuguese bank
The entire process of opening a bank account in Portugal can be completed remotely. First, you will need the following documents:
Some banks, like Atlantico, require you to go through a video interview before you can open an account with them.
There are many companies that can open a bank account for you remotely. More information on them can be found in our article on opening a Portuguese bank account remotely.
You can submit the D7 visa application at the Portuguese Consulate or Embassy in your country.
After applying, you must choose an appointment date with the Consulate. In most cases, the appointment date will be available after 60–90 days of making the inquiry.
During the appointment, the immigration authorities may order additional documents or call you for an interview.
Be sure to double-check whether you have filled in the correct details in the application form, as any mistakes may cause significant delays in the processing of your application.
The personal information, including your name, should be the same as that on the D7 Visa application and other identity documents.
You can save a lot of time by letting law firms take charge of the entire process.
The lawyer can act as your representative during the interview process, which is especially helpful if the interviewer can only converse in Portuguese. Moreover, they can also translate all the legal documents to expedite your D7 visa process.
In fact, some companies like us can even take care of securing the NIF number, opening your Portugal account, and registering for valid health insurance. Thus, you can opt for a hassle-free visa application process by hiring lawyers.
If everything goes well, you will receive a temporary visa within 60 days. This visa will entitle you to stay in Portugal for a maximum of four months.
The process can also take up to 90 working days, with additional processing time in case of mistakes in your application form.
Once you have the temporary visa, you will need to apply for a residence permit from the SEF.
The process cannot be completed remotely; you must appear in person at an immigration office. So, the next step is to take a plane to Portugal and set up a meeting with the SEF.
The appointment will be scheduled within 2 months of arriving in Portugal. However, it may take as many as 150 days if you seek an appointment in high-demand cities. The documents required for the residence permit are the same as those needed for the D7 visa.
The residence permit will be valid for two years. At the end of the second year, you will need to request a visa extension for the next three years.
During this time, you must stay in the country for a minimum of sixteen months. Moreover, you should not stay out of Portugal for more than six consecutive months. Otherwise, your residence permit may be revoked.
In the fifth year, you can choose to apply for a permanent residence permit, thus enabling you to become a citizen of Portugal.
No, the Portuguese government changed the law so that people who have workers in remote locations can't apply for a D7 visa. Instead, you will need to apply for a digital nomad visa if you wish to stay in Portugal.
The Digital Nomad Visa is different from the Portugal D7 Visa in that applicants must make €2800 a month, which is almost four times the minimum wage in Portugal.
The application fee for a D7 visa is approximately €90 per person. The fees when applying for a residence permit range between €50 and €200.
No, you do not have to invest in Portuguese real estate or residential property to be eligible for the D7 Visa.
The only financial requirement for the D7 visa is earning passive income equal to the monthly minimum wage in the country.
Applying for the Portugal D7 Visa may seem like a difficult task, but all you need to do is remain patient throughout the application process.
You can save a lot of time in the visa application process by applying well in advance. Also, you can avoid delays by double-checking the documents for missing or wrong information or data that doesn't match up.
It is worth mentioning that you should consult an immigration lawyer if you require further assistance. Hiring lawyers will also simplify the application process, as they are responsible for guiding you until you receive your visa.
As was already said, these companies will not only help you during the interviews, but they will also help you get the documents you need and do other helpful things. Basically, you guarantee that you will get the visa approved. You can browse the fee comparison page on our website to choose the best consulting company for the Visa process.
Be sure to read our blog and guides to stay on top of the latest news about Portugal's relocation rules.
You can also read more about other types of visas in Portugal to choose the one that best suits your needs.
Ana has worked in many startups and moved to a few countries, which led her to create MovingTo. She believes that remote work is a growing trend that is here to stay and that digital nomads will move to countries that have more to offer than the ones you were born into. She mostly writes opinion pieces for MovingTo.
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