Portugal D7 Visa: Requirements and How to Apply

The Portugal D7 visa is a residence route for people who live on regular passive income, such as pensions, rental income or dividends. It is the visa most retirees and early retirees use, and it is why it is often called the Portugal retirement visa. The benchmark is tied to the Portuguese minimum wage, which is €920 a month in 2026, with more required for a spouse and children. You apply at a Portuguese consulate for a 120-day visa, then collect a 2-year residence permit from AIMA.

Thresholds, fees and checklists change and differ between consulates, so check the official visa portal before you apply.

Who qualifies

The D7 is for non-EU citizens who can support themselves without working in Portugal. Typical applicants are retirees, landlords and investors. Income should be passive and regular; a remote salary usually belongs under the D8 digital nomad visa.

Income requirement

The official visa portal ties the amount you must show to the national minimum wage: 100% for the main applicant, 50% for each additional adult and 30% for each child. For 2026 the minimum wage is €920 a month, so a single applicant is usually asked for about €920 a month in passive income.

There is one wrinkle you should know about. The official means-of-subsistence page we read still shows the 2024 figure of €820, and one consulate checklist from March 2025 lists €9,840 as 12 months of that wage. The €920 benchmark is the 2026 wage applied to the official percentages, and many secondary sources also describe savings of about €11,040 in a Portuguese bank account. Because this is not clearly stated on one official page, confirm both figures with your consulate before you build your budget around them.

Documents you'll need

Checklists differ by consulate, but expect:

• The signed national visa application form and passport photos.
• Proof of income (pension statements or rental contracts) and recent bank statements.
• A Portuguese tax number (NIF) and, in practice, a Portuguese bank account.
• Accommodation for 12 months: a rental contract, a property deed, or a notarized host declaration.
• A criminal record certificate with a Hague apostille. US applicants use an FBI check; UK applicants use an ACRO certificate. Validity windows differ, and one UK checklist says four months.
• Insurance covering medical expenses and repatriation. The same checklist asks for six months of validity.

Step-by-step application

1. Confirm the benchmark and checklist with your consulate.
2. Get your NIF (a fiscal representative can help from abroad) and open a bank account.
3. Arrange accommodation and insurance, then gather and apostille documents.
4. Submit your application at the consulate or its visa center.
5. If approved, enter Portugal within the 120-day window and book your AIMA appointment for biometrics and your residence card.

Costs and timeline

The consular visa fee is about €90 on the government page for the comparable D2 route, and some secondary sources report €110 for 2025 and 2026. A secondary source puts the AIMA residence permit fee at about €160. Budget extra for translations, apostilles and legal help. Consulate decisions are described as taking up to about 60 days, but AIMA appointments can add months, so avoid non-refundable moves until you have a card date.

Taxes once you're resident

Once you spend more than 183 days in Portugal, or keep a home there that looks like your habitual residence, you become a Portuguese tax resident taxed on worldwide income. The NHR regime is closed to new entrants and its successor IFICI is limited to listed professions, so most D7 holders pay standard rates. See our Portugal guide and speak to a cross-border adviser. This is not tax advice.

Family members

Spouses and dependent children can apply; the benchmark rises 50% for a spouse and 30% per child. Bring apostilled, translated marriage and birth certificates.

Path to permanent residence and citizenship

The first permit lasts 2 years, and renewals have been described as 3-year periods. Permanent residence is possible after 5 years of legal residence. Citizenship takes longer: under the 2026 nationality law most applicants need 10 years, or 7 for EU and Portuguese-speaking-country nationals. Portugal allows dual citizenship.

Alternatives

• Remote worker earning about €3,680 a month: D8 digital nomad visa.
• Freelancer or founder: D2 visa.
• Investor: golden visa, with funds from €500,000.
• Comparing countries: Spain's non-lucrative visa asks for about €2,400 a month.

Where to live? See Lisbon, Porto and Faro & the Algarve, or read our Portugal guide.