Portugal D7 Visa 2026: Income, Requirements and How to Apply

What the D7 visa is

The D7 is Portugal's residence visa route for retirees and people who can support themselves through qualifying own income rather than relying primarily on employment or remote work.

Portugal's rules cover retirees, ministers of religion and people living from income generated by movable or immovable property, intellectual property and financial investments. The Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs describes the category as residence for retirement purposes, religious purposes or people living from passive income.

The D7 is therefore commonly called Portugal's passive income visa or Portugal retirement visa. There is no separate national visa officially called the "Portugal retirement visa". Retirees normally use the D7 route.

A D7 residence visa is not the final residence permit. Under Article 58 of Law 23/2007, the visa permits two entries and a stay of four months so that the applicant can enter Portugal and proceed with the residence permit process.

Who qualifies for the D7 visa

The D7 is intended for applicants whose income fits the categories covered by Portugal's residence visa rules. Examples include:

• Retirees receiving a pension.
• People receiving income from residential or commercial property.
• People receiving investment or financial asset income.
• People receiving income from movable property.
• People receiving income from intellectual property.
• Ministers of religion.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs asks retirees for documentation showing their retirement income and applicants living from their own income for documents proving revenue from movable or immovable property, intellectual assets or financial assets.

Remote employment and freelance work have a separate residence visa framework under Article 61-B, commonly called the D8 digital nomad visa. If your main income is generated by working online, the D8 may be the appropriate route.

D7 income and savings requirements

The 2026 statutory minimum monthly wage, or RMMG, for mainland Portugal is EUR 920. Portaria 1563/2007 uses the RMMG as the reference for means of subsistence and states that the calculation is based on that reference net of social security contributions, applying percentages of 100%, 50% and 30%.

The commonly applied 2026 amounts are:

• First adult: 100%, or EUR 920 per month.
• Second and additional adults: 50%, or EUR 460 per month each.
• Children under 18 and dependent adult children: 30%, or EUR 276 per month each.

For the principal D7 applicant, Portaria 1563/2007 expressly requires the relevant means of subsistence to be secured for a period of not less than 12 months. The 12-month duration is therefore part of the legal D7 financial rule, not merely a consular practice.

That does not mean the law requires the whole 12-month amount to be deposited into a Portuguese bank account. Portuguese bank accounts are commonly requested by individual consulates and visa application centres, but the statutory rule concerns the availability of sufficient means.

Accompanying family members are covered by separate rules, including Article 24-B of Regulatory Decree 84/2007, so the annual figures in the table should be understood as useful arithmetic equivalents rather than a statement that every family member is independently subject to the principal applicant's D7 rule.

For more detail, see our guide to the financial requirements for moving to Portugal.

Portugal D7 visa documents checklist

The official residence visa rules and the government service for retirees, religious applicants and people living from their own income require documents including:

• A completed and signed national visa application form.
• Two passport photographs.
• A passport or other travel document valid for at least three months beyond the final date of the requested stay, plus a copy.
• Proof of legal status in the country where you are applying if you are not applying in your country of nationality.
• Travel insurance covering necessary medical expenses, urgent medical assistance and repatriation, unless an applicable agreement allows the requirement to be waived.
• A criminal record certificate from your country of nationality or a country where you have lived for more than one year, with the required apostille or legalisation.
• Authorization for the Portuguese authorities to consult your Portuguese criminal record.
• Proof of sufficient means of subsistence.
• Evidence of the pension, property, investment or other qualifying income on which the application is based.
• Evidence of accommodation conditions in Portugal.

Applicants under 16 are exempt from the foreign criminal record certificate requirement in the general national visa rules.

The official D7 rules do not state a specific EUR 30,000 insurance minimum. The requirement is for the relevant medical and repatriation coverage. An applicable bilateral arrangement can also affect the insurance requirement.

Documents commonly requested by particular consulates

In addition to the official D7 requirements above, local consulates and their visa application providers commonly request items such as:

• A Portuguese NIF tax number.
• Evidence of a Portuguese bank account.

These should be distinguished from accommodation, which is part of the official D7 documentation requirements rather than merely an optional local addition.

Accommodation may be demonstrated differently depending on the facts and the relevant checklist. Read our separate guide to proof of accommodation in Portugal.

If you need help with Portuguese setup documents, Visas.pt also offers separate NIF and Portuguese bank account services.

How to apply for the Portugal D7 visa step by step

1. Confirm that your income fits the D7 route.

   Identify your pension or qualifying own income and make sure its source and amount can be documented. If your income mainly comes from remote work, compare the D7 with the D8 before applying.

2. Find the correct Portuguese consular jurisdiction.

   You normally apply through the Portuguese consulate responsible for your place of legal residence or its appointed provider. Use our Portugal visa jurisdiction finder.

3. Check the local filing checklist.

   Individual posts can request documents such as a Portuguese NIF and bank account in addition to the core national requirements.

4. Arrange accommodation.

   Prepare evidence showing your accommodation conditions in Portugal in the form accepted by the relevant authorities and filing post.

5. Collect your civil and criminal record documents.

   Obtain the required criminal record certificate, passport copies, photographs and proof of legal residence in the country of application where relevant. Complete the required authorization for consultation of the Portuguese criminal record.

6. Arrange suitable travel insurance.

   The national rules require coverage for necessary medical expenses and repatriation unless an applicable waiver applies. They do not establish EUR 30,000 as a specific D7 minimum.

7. Prepare your financial evidence.

   The principal D7 applicant must show that the relevant means of subsistence are secured for at least 12 months. Evidence should also clearly establish the source of the qualifying income.

8. Submit the residence visa application.

   Attend the consulate or authorized visa centre, submit the application and supporting documents, and pay the national visa fee.

9. Wait for the visa decision.

   The legal decision deadline for the residence visa is 60 days.

10. Travel to Portugal and complete the residence process.

    The visa allows two entries and a four-month stay. You then proceed with the residence permit application through AIMA.

The core rules are national, but appointment systems and local document checklists differ between countries and consular posts. Applicants from the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and elsewhere should always follow the instructions issued for their own jurisdiction.

Portugal D7 visa processing time

There are now separate statutory decision periods for the consular visa and the AIMA residence permit stages.

There is no single statutory deadline covering the entire journey from obtaining a consular appointment to receiving the physical residence card. Appointment availability, requests for further documents and card production can affect the overall calendar time.

Our separate guide covers AIMA appointments, fees and wait times in 2026.

Portugal D7 visa fees

AIMA published its updated 2026 fee table on 28 February 2026, effective from 1 March 2026. The ordinary temporary residence permit and ordinary renewal use the EUR 133.00 reception and analysis fee plus the EUR 114.30 grant or renewal fee.

AIMA also provides fee reductions in specified cases. These include a 25% reduction for qualifying online applications, a 10% reduction for assisted digital filing where available, and other 25% reductions in situations covered by its guidance. The exact amount therefore depends on the filing method and whether a reduction applies.

Separate costs can arise for apostilles, translations, insurance, accommodation documents, bank services, visa centre service charges and professional assistance.

After you arrive: AIMA, renewals and absence limits

The first temporary residence permit is valid for two years and can subsequently be renewed for successive three-year periods. Renewal applications may be submitted up to 30 days before the current permit expires.

How long do you have to stay in Portugal?

Portuguese immigration law does not impose a general requirement to spend at least 183 days per year in Portugal in order to retain an ordinary D7 temporary residence permit.

Article 85 instead provides that a temporary residence permit may be cancelled where the holder is absent from Portugal without acceptable justification for:

• Six consecutive months, or
• Eight non-consecutive months during the total validity of the permit.

For permanent residence, the corresponding limits are 24 consecutive months or 30 non-consecutive months within a three-year period.

An absence exceeding the relevant limits should normally be justified to AIMA before departure. Article 85 also allows justification after departure in exceptional cases.

The law further provides that a permit is not cancelled for a longer absence where the resident proves that, during the period abroad, they carried out professional, business, cultural or social activity.

It is sometimes said that a two-year permit means a resident must spend at least 16 months in Portugal. That figure is arithmetic derived from the eight non-consecutive month absence threshold, but it is not how Article 85 states the rule and it does not reflect the statutory exceptions.

The 183-day figure belongs to the separate area of tax residence. See our detailed guide to Portugal's stay rules, absence limits and residence requirements.

Bringing your spouse and family

Portugal significantly changed its family reunification rules in 2025, so families should consider timing before the principal applicant files.

Article 58(5) allows family members of a residence visa applicant to submit accompanying residence visa applications at the same time as the principal applicant. Those family members are not independently qualifying for a D7 based on their own retirement or passive income merely because they apply simultaneously.

If the D7 holder moves first and later applies for family reunification, the general rule is that the sponsor must have held a residence permit for two years.

For a spouse or partner who lived with the sponsor for at least 18 months immediately before the sponsor entered Portugal, the period is reduced to 15 months.

The waiting period does not apply in the same way to dependent minor children or to a spouse or partner who is the parent or adoptive parent of that minor. Certain holders of permits under Articles 90, 90-A and 121-A also benefit from statutory exemptions.

Article 98 also allows the two-year or 15-month period to be waived or reduced in exceptional, duly justified cases by a decision of the minister responsible for migration. The law requires consideration of factors including family ties, integration, human dignity and proportionality.

For later family reunification, Article 101 requires the sponsor to have qualifying owned or rented accommodation and sufficient means without reliance on social assistance.

After the family reunification residence permit is issued, family members are also subject to integration measures under the current law, including Portuguese language training and training concerning Portuguese constitutional principles and values. Compulsory schooling applies to minors, and compliance can affect renewal subject to the statutory exceptions.

If AIMA approves reunification for a family member outside Portugal, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that the related visa application must be submitted within 90 days of approval.

Read our full guide to the Portugal family reunification rules for 2026.

D7 to permanent residence and citizenship

Under Article 80 of Law 23/2007, a person who has held temporary residence for at least five years may qualify to apply for permanent residence, subject to the other applicable conditions.

Citizenship follows a separate legal framework. Organic Law 1/2026 took effect on 19 May 2026 and set the residence period at seven years for nationals of EU Member States and Portuguese-speaking countries, and 10 years for other nationals.

The 2026 nationality law also changed more than the waiting period. Naturalisation now includes additional substantive requirements concerning Portuguese language and culture, Portuguese history and national symbols, civic knowledge, a solemn declaration, means of subsistence and the applicable criminal and security conditions.

Where periods of legal residence are interrupted, Article 15 now allows qualifying periods to be added together only within the applicable maximum window. The window is nine years for EU and Portuguese-speaking nationals and 12 years for other nationals.

Nationality applications already pending on 19 May 2026 remain governed by the previous law under the transitional rules.

Permanent residence and citizenship are separate applications. Reaching the relevant number of years does not automatically convert a D7 permit into permanent residence or Portuguese nationality.

Portugal D7 visa vs D8 visa

The D7 is not simply a lower-income version of the D8. The appropriate route depends on the source of the applicant's income.

See our complete Portugal D8 digital nomad visa guide.

Retiring in Portugal on a D7 visa

The D7 is the residence visa commonly used by people retiring to Portugal. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs specifically includes retirement within this category and asks retirees to provide documentation certifying their retirement income.

For a single retiree in 2026, the general financial reference starts at EUR 920 per month. The principal applicant must have the relevant means secured for at least 12 months.

Retirees should also distinguish immigration rules from tax rules. Spending 183 days in Portugal can be relevant to tax residence, but it is not the statutory D7 residence permit minimum stay rule.

Portugal's former NHR regime generally closed to new entrants from 1 January 2024, but transitional eligibility remains relevant in some cases. A person who became Portuguese tax resident in 2024 and satisfied the statutory transitional conditions can still make a late NHR application after 31 March 2025, including in 2026. If accepted, the regime applies only from the application year for the remaining part of the 10-year period counted from 2024.

IFICI is a different regime based on specified qualifying activities. Its special tax treatment does not provide a general preferential regime for ordinary pension income.

Common reasons a D7 application can fail

A D7 application can be weakened when the evidence does not clearly demonstrate compliance with the visa requirements. Common practical problems include:

• Using the wrong visa category: relying mainly on remote employment or freelance income while applying through the D7 route.
• Insufficient financial evidence: failing to show that the principal applicant's qualifying means are secured for the required 12-month period.
• Weak evidence of the income source: showing an account balance without adequately documenting where qualifying income comes from.
• Incomplete criminal record documentation: including missing apostilles or legalisation where required, or omitting the required Portuguese criminal record consultation authorization.
• Insurance problems: failing to provide the required medical and repatriation coverage where no applicable waiver exists.
• Insufficient accommodation evidence: failing to demonstrate the accommodation conditions required for the application.
• Applying in the wrong jurisdiction: filing outside the Portuguese consular post or provider responsible for the applicant's legal residence.
• Inconsistencies between documents: providing financial, family or accommodation evidence that does not support the circumstances described in the application.

Applicants should always check the specific instructions issued by the consulate or visa provider responsible for their jurisdiction in addition to the national rules.

Common questions

How Visas.pt can help

The D7 application involves more than meeting an income number. Applicants need to coordinate jurisdiction, the 12-month means requirement, accommodation, insurance, criminal records, local consular requirements and the later AIMA process.

Visas.pt's Complete D7 Visa Package is EUR 1,595 and includes assistance with the NIF and bank account, document review, lawyer video calls and interpreter support.

The Assistance Plus package is EUR 2,810 and adds services including a tax lawyer, property finder, AIMA filing and accompaniment, and Portuguese lessons through A2 level.

If you are unsure whether your income fits the D7, whether family members should apply with you, or which consulate has jurisdiction, resolving those questions before collecting documents can prevent avoidable problems later.

Sources

• Law 23/2007, consolidated version, PGDL
• Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, national residence visa documentation
• Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, means of subsistence
• Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, national visa fees
• AIMA, residence permit fees and guidance
• gov.pt, official D7 residence visa service
• Diário da República, official legislation including Law 61/2025, Law 62/2026, Portaria 1563/2007 and Organic Law 1/2026