Volume 1 · 2026
Published August 1, 2026
Every year we compile anonymised data from the cases our lawyers complete across Portugal's long-stay visa programmes. This is not survey data or estimates — it is drawn from real applications submitted, tracked, and finalised by our team between January 2025 and June 2026.
The purpose of this report is simple: to give people making one of the biggest decisions of their lives access to accurate, specific information about what the process actually looks like. Processing times quoted on official websites are often aspirational. Rejection rates are almost never published. Consulate wait times vary enormously by city. This report addresses all of that with real numbers.
Key numbers
525+
Relocations completed
Jan 2025 – Jun 2026
4.2mo
Avg. D7 processing time
Median across 18 consulates
6.8mo
Avg. D8 processing time
Higher consulate scrutiny
11%
Overall rejection rate
First applications only
38
Nationalities represented
From 6 continents
€2,100
Avg. total service cost (D7)
Legal + NIF + bank account
Processing times by visa type (months)
Processing time is measured from the date of consulate application submission to the date of visa issuance. These figures represent medians across all cases — individual timelines vary significantly by consulate city, document completeness, and seasonal demand.
D7 Passive Income
18 consulates
D8 Digital Nomad
Higher scrutiny
D2 Entrepreneur
Fewer applications
Golden Visa
AIMA complexity
EU Registration
Same-day to 2 weeks
Median values. Consulates with fewer than 5 cases in the period excluded from averages.
Top 8 nationalities by completed relocations
American applicants continue to represent the largest single nationality group — a trend driven by the high volume of US-based enquiries and the favourable D7 income requirements relative to US pension and investment income levels. British nationals increased sharply post-Brexit as five-year EU Settlement Scheme deadlines approached.
British
Up from 14% in 2024
Percentage of total completed cases Jan 2025–Jun 2026. EU cases tracked separately from visa cases.
Rejection rates by visa type
The overall rejection rate across all visa types is 11% — but this figure masks significant variation between visa categories. D2 rejections are higher due to consulate subjectivity around business viability. D7 rejections are almost entirely income-documentation failures that professional preparation eliminates.
| D7 Passive Income Visa |
7% |
Documentation gaps |
| D8 Digital Nomad Visa |
9% |
Income source questions |
| D2 Entrepreneur Visa |
18% |
Business plan scrutiny |
| Golden Visa |
4% |
Fund qualification |
| All visa types (avg.) |
11% |
Overall rejection rate |
First applications only. Cases professionally prepared by Visas.pt lawyers. Rejection rate for self-prepared applications (from community data) estimated 2.4× higher.
D7 visa processing times by consulate city
Processing time varies more by consulate location than by any other factor. London and Paris consistently outperform US consulates. Washington D.C. and San Francisco show the longest waits due to higher application volumes relative to staffing.
| Consulate city |
Median (months) |
Range |
Volume |
| London, UK |
3.1 |
2–5 months |
High |
| Paris, France |
3.4 |
2–5 months |
Medium |
| Toronto, Canada |
4.0 |
3–7 months |
Medium |
| Sydney, Australia |
4.3 |
3–6 months |
Low |
| Cape Town, South Africa |
4.8 |
3–8 months |
Low |
| Newark, USA |
5.2 |
4–9 months |
High |
| Boston, USA |
5.6 |
4–10 months |
Medium |
| Washington D.C., USA |
6.1 |
4–11 months |
High |
| San Francisco, USA |
6.8 |
5–12 months |
High |
| Miami, USA ‡ |
— |
Insufficient data |
Very low |
‡ Fewer than 5 cases — excluded from averages. Range = 10th–90th percentile.
The single biggest factor in processing speed
Across every consulate and every visa type, the single strongest predictor of faster processing is application completeness at first submission. Requests for Additional Documents (RADs) added an average of 2.3 months to processing time in cases where they occurred.
RADs were triggered most frequently by: (1) bank statements that did not clearly show regular passive income patterns, (2) criminal record certificates with incorrect apostille formats, and (3) health insurance policies that did not explicitly state coverage in Portugal.
All three are avoidable with proper preparation. Our rejection rate for professionally prepared applications is 7% versus an estimated 26% for self-prepared applications based on community data from expat forums.
Community rejection rate estimate derived from Moving to Portugal Facebook group threads (n=340 self-reported applications, 2025–2026). Self-reported data carries selection bias and should be treated as indicative only.
Typical total cost breakdown for a D7 application
These figures represent median costs across our D7 cases. Government fees are fixed; legal fees vary by case complexity and whether Portuguese bank account and NIF services are included. All figures in euros.
| Consulate visa fee (government) |
€90 |
Fixed — all nationalities |
| NIF number (remote) |
€149–€249 |
Varies by provider |
| Portuguese bank account (remote) |
€150–€350 |
Varies by bank and provider |
| Legal fee — visa preparation |
€800–€1,800 |
Varies by complexity |
| Document translation / apostille |
€100–€400 |
Varies by country of origin |
| Typical total (single applicant) |
€1,300–€2,900 |
Median: €2,100 |
Figures based on 2025–2026 case data. Does not include AIMA residence permit fees (€72–€320) charged after arrival in Portugal.
Methodology & data sources
Data covers 525 completed relocation cases handled by Visas.pt between January 2025 and June 2026. Figures include D7, D8, D2, Golden Visa, and EU registration cases. Processing times measured from consulate application submission to visa issuance. Thin-sample consulates (fewer than 5 cases) are flagged with ‡ and excluded from average calculations. Nationality data is aggregated and anonymised. Rejection rate figures include only first-time applications — resubmissions tracked separately.
Want to know what your case looks like?
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