Portugal Digital Nomad visa: residency for remote workers and freelancers

The Digital Nomad Visa is a national visa that allows a longer, uninterrupted stay than a Schengen tourist visa.

A Schengen visa holder is allowed to stay in Portugal or any other Schengen state for a maximum of 90 days every 180 days, regardless of the visa’s validity period. Besides, Schengen visas can be either single entry or multiple entry.

The Digital Nomad Visa allows its holder to either stay in Portugal for up to a year and enter the country multiple times or obtain a residence permit and stay in Portugal indefinitely.

A person holding a Digital Nomad Visa doesn’t need a tourist visa to enter other Schengen states for short stays of up to 90 days every 180 days.

A person can apply for a Portugal Digital Nomad Visa if they are over 18 and citizens of a non-EU and non-EEA country.

Applicants must work remotely on an employment contract, a partnership agreement, or a service contract. The monthly income from all the sources must be more than four minimal wages in Portugal. In 2024, the threshold is €3,280.

Arranged accommodation in Portugal is one of the requirements for the visa. When submitting their documents, applicants must provide at least a 3-month rental agreement in Portugal. We recommend having a 1-year long agreement.

Savings. The minimum requirement of savings for an applicant is €9,840 that equals 12 minimum wages of €820 in Portugal. When requesting a visa for family members, applicants must show a higher amount of savings: additional €2,460 per underage child and €4,920 per adult family member.

Requirements for family members. Along with the digital nomad, the visa can be issued for their close family members:

• their spouse;

• children;

• parents.

Parents and children over 18 must depend financially on the main applicant to obtain the visa.

Each family member must fill in their application form for an accompanying visa and arrange their appointment at the consulate.

For US citizens, it is mandatory to have all their documents notarised by a Notary Public in the state of their legal residence. Furthermore, their criminal record certificate must either bear an apostille or remain unopened within its original sealed envelope.

UK citizens are required to obtain a criminal certificate with the Hague Apostille.

Canadians are only permitted to submit their visa applications through the e-visa portal, exclusively available online.

Citizens of the European Union, European Economic Area, or Switzerland are not obliged to obtain a visa in Portugal. However, they must register as residents with the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum, or AIMA.

The total cost of Portugal Digital Nomad Visa processing depends on several factors, such as the number of family members included in the application and the price of the housing, rented or bought.

If applicants buy property, they also have to pay taxes and fees that accompany the purchase:

• a stamp duty that equals 0,8% of the property value at purchase;

• annual municipal property tax of 0.3—0.8% of the property value.

Before entering the country, when applying for a visa, the applicant has to buy travel medical insurance. It may cost from €14 monthly.

After entry, before applying for a residence permit, it is necessary to acquire Portuguese health insurance. Prices start from €20 a month.

Fees that an applicant has to pay are:

• visa application fee that is €90 for each family member;

• processing fee under the residency application is €85.05;

• fee for a residence permit card €73.10.

It’s best if the applicant submits their Portugal Digital Nomad Visa application from their country of citizenship or residency. For instance, if a national of India officially resides in Oman, they can apply to the Portuguese consulate in either of these countries.

Typically, national visas are processed in the consulates, but sometimes applicants can submit their documents to visa centres, such as VFS Global.

The standard package of documents includes the following:

1. A passport.

2. Two document photos, 4,5×3.5 cm in size.

3. A work contract and other agreements proving that the applicant works remotely.

4. A bank statement proving that the applicant receives at least €3,280 a month.

5. A proof of sufficient funds to reside in Portugal — a bank statement showing funds equal to a yearly minimum income in Portugal, which is €9,840 in 2024.

6. Tickets to Portugal.

7. A certificate of no criminal record with apostille, translated to Portuguese.

8. A rental agreement or a title deed in case of buying property in Portugal.

9. Health insurance valid in Portugal.

Before submitting the documents, checking the newest requirements for applicants is recommended. They can be requested at the nearest Portuguese consulate.

It is also possible to apply for a Digital Nomad visa from Portugal; for instance, if a digital nomad is visiting the country with a Schengen visa. However, in this case, the visa processing will take around 2 years, during which the applicant is not allowed to leave the state.

The period of obtaining a Portugal Digital Nomad Visa takes around four months, depending on the country one applies from.

Once the visa is ready, its holder has to enter Portugal and apply for residency in AIMA and book an appointment for fingerprinting. After AIMA approves the application for residency, a residence card is issued within a period of two weeks.

This is true for a resident visa for digital nomads. A short-term visa doesn’t require a residency application.

Unfortunately, it may happen that officials deny the application due to the fact the applicant doesn’t meet the requirements of this type of visa, or some documents contain mistakes or weren’t signed or notarised in an appropriate way.

In case of a refusal, a foreigner has the right to appeal against the decision of the Commission. There are several options to appeal:

1. File a complaint to the author of the act at the Consular Post within 15 days of getting a note with a refusal.

2. Appeal to the member of the Government responsible for the area of Foreign Affairs at the Consular Post within three months of being informed.

3. Initiate administrative action to challenge the denial at the Administrative Court of Lisbon Circle.

It is also possible to appeal to the Minister and then file a lawsuit against the government’s decision or bring an action simultaneously to the administrative court.

To appeal at a Consular Post, an applicant resubmits the documents along with the appeal letter. The process may take 4 to 8 weeks.

Immigrant Invest minimises the risk of refusal to 1%. Before signing a contract with a client, we carry out our preliminary Due Diligence check. If we find out anything that might lead to refusal, we may suggest either changing a visa type, or submitting more documents along with the applications to fill in possible gaps.

There are other paths to residency in Portugal. Let’s compare the Digital Nomad Visa to other long-term visas to the country.

The Portugal Golden Visa suits wealthy individuals who want to reside in Portugal. The required investment is at least €250,000. The obtaining period of the Portugal Golden Visa takes up to 10 months.

Investors’ spouses, children and relatives financially dependent on an investor may be included in the application.

The D7 visa for financially independent individuals allows people with a stable passive income to move to Portugal. In 2024, the threshold for income is €820 per month.

Dividends, interest, royalties, rental income, pensions, and other legal passive income obtained remotely from outside Portugal are eligible for the D7 visa.

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The D3 visa to Portugal for highly qualified professionals is intended for scientists, engineers, doctors, IT specialists, lawyers, and other in-demand professionals.

To obtain this visa, applicants must submit a work contract with a Portuguese company and a higher education diploma to prove their qualifications.

The D2 visa for entrepreneurs. Foreign nationals who fund a business in Portugal or buy an existing one can obtain a special residence permit.

The documents to AIMA are submitted after an applicant has registered a business in the country or obtained the status of an individual entrepreneur.

Residents with national D visas are obliged to reside in Portugal for at least 1.5 years in a row or 16 months in a period of 2 years to renew their permits for another 3 years. After 5 years of living in the country, they can apply for permanent residency or citizenship.

Digital nomads with temporary residence permits for 1.5 years have to spend a year and half in a row in Portugal or 16 months out of 2 years in total to renew their residence permit card for 3 years.

Portugal offers different types of visas that suit digital nomads. Namely, there are four of them.

The Portugal Digital Nomad Visa seems to be attractive for its short obtaining period of around four months and income of €3,280 per month.

The Portugal D7 Visa for financially independent people demands an income of €820 a month from each applicant, and its obtaining period equals four months as well.

The Portugal Startup Visa might suit those digital nomads who want to launch innovative projects in Portugal and run their business in the country.

The Portugal Golden Visa provides different investment options starting from €250,000 and allows one to apply for Portugal citizenship after five years of holding the status of a resident. Investors have to spend at least 7 days in Portugal yearly to maintain residency.

1. The right to reside in an EU country. Portugal attracts expats from all over the world by its mild climate, stunning culture, access to the ocean and great conditions for remote workers. Aside from that, it is one of the safest countries in the world.

2. Visa-free travel across Europe. Digital nomads with residency permits in Portugal can freely visit other Schengen countries for short visits. The visa-free rule applies only to stays up to 90 days every 180 days.

3. Option to open bank accounts in Portugal. Digital nomads with a national visa can easily open an account with a local bank, unlike non-resident foreigners, who are required to provide a long list of supporting documents and a valid reason to open a Portuguese account.

4. Prospect to become a citizen of Portugal. Foreigners legally residing in Portugal for 5 years and more can apply for permanent residency or citizenship by naturalisation.

5. Relatively low costs for obtaining the visa. Provided those applicants earn the requested minimum income, the costs for obtaining the Digital Nomad Visa are not high. They include €260 of state fees in total, the price of the medical insurance and the rental accommodation.

Explore the benefits and requirements of the Digital Nomad Visa to Portugal

Portugal is famous for its 1,793 km long coastline, affordable cost of living and rich cultural heritage. The cities of Portugal offer remote workers all the benefits of living and working in Portugal.

Lisbon is ranked 32nd in the 100 best world cities produced by Resonance Consultancy, right between Australian Melbourne and Switzerland’s Zurich. The city is truly digital nomad friendly: plenty of public places in Lisbon offer free-Wi-Fi and coworking places with private offices and meeting facilities for those who work remotely.

Porto is another Portuguese city famous for its stunning views. There are a lot of coworking places situated right in Porto’s historical centre. Even though it has fewer facilities compared to Lisbon, life there is cheaper than in the capital and flows more slowly.

Cascais is not a big city that provides a comfortable lifestyle to digital nomads. Everything of use is close by, and it’s easy to become a part of the local community and enjoy morning jogging by the sea or water sports on weekends.

Faro, famous for its most bizarre chapel — Capela dos Ossos, made from human bones, other than historical sight offers beaches and natural parks to rest from remote work. One more benefit of Faro is the relatively low cost of living.

Braga is a hidden gem of Portugal due its lots of historical sights to discover. Antique churches, castles, and cathedrals of Braga neighbour modern coworking centres and recreational areas. There are a lot of things to do during free time: from biking to hiking.

From January 1st 2024, Portugal no longer provides a special tax-status of Non-habitual residents to newcomers to the country. It means that the privilege of being exempt from paying taxes on global income in Portugal for 10 years and paying taxes on Portuguese income at a flat rate of 20% is not accessible anymore.

However, the officials have come up with an initiative similar to what NHR-status used to offer. A new scheme is called Incentivised Tax Status Program or ITS and its details are still being discussed. Nonetheless, there are still certain categories of residents who are eligible for tax benefits.

Residents in Portugal are taxed on their worldwide income at progressive rates of 14.5 to 48%. If digital nomads stay in Portugal as residents, they will pay taxes this way:

• if taxable income is up to €7,479, a tax rate is 14,5%;

• €7,479—11,284 is taxed at 21%;

• €11,284—15,992 is taxed at 26,5%;

• €15,992—20,700 is taxed at 28,5%;

• € 20,700—26,355 is taxed at 35%;

• €26,355—38,632 is taxed at 37%;

• €38,632—50,483 is taxed at 43,5%;

• €50,483—78,834 is taxed at 45%;

• in case income is higher than €78,834, a resident pays taxes at 48%.

Non-residents in Portugal pay tax only on Portuguese-source income at a flat rate of 25%.

1. There are two types of the Portugal Digital Nomad Visa: the Temporary stay one allows staying in the country for up to a year, and the Residency visa allows obtaining a renewable residency permit for an indefinite stay.

2. The Digital Nomad Visa applicants submit their documents to a Portuguese consulate in the country of their citizenship or residency.

3. Digital Nomad Visa applications are processed within 60 days. After that, the visa is stamped in the passport, and the applicant gets an appointment date to AIMA.

4. The long-term Digital Nomad Visa is valid for 4 months. Within that time, its holder is expected to arrive in Portugal and submit their documents for residency to AIMA.

5. The Immigration Service of Portugal processes the application for 2 to 12 weeks. After the residency card is ready, it is sent to its holder by post.

6. Portugal residency obtained with the Digital Nomad Visa is the same as any other residence permit. It provides the same rights to its holder, such as the ability to travel visa-free to Schengen countries, open accounts in European banks, and take advantage of the Portuguese tax system.