D8 remote work residence visa
Visto de residência para exercício de atividade profissional prestada remotamente
A residence route for people who earn their income from employers or clients outside Portugal. It is a genuine residence permit, not a long tourist stay: it makes you tax resident, and it counts towards permanent residence and, in time, citizenship.
Who it is for. Employees of a foreign company, or freelancers with foreign clients, earning at least four times the Portuguese minimum wage.
Worth knowing. The income threshold is four times the national minimum wage, which rose to €920 per month on 1 January 2026, giving €3,680. The multiple is stable; the wage is revised annually, so recompute rather than relying on the stored figure. Dependant uplifts are commonly applied at 50% of the minimum wage for a spouse and 30% per child.
- Income required
- €3,680
- Savings required
- €11,040
- Investment required
- None
- Application fee
- €90
- Processing time
- 60–180 days
- Permission lasts
- 24 months
- Permanent residence
- After 5 years
- Citizenship
- After 5 years
a month
Renewable
Application checklist
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Eligibility
Documents
After you arrive
Renewal
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How the process runs
Lead times are the ones the authorities publish or that applicants consistently report. Added up, they come to roughly 8 months — start with whatever takes longest.
Obtain a Portuguese tax number (NIF)
≈ 14 daysApply in person, through a representative, or through a consulate. Needed for a bank account and a lease, both of which the application tends to require.
Order criminal record certificates
≈ 60 daysRequest certificates from every country you have lived in for more than a year and have them apostilled or legalised. This is usually the slowest document to obtain.
Secure accommodation and health insurance
≈ 45 daysSign a lease or accommodation undertaking covering at least twelve months and take out medical cover valid in Portugal.
Book and attend the consular appointment
≈ 30 daysSubmit the application at the Portuguese consulate or its visa service provider for the area where you legally reside. Appointment waits vary widely between posts.
Travel to Portugal on the issued visa
On the dayThe visa admits you to Portugal and normally carries a pre-booked AIMA appointment date.
Attend the AIMA appointment and collect the residence card
≈ 90 daysBiometrics are taken and the residence permit is issued. AIMA appointment availability has been a persistent bottleneck.
Official forms
Always download the current version from the authority. Consulates publish their own variants, and an out-of-date form is a common reason for rejection.
National visa application form
eitherThe consular application for a long-stay (type D) visa.
Ministério dos Negócios Estrangeiros · Portuguese and English
Get the current form (opens in a new tab)
Worth knowing. Download the current form from the visa portal or your consulate. Consulates issue their own versions and checklists, and an out-of-date form is a common reason for rejection.
Criminal record check consent
paperAuthorises the Portuguese authorities to consult national criminal records.
Ministério dos Negócios Estrangeiros / AIMA · Portuguese
Fees
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| National visa applicationPayable to Portuguese consulate or its appointed visa service providerVisa service providers add their own handling charge on top of the consular fee. | €90 |
| Residence permit issuePayable to AIMACharged at the in-country appointment. Amounts are revised periodically — confirm with AIMA. | €170 |
Why we say this
The wording behind the headline figures on this page.
The D8 remote work residence visa requires monthly income of at least €3,680.
The threshold is set as four times the Portuguese guaranteed minimum monthly wage. That wage rose to €920 per month with effect from 1 January 2026, giving €3,680 per month.
Sources
Worth knowing. The income threshold is four times the national minimum wage, which rose to €920 per month on 1 January 2026, giving €3,680. The multiple is stable; the wage is revised annually, so recompute rather than relying on the stored figure. Dependant uplifts are commonly applied at 50% of the minimum wage for a spouse and 30% per child.
Check this against
- Portal dos Vistos — national visa categories and consular applications (opens in a new tab)Ministério dos Negócios Estrangeiros · Foreign ministry
- AIMA — residence permits and in-country immigration procedures (opens in a new tab)AIMA — Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo · National immigration authority
- Lei n.º 23/2007 — entry, stay, exit and removal of foreign nationals (as amended) (opens in a new tab)Diário da República · Government department
- Retribuição mínima mensal garantida — the national minimum wage that several income thresholds are a multiple of (opens in a new tab)Diário da República · Government department