In This Article
In This Article
Two numbers decide which Portuguese residency visa fits your life: €920 or €3,680 per month. Both are pegged to Portugal's national minimum wage, both are processed by AIMA — the authority that replaced SEF in October 2023 — and choosing the wrong one from the start can cost you months of delays or a flat refusal. Here's the plain-language breakdown.
The D7 Visa — Portugal's Passive Income Residency
The D7 (Visto de Residência — Rendimentos Próprios) is built for people whose income arrives without them having to work in Portugal: retirees, pension holders, landlords collecting overseas rent, and those living on dividends or investment returns.
The €920/month income requirement — exactly
Portugal's 2026 national minimum wage (SMN/RMMG) is €920/month. The D7 income floor is pegged at 100% of that figure for the main applicant.
⚠️ You'll see €537.13 (the IAS — Indexante dos Apoios Sociais) cited on many websites as the D7 reference figure. This is outdated. The correct 2026 reference is the SMN = €920/month.
For families, the thresholds stack:
- Main applicant: €920/month
- Each spouse or adult partner: +€460/month (50% SMN)
- Each dependent child: +€276/month (30% SMN)
A couple with one child needs to demonstrate at least €1,656/month in combined passive income. That is the legal floor — AIMA officers routinely expect a comfortable margin above it.
What counts as qualifying passive income?
- State or private pensions
- Dividends and investment portfolio distributions
- Rental income from property outside Portugal
- Rental income from a Portuguese property you own (provided it is declared and documented)
- Interest, royalties, or annuities
What does not qualify: active employment income earned in Portugal. If you're working locally, you need a different visa category entirely.
Is €920/month actually liveable in the Algarve?
Legally sufficient and practically comfortable are different things. A one-bedroom rental in coastal Algarve towns like Lagos, Carvoeiro, or Vilamoura typically runs €900–€1,400/month — meaning the D7 floor covers little beyond rent alone in prime locations.
The D7 minimum is a visa threshold, not a lifestyle budget. If you plan to buy rather than rent, your mortgage repayment replaces the rent line — but Portuguese banks apply a 45% DSTI (debt-service-to-income) cap, so borrowing capacity on a D7 minimum income is limited. Plan your finances carefully before you apply.
The D8 Visa — Portugal's Digital Nomad Residency
The D8 (Visto de Residência para Trabalhadores Nómadas Digitais), created by Law 93/2021 and operational since October 2022, is for people who work actively — but remotely — for employers or clients based outside Portugal.
The 4× SMN threshold: €3,680/month
The D8 income minimum is exactly four times the SMN: €3,680/month gross. This is the single most important number in the D8 application and the sharpest distinction from D7.
Qualifying work means:
- Employed remotely by a company registered outside Portugal, or
- Self-employed or freelancing with clients demonstrably based outside Portugal
⚠️ If your clients are primarily Portuguese, the D8 becomes legally problematic — it risks being treated as participation in the local labour market, which is not what the visa is designed for. Foreign-client income is the key test.
Proof documents for D8 applications
- Employees: employment contract (foreign employer), last 3 months' payslips, employer letter confirming remote arrangement
- Freelancers: invoices to foreign clients, accountant's declaration of income, business bank statements (3–6 months), and supporting evidence of the professional activity (website, LinkedIn profile, client roster)
Payslips not in English or Portuguese must be translated by a certified translator before submission.
D7 vs D8: The Deciding Table
| D7 Passive Income | D8 Digital Nomad | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly minimum (main applicant) | €920 (1× SMN) | €3,680 (4× SMN) |
| Per spouse/partner | +€460 | No formal multiplier; sufficiency expected |
| Per dependent child | +€276 | No formal multiplier |
| Income type | Passive (pension, dividends, rent) | Active remote employment or freelance |
| Employer/client location | N/A | Must be outside Portugal |
| Property ownership required? | No | No |
| Initial permit duration | 2 years | 2 years |
| Path to permanent residence | 5 years | 5 years |
The fork in the road: income type, not income level
The real question isn't which visa is better — it's which visa matches your income type. Passive income flows to D7. Active remote work flows to D8. The two categories rarely overlap cleanly.
The grey area: early retirees who also do occasional consulting. In practice, AIMA expects you to qualify primarily under one category. If you're in this situation, speak to a qualified Portuguese immigration lawyer before applying — getting it wrong at the consular stage means starting over.
What if you earn between €920 and €3,680 from remote work?
This is a genuine planning problem. Remote work income above €920 but below €3,680 is active — not passive, so D7 is inaccessible — but it also falls below the D8 floor. Neither visa fits cleanly. Our team can refer you to specialist immigration lawyers in Portugal who navigate exactly these cases.
The AIMA Process: How It Works in 2026
SEF (Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras) was formally wound down in October 2023. Any article or forum post that still references SEF for residence permit applications is outdated. AIMA — Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo — is the competent authority now.
Two-step process
- Step 1 — Consular visa (home country): Apply at the Portuguese consulate or embassy in your country of residence. This is where documents are assembled and the initial income check happens. If approved, you receive a D7 or D8 visa valid for 4 months to enter Portugal.
- Step 2 — AIMA residence permit (Portugal): Once in Portugal, you book an AIMA appointment and submit your full file. The initial permit covers 2 years, renewable for a further 3 years. After 5 continuous years of legal residence, you may apply for permanent residency or Portuguese citizenship, subject to a language test and a clean criminal record.
⏱️ Be realistic about timelines. AIMA processing times for D7 and D8 residence permits currently run 6–18 months from appointment, depending on nationality, file completeness, and appointment availability. You live legally in Portugal on your consular visa while you wait.
Documents AIMA requires at your appointment
- Proof of accommodation: rental contract or property deed in your name
- Income proof: bank statements (3–6 months), pension letters, payslips, or invoices — as applicable to your visa type
- NIF (Portuguese tax number): mandatory before the AIMA appointment; obtain it at any Finanças office or through a lawyer acting as your representative — this should be one of your first steps after deciding to relocate
- Private health insurance covering Portugal (required unless you have access to the SNS public health system)
- Criminal record certificate from your home country, apostilled and less than 3 months old at time of submission
D8 self-employed applicants will also need a NISS (Portuguese social security number) for local tax registration purposes.
Buying Property in the Algarve on a D7 or D8 Visa
Neither visa requires you to own property — but owning property strengthens both applications. A property deed demonstrates genuine ties to Portugal, financial stability, and genuine intent to reside. AIMA looks at the full picture of your file.
One misconception worth correcting: Portugal's Golden Visa property route was closed to new residential property applicants in October 2023. Buying a home in the Algarve no longer confers a right of residence on its own. Your D7 or D8 visa is the residence mechanism — the property is your home, not your visa.
You can buy property in Portugal before your visa is approved. Foreigners face no restrictions on property ownership regardless of residency status. Many of our clients obtain their NIF, complete a purchase, and use the property deed as their proof of address in the AIMA file. See our step-by-step buying guide for foreigners for the full purchase process, and our 2026 property tax guide for IMT, IMI, and stamp duty figures.
For D8 holders who purchase in the Algarve, the NHR 2.0 regime — now formally known as IFICI (Incentivo Fiscal à Investigação Científica e Inovação) — may offer meaningful advantages on professional income. We cover it in detail in our Portugal tax guide for property owners, which is worth reading alongside this article.
If you're still weighing up where in the Algarve to buy, our area-by-area guide from Lagos to Tavira is a good next step.
At 2nd Haus, we work with relocating buyers at every stage — from first visa questions to property search to keys in hand. We're not immigration lawyers, but we know the right ones, and we understand how the visa process and the property purchase interact in practice. Explore the current Algarve market or get in touch with our team directly — we're happy to point you in the right direction.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum income for a D7 visa in Portugal in 2026?
€920/month for the main applicant, based on 100% of Portugal's 2026 national minimum wage (SMN). Add €460/month per adult dependent and €276/month per dependent child. These are legal minimums — AIMA expects applicants to demonstrate a clear margin above the floor.
What is the income requirement for the D8 digital nomad visa in 2026?
€3,680/month gross — exactly four times the 2026 SMN. This applies to the main applicant and must be evidenced through payslips (if employed) or invoices and bank statements (if freelance). Income must come from employers or clients based outside Portugal.
Can I use the D7 visa if I work remotely?
Only if your remote work income is genuinely passive in nature — royalties, dividends, or investment returns, for example. If you are actively employed or actively freelancing, even entirely online, that is active income. The correct route is the D8, provided you meet the €3,680/month threshold.
Do I need to own property to get a D7 or D8 visa?
No. A valid rental contract is sufficient as proof of accommodation for both visa types. That said, owning property in Portugal strengthens your application file by demonstrating genuine ties to the country — it is not required, but it helps.
SEF or AIMA — which office handles my residence permit in 2026?
AIMA — Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo. SEF was formally dissolved in October 2023. Any online content still referencing SEF for current residence permit applications is outdated. Allow 6–18 months for AIMA to process your permit after your appointment.
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