Portugal Passive Income Visa (D7)

This guide covers the Passive Income route (the "D7") for third-country nationals whose money arrives without them working for it: pensions, rent, dividends, interest, royalties. It covers the consular residence visa and the residence permit AIMA issues afterwards, granted under the general conditions of Article 77.º of Lei n.º 23/2007 and the means-of-subsistence rules of Portaria n.º 1563/2007.

It doesn't cover people who work remotely for foreign employers or clients — that is the Digital Nomad Visa (D8), and confusing the two is the most expensive mistake on this page. It doesn't cover employees of a Portuguese employer (Work Residence (D1)), people arriving to look for work (Job Seeker Visa), students (Student Residence (D4)), founders (Entrepreneur Visa (D2)), highly qualified employees (Highly Qualified Activity (D3)), researchers (Researcher Residence), CPLP nationals (CPLP Residence), family joining someone already here (Family Reunification), or investors on the ARI/Golden Visa. EU/EEA/Swiss citizens don't use this route. Unsure? Start with Which Immigration Route Is Right for You?.

Is this route for you?

Use this route if all of these are true: you're not an EU/EEA/Swiss citizen; you receive regular, documented income that arrives without you performing work for it; that passive income on its own clears the threshold, without counting a salary or freelance fees; and you intend to actually live in Portugal.

Use another guide if your income is earned by working remotely — that's the Digital Nomad Visa (D8). A Portuguese employer is Work Residence (D1). Creating and running a business here is the Entrepreneur Visa (D2). Coming to study is Student Residence (D4). And if what you have is a large savings balance with no recurring income, read the next section before spending money on documents.

One-minute summary

You show that money arrives every month without you working for it, that it is enough (a multiple of the Portuguese minimum wage), that it will keep arriving for at least a year, that some of it is reachable in Portugal, and that you have somewhere to live. You apply at the consulate or VFS centre responsible for where you legally live. If granted, the visa lets you enter twice within four months — long enough to travel and attend the AIMA appointment that turns it into a two-year residence permit.

The one distinction that decides everything: passive, not active

*Official Requirement.* The D7 is built on income you do not work for. The D8 is built on income you do work for, remotely. Same person, same bank balance, completely different file — and different thresholds: the D7 asks for roughly one minimum wage, the D8 for four. People file the wrong one every week and are refused for it.

Genuinely passive:

• State, occupational and private pensions, and social-security retirement income.
• Rental income from property you own, with contracts and a payment history behind it.
• Dividends, interest, bond coupons, annuities.
• Royalties and intellectual-property income.
• Trust distributions and certain structured investment returns.

Not passive, whatever the statement looks like:

• Salary or wages from employment.
• Freelance or consulting fees for work you perform.
• Remote work for a foreign employer or foreign clients — that is the D8, specifically.
• A one-off transfer, a gift, or the proceeds of a sale.

*Practical Advice.* You can hold a job and still qualify — but the passive component must reach the threshold by itself. Don't add a salary to a small pension to reach €920. And a large balance with no recurring stream is a weak D7: savings support a file, they rarely carry one.

The money test — the mechanism first, then the number

*Official Requirement.* Portugal doesn't publish a euro figure for the D7. It publishes a rule, and the euro figure falls out of it. Portaria n.º 1563/2007, art. 2.º/2 sets means of subsistence as a percentage of the guaranteed minimum monthly wage (RMMG): 100% for the first adult, 50% for each additional adult, 30% for each child under 18 or dependent adult child. Art. 13.º re-indexes those figures automatically whenever the minimum wage moves.

For 2026 the RMMG is €920/month (Decreto-Lei n.º 139/2025), so:

• Single applicant — €920/month.
• Couple — €920 + €460 = €1,380/month.
• Couple with one child — €920 + €460 + €276 = €1,656/month.
• Couple with two children — €1,932/month.

*Official Requirement — the rule specific to the D7.* Art. 5.º/6 of the same Portaria adds two conditions for people living on their own income: the means must be assured for at least twelve months, and they must be available in Portugal. That is the entire legal basis of the famous savings buffer. Twelve months of the single-applicant threshold is 12 × €920 = €11,040, and "available in Portugal" is why posts want to see it in a Portuguese bank account rather than in your bank at home.

*Observed Practice.* Consular D7 checklists ask for exactly that: a Portuguese account holding roughly twelve months of the household requirement, plus six to twelve months of statements showing the income landing on a predictable schedule. Some posts ask for more. This is where D7 files die — the applicant met the monthly income and never funded the buffer, because nobody told them the buffer was a *rule* rather than folklore. It is a rule.

The complete process

Step 1 — Prove to yourself that you're D7, not D8

If the money arrives because you did work this month, stop and read the D8 guide.

Step 2 — Do the arithmetic for your household

Monthly threshold, plus the twelve-month assurance, plus "available in Portugal". Build a margin: exchange-rate movement between preparation and decision has pushed real files under the line.

Step 3 — Get a NIF and open a Portuguese bank account

*Practical Advice.* Prerequisites, not afterthoughts. You need the NIF to open the account, the account to hold the funds, and the funds in place before you file — not after the visa is granted. Non-residents can normally obtain a NIF through a Portuguese tax representative without travelling.

Step 4 — Sort out accommodation

Read the Documents section before signing anything. What AIMA asks for and what a consulate asks for are not the same thing.

Step 5 — File at the consulate

Apply at the Portuguese consulate or VFS centre responsible for the country where you legally live — not the one with the shortest queue. Pay the fee.

Step 6 — Check the visa on issuance

*Official Requirement.* A residence visa is valid for two entries and four months. Count the exact dates printed on it, and save the AIMA appointment normally generated with it.

Step 7 — Travel, and attend AIMA in person

Documents checked, biometrics taken, AIMA's fees paid. Bring originals; don't assume the consulate's file follows you to the counter.

Step 8 — The card

If approved, the card is produced and sent to your Portuguese address. Valid two years, then renewable for successive three-year periods for as long as you still meet the conditions.

Documents — and what each one is really for

The exact list is set by your post's checklist. But three items are surrounded by more misinformation than the rest of the process combined.

Proof of passive income

*Official Requirement.* The source document plus the money landing. Pension award letters or statements; registered rental contracts with a payment history; dividend or brokerage statements; royalty agreements. Then bank statements showing the income actually arriving, month after month. *Common mistake:* one month of statements, or a single large transfer. Officers look for stability, not a peak — and an unexplained large deposit invites questions about where it came from.

Proof that the means are assured and available in Portugal

*Official Requirement.* Art. 5.º/6 in document form: evidence that the income continues for at least the next twelve months (a pension is easy; a two-month rental contract is not), and evidence that funds are reachable in Portugal. In practice: the Portuguese bank account, funded.

Accommodation — the requirement most guides get wrong

*Official Requirement.* At the AIMA stage, AIMA's published list asks for a sworn declaration of your address stating the legal basis on which you occupy it, supported either by a certidão de registo predial if you own the property, or by a declaration from the landlord or the hosting entity if you don't. AIMA's list does not require a twelve-month lease, does not require registration with Finanças, and there is no "Modelo 2" immigration document — Modelo 2 is the landlord's stamp-duty form filed with the tax authority and has nothing to do with you. AIMA's forms are Modelo 1 (the application) and Modelo 4 (a termo de responsabilidade).

*Observed Practice.* At the consulate stage, many posts do ask for a lease of around twelve months and are visibly unhappy with short-term bookings. That is a practice of the post, not a rule of law — and knowing the difference tells you where you have room to explain your situation. Check your post's checklist; don't sign a twelve-month lease from abroad because a blog told you AIMA demanded it.

Criminal record certificate

*Official Requirement.* From your country of nationality, or a country where you have lived for more than a year — an or, not an and. Under-16s are exempt. You also authorise the Portuguese authorities to check the Portuguese criminal record.

*Observed Practice — the 90 days.* Neither AIMA nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs publishes any validity window for a criminal record. The "less than 90 days old" rule everyone repeats is consular and VFS practice, not a published rule. Get a recent certificate — issued within about three months — but don't panic-restart a file because it is on day 95.

*Official Requirement — legalisation and translation.* An apostille if the issuing country is a Hague signatory, otherwise consular legalisation. Two exemptions worth money: documents issued in the EU need no apostille or legalisation at all (Regulation (EU) 2016/1191), and documents in English, French or Spanish need no certified translation (art. 49.º/8 of the Código do Registo Civil). If someone quotes you for translating an English certificate, ask why.

Health insurance

*Official Requirement.* The national-visa list requires insurance covering urgent medical care and repatriation for the period of stay. It states no sum.

The €30,000 figure you see everywhere is the Schengen short-stay minimum. It belongs to a 90-day tourist visa, not to a national residence visa, and no official page says otherwise. Two bilateral exemptions are worth knowing: Brazilian nationals (PB4) and UK nationals (S1) may be covered by reciprocal healthcare arrangements instead. Once you hold the residence permit you can normally register with the public health service (SNS).

D7 files are refused for boringly predictable reasons: income that turns out to be active, a savings buffer that was never funded, a criminal record with a missing apostille, a pension letter with no statements behind it. Portugeasy checks your specific documents against the current AIMA requirements before your appointment and flags what would be rejected — €29 for the file.

Fees

*Official Requirement.* The national visa costs €110, set by Portaria n.º 91/2025/1 and in force since 11 March 2025: "Pelos custos administrativos do tratamento de pedidos de visto nacionais — 110 euros." Be careful: several gov.pt service pages still print the old €90. The Portaria is the law, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs — who take the money — publish €110.

AIMA's fees are separate and were re-indexed on 1 March 2026: reception and analysis of a temporary permit €133.00 (€99.80 digital), and the permit itself €114.30 (€85.80 digital) — roughly €247 in person or about €186 through the digital channel, which is 25% cheaper. There is no separate card fee. Add a VFS or service-provider fee where the post uses one, plus courier, apostille and translation costs.

*Practical Advice.* Service-provider surcharges are real, but no official page publishes an amount, so we won't quote one — ask for the fee schedule in writing. Every figure above moves: AIMA's table is re-indexed annually. Check the current table immediately before your appointment rather than trusting any total, including ours.

How long does it take?

• Visa decision — the official service timeframe is 60 days *(official)*. It is a service standard, not a promise, and posts commonly take longer *(observed)*.
• AIMA appointment — usually generated with the visa; timing depends on the slot *(official process)*.
• Card after the appointment — no dependable nationwide average, and we won't publish one. Any number you see is observed practice from someone else's case.

Bringing your family — read this before you plan anything

This changed in October 2025, and most of what is written about it online is now wrong.

*Official Requirement.* Under Art. 98.º/1 of Lei n.º 23/2007, as amended by Lei n.º 61/2025 (in force 23 October 2025), a sponsor must hold a residence permit that has been "valid for at least two years" before applying to bring family. A D7 holder is not exempt. The exemption list in Art. 98.º/3 is short: minors and dependent incapable persons; a spouse or partner who is co-parent of a dependent minor; and family of holders under Art. 90.º (highly qualified), Art. 90.º-A (ARI/Golden Visa) and Art. 121.º-A (EU Blue Card). Art. 77.º — the D7's article — is not on it.

*Legal Interpretation — and an honest gap.* The statute says only "valid for at least two years". It does not define when the clock starts. You will read confident assertions that it runs from the issuance of the residence card; we cannot source that from the statute or from AIMA, so we won't state it. If your plan depends on the answer, put the question to a lawyer in writing before you move.

Three further changes:

• The 15-month spouse variant (Art. 98.º/2) is real but narrow: it lowers the required permit duration from 24 to 15 months where the spouse or equivalent partner cohabited with the sponsor for at least 18 months immediately before the sponsor entered Portugal. It is about cohabitation abroad, before migrating — not a faster processing lane.
• The decision period is now 9 months (new Art. 105.º), extendable by an equal period — and tacit approval was revoked. The old strategy of waiting six months and claiming the application was tacitly granted no longer exists; AIMA's silence now has to be attacked through an administrative action.
• In-country reunification was narrowed. Only the Art. 98.º/3 categories may now reunify family already in Portugal; everyone else applies from outside the territory. The 180-day transitional window closed in April 2026.

If your plan was "get the D7, then bring the family over in a few months", that plan changed. See Family Reunification.

Living on the D7

The permit is granted because you met conditions and renewed because you still meet them. Keep the evidence that the passive income continues, and keep your address current with AIMA — a missed notification is one of the most avoidable ways to damage a file.

Absences

*Official Requirement, with an important qualification.* Art. 85.º/2(a) says a temporary permit may be cancelled if the holder is absent for 6 consecutive months or 8 non-consecutive months during its validity. Read the verb: "may be cancelled", and only where the absence is without justifiable reason. There are express exceptions — an over-limit absence can be authorised if you request it before you leave, and there is no cancellation where you show you were in your country of origin carrying out professional, business, cultural or social activity. It is a discretionary power with defences, not a hard cap on your calendar. It is still a real risk, and the D7 is a residence route, not a second-home arrangement.

Tax — a separate question, with a sting for pensioners

Immigration status and tax residence are different things. You generally become a Portuguese tax resident by spending more than 183 days here in any 12-month period, or by keeping your habitual abode here with fewer days (CIRS art. 16.º). A tax resident is taxed on worldwide income.

The old NHR regime was repealed with effect from 1 January 2024. Its replacement, IFICI (art. 58.º-A of the EBF), gives a 20% rate on Portuguese employment and self-employment income and exempts most foreign-source income — except pensions. Read that again if you are moving here on a pension: the exemption that made the old regime famous among retirees does not extend to pension income under the new one. That is the single best reason to get Portuguese tax advice before you move.

Are you still legal — and can you travel?

*Official Requirement.* While your residence visa is valid you may enter Portugal (twice, within four months) and complete the permit process. AIMA states it in terms: "the receipt proving the residence-permit application is not a travel document." Neither is a pending appointment. It doesn't guarantee re-entry to Portugal. Don't book non-essential travel mid-process.

We are asked constantly whether a residence permit lets you travel freely in Schengen. The rule people cite is an EU one, but no Portuguese official page states a 90/180 travel right for permit holders, and at least one Portuguese consulate states flatly that a national visa does not permit entry to other Schengen states. We won't turn that into a promise. Carry your permit and passport, check the rules of the country you're entering, and don't plan a trip on the strength of a blog.

If something goes wrong

• Your income dips below the threshold mid-process. Officers assess an average over recent months, so one low month may not sink the file. A sustained drop will. Explain and evidence the pattern rather than hide it.
• Your income is in a volatile currency. Document a margin, not the exact minimum.
• Your visa has no working AIMA appointment. Use AIMA's official contact form, select the residence-permit topic, and identify your consular visa. Don't pay a third party for an appointment.
• The application is refused. Read the written grounds and the deadline. A missing-document refusal is a different problem from one holding that your income is not genuinely passive, or not sufficient. The filing windows are short.

Where a refusal has to be challenged, where the authority disputes that your income is passive, or where a case sits past a statutory deadline, the next step is a formal challenge or a court action inside a filing window — that is a lawyer's job.

Frequently asked questions

How much income do I need in 2026?

€920/month for the main applicant, plus €460 for a second adult and €276 per child. It moves with the minimum wage every year.

Do I really need €11,040 in savings?

The rule is that your means must be assured for at least twelve months and available in Portugal (Portaria 1563/2007, art. 5.º/6). Twelve months of the single-applicant threshold is €11,040 — which is why posts ask to see roughly that in a Portuguese bank account before you file. Some ask for more. It's arithmetic on a real rule, not folklore.

Is the D7 only for retirees?

No. There is no age requirement anywhere in the rules. "Retirement visa" is a nickname; the requirement is stable passive income, at any age.

Can I qualify on savings alone?

Usually not. The test is means that are assured, which points at a stream, not a balance. A large balance strengthens a file; it rarely carries one.

What is the difference between the D7 and the D8?

The D7 is passive income at roughly one minimum wage. The D8 is active remote work for foreign employers or clients at four (€3,680/month in 2026). Applying under the wrong one is the commonest cause of refusal on both routes. See Digital Nomad Visa (D8).

Can I work in Portugal once I hold a D7 permit?

Your passive income must clear the threshold on its own — work can never be what qualifies you. Whether the permit then authorises you to take employment is not something we can source cleanly from AIMA's or the Ministry's published pages, so we won't assert it in either direction. If your plan depends on working here, don't build it on this page.

Do I have to buy property?

No. There is no minimum property value or size, and renting is normal.

Can I use an Airbnb, or a six-month lease?

At the AIMA stage, the list asks for a sworn declaration of your address and its legal basis, backed by a property certificate or a declaration from your landlord or a hosting entity. It does not require a twelve-month lease. At the consulate stage many posts do want a longer lease — that's the post's practice. Don't confuse the two.

Do I need a lease registered with Finanças, or a "Modelo 2"?

No, and there is no such immigration document. Modelo 2 is the landlord's stamp-duty declaration to the tax authority. AIMA's forms are Modelo 1 and Modelo 4.

Must my criminal record be less than 90 days old?

No published rule says so — AIMA and the Ministry state no validity window at all. The 90 days is consular and VFS practice: real enough that you should get a recent certificate, but not a law.

Does it need an apostille and a translation?

An apostille (or consular legalisation) yes, unless it was issued in the EU — EU documents need no formalisation. And no certified translation is needed for documents in English, French or Spanish.

Does travel insurance count as health insurance?

The national-visa list requires cover for urgent medical care and repatriation and states no sum. The €30,000 you'll see quoted is the Schengen short-stay minimum and doesn't belong to a national visa. Brazilian (PB4) and UK (S1) nationals may be covered by bilateral arrangements instead.

How many months of bank statements should I show?

Six is a common floor; twelve is stronger; one is a refusal risk. Stability is what's being tested.

How long is the visa valid?

Two entries and four months. Count the dates printed on it.

How long is the first residence permit valid?

Two years, renewable for successive three-year periods.

How long does the whole thing take?

The official visa timeframe is 60 days. End to end — consulate, travel, AIMA appointment, card — it commonly runs to several months. We won't publish a total, because there isn't an honest one.

Can my family come with me?

They can be included at the outset, with the household thresholds rising accordingly. If they stay behind and you sponsor them later, the two-year rule applies to you — D7 holders got no exemption. See Family Reunification.

Is family reunification tacitly approved after six months?

Not any more. Lei n.º 61/2025 set the decision period at nine months and revoked tacit approval. Any source still describing a six-month tacit-approval route is out of date.

How much time must I spend in Portugal?

The permit may be cancelled for absences over 6 consecutive or 8 non-consecutive months, but only where the absence is without justifiable reason, and there are express exceptions (including authorisation requested before you leave). A real risk with defences, not a hard cap.

Will I pay Portuguese tax on my pension?

If you become a tax resident (broadly 183+ days, or a habitual abode), you're taxed on worldwide income including foreign pensions. NHR is closed; the replacement, IFICI, exempts most foreign-source income but not pensions. Get tax advice before you move.

Does the D7 lead to permanent residence and citizenship?

Yes. Permanent residence after 5 years (unchanged). Citizenship now takes 7 years for nationals of Portuguese-language countries and of EU Member States, and 10 years for everyone else — Lei Orgânica n.º 1/2026, in force since 19 May 2026. The transitional rule protects only applications already filed by that date; simply having five years of residence protects nobody. See Becoming a Portuguese Citizen.

Before you submit: final checklist

• Income confirmed as genuinely passive, not remote work.
• Monthly threshold met by the passive income alone (€920 + €460 + €276 per child).
• Twelve months of means assured — evidence the income continues.
• Portuguese NIF obtained; Portuguese bank account opened and funded.
• Six to twelve months of bank statements showing the income arriving.
• Accommodation evidence matching your post's checklist, and the AIMA declaration of address ready.
• Criminal record obtained, recent, apostilled (unless EU-issued), translated (unless in EN/FR/ES).
• Health insurance covering urgent care and repatriation.
• Your post's checklist downloaded and compared item by item.
• Visa checked on issuance: entries and dates.
• AIMA appointment saved; originals packed.

Related guides

Which Immigration Route Is Right for You? · Residence Visa vs Residence Permit · Digital Nomad Visa (D8) · Family Reunification · The Documents You'll Need · Becoming a Portuguese Citizen

Sources

• AIMA — residence permits and living in Portugal
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs — national visas
• Portaria n.º 91/2025/1 — visa fees (Diário da República)
• AIMA — fee table
• Lei n.º 23/2007 (consolidated immigration law)
• gov.pt — national visa services