This guide explains the Portugal digital nomad visa in 2026: both versions of the D8, the income test, the documents and how to apply.
What changed in 2025 and 2026
The D8 itself has not been redesigned since it was created in 2022, but the rules around it have changed: family reunification now has a waiting period, AIMA has new decision deadlines, naturalisation takes longer and the income benchmark rose with the 2026 minimum wage.
| Change | Date in force | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Lei n.º 61/2025 introduces a two-year waiting period for most family reunification | 23 October 2025 | Bring your family with you at the visa stage if you can. A spouse without dependent children who follows later generally waits until you have held your permit for two years. |
| Lei n.º 61/2025 limits urgent court actions against AIMA (new Article 87-B) | 23 October 2025 | The urgent procedure is now reserved for serious and direct threats to your rights. In other cases a court must weigh AIMA’s caseload and resources. |
| Lei n.º 61/2025 allows visa refusals for past illegal entry or stay | 23 October 2025 | An earlier Schengen overstay can count against you, for up to seven years in serious cases. |
| Minimum wage rises to €920 a month | 1 January 2026 | The benchmark for D8 income is higher than in 2025. |
| Lei Orgânica n.º 1/2026 amends the Nationality Law | Published 18 May 2026 | Non-EU nationals from outside the Portuguese-speaking world need ten years of legal residence to naturalise. |
| Lei n.º 62/2026 amends the Foreigners Law | Published 10 September 2026 | AIMA must decide residence permit applications within 90 days, extendable by 30 days, and a refusal must state your right to challenge it and the deadline. |
| Proposed minimum wage of €970 a month | Proposed for 1 January 2027 | Applications and renewals from January 2027 are likely to face a higher benchmark. |
Correcting an outdated assumption. Many articles describe the D8 as a route to tax-free remote work through the non-habitual resident (NHR) regime. NHR closed to new entrants from 1 January 2024. Its replacement, IFICI, applies only to eligible activities carried out in eligible entities, so many remote workers employed abroad should assume they will pay standard Portuguese income tax once resident.
Temporary stay or residence: the two versions of the D8
Choose the temporary stay version if you want to spend less than a year in Portugal, and the residence version if you want to settle, renew and eventually qualify for permanent residence. Both are created by the same 2022 reform of the Foreigners Law (Lei n.º 18/2022).
| Feature | Temporary stay visa for remote work | Residence visa for remote work |
|---|---|---|
| Legal basis | Article 54(1)(i) of Lei n.º 23/2007 | Article 61-B of Lei n.º 23/2007 |
| Length of stay | Less than one year | Four months on the visa, then a residence permit from AIMA |
| Entries | Multiple | Two |
| Consulate decision deadline | 30 days from a complete application | 60 days |
| Leads to a residence permit | No | Yes |
| Counts towards permanent residence | No | Yes, once you hold the residence permit |
| Proof of work required | Employment contract or service contract | Employment relationship or provision of services |
The temporary stay version suits a long working stay, a trial year or a sabbatical. If you think you might stay, start with the residence version, as switching later may require a new application. For a wider view of all the routes, see how to get residency in Portugal.
Who qualifies for the D8
The D8 is for employees and self-employed professionals whose work is done remotely for individuals or companies with their home or registered office outside Portugal. Article 61-B of the Foreigners Law requires you to demonstrate the employment relationship or the provision of services, as the case may be.
You are likely to fit the D8 if you are:
- An employee of a UK, US or other foreign company with a contract that permits you to work from Portugal.
- A freelancer or contractor with clients based outside Portugal.
- A company director or owner working for your own company registered abroad, provided you can document the relationship.
The general conditions for any Portuguese visa also apply: a valid travel document, travel insurance, means of subsistence, no entry ban in the Schengen Information System and no conviction in Portugal carrying more than one year of imprisonment.
Warning: Portuguese clients are a grey area. The legal text describes work for people or companies based outside Portugal. If you plan to take on Portuguese clients or a Portuguese employer, take advice first, as a work or self-employment residence permit may be the correct route. Our guide to working in Portugal as an expat sets out the alternatives.
The income requirement in 2026
For the residence version, GOV.UK states that you must earn at least four times the Portuguese minimum wage and prove that level of income for the last three months; with the minimum wage at €920 a month from 1 January 2026, that is €3,680 a month. If the proposed 2027 minimum wage of €970 is confirmed, the figure will rise to €3,880 from January 2027.
| Item | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum monthly wage | €920 a month | €970 a month (proposed) |
| Residence version: four times the minimum wage | €3,680 a month | €3,880 a month (if the proposed minimum wage is confirmed) |
| Approximate sterling equivalent | About £3,080 a month (approximate) | Not yet confirmed |
| Period of income to prove | The last three months | Expected to be unchanged |
| Temporary stay version | Proof that you can support yourself; check your consulate’s checklist | Expected to be unchanged |
Check how your consulate applies the rule, for example whether it looks at gross or net income and whether it also asks for savings. Each family member who applies with you increases the means you must show.
Where sources conflict. GOV.UK’s page on working in Portugal, last updated in April 2024, still gives €3,040 a month as the threshold, a figure it labels as applying in 2023. The rule it states, four times the minimum wage, is the one to apply: on the 2026 minimum wage of €920 that is €3,680 a month. Consulates and their visa outsourcing providers also describe any savings requirement in different ways, so download the current checklist for the consulate that serves your area.
If you are weighing up whether the numbers work, the guide to the cost of living in Portugal for expats gives a sense of what a remote salary buys in Lisbon, Porto and smaller towns.
D8 document checklist
The core documents are the same for every Portuguese residence visa; the D8 adds proof of your remote employment or client relationships and of your income.
| Document | Notes |
|---|---|
| National visa application form, completed and signed | One for each applicant |
| Two recent passport-style photographs | One is attached to the form |
| Passport valid for at least three months after your planned return, with a copy of the photo page | Check expiry dates against a full permit period if you plan to stay |
| Proof of legal status in the country where you apply | If you are not a national of that country |
| Criminal record certificate, apostilled or legalised | Not required for children under 16 |
| Travel insurance covering medical expenses, urgent care and repatriation | May be waived under bilateral agreements, including those with the UK and Brazil |
| Employment contract, or service contracts with foreign clients | Must show the work is done remotely for a person or company based outside Portugal |
| Employer’s letter or company documents | Confirming you may work from Portugal, or proving your ownership of a foreign company |
| Proof of income | Payslips, invoices, tax returns and bank statements |
| Proof of accommodation in Portugal | A lease, deed or other evidence, as your consulate requires |
| For minors: parental authorisation or court order and a parent’s identity document | Where the child is not travelling with both parents |
Check whether your consulate also asks for a Portuguese tax number (NIF). Documents in other languages may need a certified translation.
Tip: Long leases are easier to evidence than holiday lets. A short-term holiday rental can look weak as proof of accommodation for a residence visa. The guide to renting in Portugal explains how leases are registered, and the guide to the best places to live in Portugal compares the areas where remote workers settle.
How to apply, step by step
You apply at the Portuguese consulate or visa centre that serves the country where you legally live, then complete the residence permit with AIMA in Portugal if you chose the residence version.
- Choose the version. Temporary stay for less than a year, or residence if you want a permit.
- Download your consulate’s checklist. Confirm the current income calculation and any requirement for a NIF or Portuguese bank account.
- Prepare your evidence. Contracts, employer letter, income records, accommodation, criminal record certificate with apostille, and health cover.
- Attend the appointment. Submit the file, give biometrics and pay the consular fee.
- Receive the decision. The law sets 30 days for a temporary stay visa and 60 days for a residence visa.
- Travel to Portugal. A residence visa gives you two entries and four months. A pre-authorisation of residence is issued with it, recording the provisional assignment of your tax, social security and national health service numbers.
- Attend your AIMA appointment (residence version). AIMA checks your documents and biometrics, carries out security checks and must decide within 90 days, extendable once by 30 days.
- Collect your residence card. Carry it with you: GOV.UK notes it is a legal requirement in Portugal to carry a valid residence document.
Callout: AIMA renewals and the old backlog. AIMA replaced the immigration service SEF in October 2023 and inherited a large backlog. Its website now runs a dedicated renewals portal and separate procedures for permits that expired between 22 February 2020 and 30 June 2025. Build a margin into your plans, and keep every receipt and booking confirmation.
Bringing your family
Your spouse and children can apply for their own visas at the same time as you, and that is now the safest approach; family who follow later face the waiting periods introduced on 23 October 2025.
| Family situation | Rule since 23 October 2025 |
|---|---|
| Family members apply with you at the consulate | Applications may be filed at the same time as yours |
| Minor or incapacitated dependent children joining later | No minimum waiting period |
| Spouse or partner who is a parent of your minor or incapacitated dependent child | No minimum waiting period |
| Spouse or partner who lived with you for at least 18 months before you entered Portugal | You must have held your permit for 15 months |
| Other eligible family members joining later | You must have held your permit for two years |
| Holders of teaching, highly qualified or cultural activity permits, or investment residence permits | Exempt from the waiting period |
Family reunification also requires adequate housing and enough means to support everyone without social benefits. After approval, family members must take part in Portuguese language training and a course on constitutional principles and values, and AIMA has nine months to decide an application.
D8, D7 or Golden Visa: which route fits?
Pick the D8 if your income comes from active remote work, the D7 if it comes from pensions or investments, and an investment permit only if you are making a qualifying investment and want the family reunification exemption that comes with it.
| Factor | D8 (remote work) | D7 (passive income) | Investment residence permit (Golden Visa) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income source | Remote employment or freelance work for foreign clients | Pensions, rents, dividends, interest | Qualifying investment |
| Income benchmark | Four times the minimum wage: €3,680 a month in 2026 (residence version) | The €920 minimum wage, plus amounts for family | Set by the investment route rather than income |
| Short-stay option | Yes, temporary stay visa of under a year | No | No |
| Family reunification waiting period for a spouse joining later | Two years in most cases | Two years in most cases | Exempt |
| Leads to permanent residence after five years | Yes, residence version only | Yes | Yes |
A full comparison of the D7 is in our guide to the Portugal D7 visa.
Renewals, absences, permanent residence and citizenship
A D8 residence permit is renewed through AIMA’s renewals portal; GOV.UK says temporary cards need renewing every two to three years and permanent residence becomes available after five years.
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Renewal deadline | Apply no later than 30 days before your permit expires |
| Renewal conditions | Means of subsistence, housing, tax and social security affairs in order, no prison sentence over one year |
| Renewal receipt | Valid as a residence permit for 60 days, and can be extended |
| AIMA decision on a renewal | 60 days |
| Absences on a temporary permit | No more than six consecutive or eight non-consecutive months during the permit’s validity, unless justified |
| Permanent residence | After five years of temporary residence, with basic Portuguese |
| Naturalisation | Ten years of legal residence for British, American and other non-EU nationals from outside the Portuguese-speaking world; seven years for EU and Portuguese-speaking country nationals |
Warning: Nomads who travel a lot can lose their permit. Remote workers often spend long periods away. The Foreigners Law allows a temporary permit to be cancelled after more than six consecutive months, or eight non-consecutive months, of unjustified absence. A permit will not be cancelled if you prove professional activity abroad during the absence, so keep records, or ask AIMA in advance.
Tax and social security for remote workers
Once you spend more than 183 days in Portugal in a 12-month period, or keep a home there as your habitual residence, you are generally a Portuguese tax resident and taxed on your worldwide income at rates from 12.5% to 48% in 2026. A solidarity surcharge of 2.5% applies on taxable income above €80,000, rising to 5% above €250,000.
| Regime | Who it is for | Relevance to D8 holders |
|---|---|---|
| Standard IRS (personal income tax) | All residents | Applies to most remote workers |
| IFICI | New residents doing eligible activities in eligible entities, with no Portuguese tax residence in the previous five years | 20% flat rate on qualifying employment and self-employment income for ten years; many remote employees of foreign companies will not qualify, so check before relying on it |
| IRS Jovem | Taxpayers up to age 35 with employment or self-employment income | Partial exemption over ten years, capped at €29,542.15 of exempt income in 2026 |
| NHR | Closed to new entrants since 1 January 2024 | Not available to new arrivals |
Social security is a separate question. Depending on where your employer is based and on any agreement between that country and Portugal, you may stay in your home country’s system or need to register in Portugal. Freelancers in particular should take advice before the first tax year. Our overview of taxes for expats living in Portugal covers the basics, and the guide to expat tax advisers in Portugal explains what to ask an adviser.
Sort out your tax position as a remote worker
Find tax advisers in Portugal who work with digital nomads, freelancers and employees of foreign companies
Mistakes that delay D8 applications
The most common problems are contracts that do not clearly allow remote work from Portugal, income calculated on an out-of-date minimum wage, and accommodation evidence that looks temporary.
| Mistake | How to avoid it |
|---|---|
| Employment contract silent on remote work | Ask your employer for a letter confirming you may work from Portugal |
| Income threshold based on an older minimum wage | Recalculate on €920 a month for 2026 |
| Choosing the temporary stay version and then wanting to stay | Choose the residence version if settling is a real possibility |
| Holiday let as accommodation evidence | Use a longer lease or a property deed |
| Family left to follow later | Apply together at the consulate to avoid the waiting period |
| Past overstay in the Schengen area | Take advice before applying, as visas can now be refused on this ground |
| Missed renewal deadline | Apply at least 30 days before expiry through the AIMA portal |
When an application stalls or is refused, a Portuguese lawyer can explain your options; see how to find an immigration lawyer in Portugal. Our complete guide to moving to Portugal covers the rest of the move, and the ExpatListing Portugal hub lists providers by category.
Find a long-term home before your appointment
Browse housing and rental specialists in Portugal who can help remote workers secure a lease that satisfies the consulate
Frequently asked questions
