Immigration
Enter, stay, work.
Immigration to Portugal is organised around a few early decisions that shape the rest of the file: which route best matches the applicant’s profile, which documents will be required, at which consulate the file begins, and how it is followed up with AIMA after arrival. This page acts as a hub: it sets out the landscape of routes, offers practical criteria for the choice and links to the dedicated matter pages of the three most-sought routes. The applicable framework is Law 23/2007, repeatedly amended, together with Law 18/2022 reorganising the immigration service.
Our practice in this area is daily. The initial consultation always ends with a written framing — applicable route, document checklist, timeline estimate per phase and a fee proposal where the matter permits.
Scope of work
- Residence visas in all categories — D2, D3, D7, D8, Golden Visa on currently available routes, visas for study, training, volunteering and scientific research
- Initial residence permits and renewals
- Family reunification
- Long-term resident status (after five years)
- Replacements and amendments of title
- Visas and CPLP regime for nationals of the Portuguese-speaking community
- Articulation with subsequent acquisition of Portuguese nationality
- Administrative appeals against AIMA decisions and proceedings before the administrative courts
When to seek legal support
There are points in the process where legal support saves significant time and avoids costly corrections later:
- before filing the initial application, when choosing between routes with overlapping requirements (D7 versus D8, or Golden Visa among the remaining routes);
- in documentary preparation, particularly with foreign documents subject to specific apostille and translation rules;
- in responding to AIMA requests for additional information;
- when a file is refused, where the appeal deadline is short and requires a technical reading of the decision;
- before renewal, to confirm that the title issued covers the activities actually performed;
- when administrative inaction extends and warrants a court action to compel the Administration to act.
The three main routes
Immigration to Portugal is, in practice, organised around three routes with dedicated matter pages:
Golden Visa — residence permit for investment activity, foreseen in Law 23/2007 and substantially reformed in October 2023 by Law 56/2023. Currently in force on the productive routes: venture capital funds, scientific research, cultural contribution, job creation, company capital in Portugal and capital transfer. The real estate route was closed in October 2023 and is no longer an eligible path for the Golden Visa. It carries a reduced minimum stay (seven days in the first year, fourteen days in each subsequent two-year period). It is the route for investors with a multi-year horizon.
D7 Visa — residence visa for holders of regular own income, foreseen in article 58 of Law 23/2007. Retirees, pensioners, holders of rental income and professionals with stable passive income (pensions, rentals, dividends, royalties). It does not require a minimum investment — only evidence of monthly income above the statutory threshold, set by reference to the Portuguese minimum wage. It implies effective residency in Portugal.
D8 Visa — residence visa for remote professional activity, introduced in 2022 by Law 18/2022. Dependent employment with a foreign employer, or independent service provision to foreign entities. Informally known as the digital nomad visa. It implies effective residency in Portugal and evidence of the remote professional relationship.
There are also other routes covered, with their own dedicated matter pages or treated alongside them:
- D2 visa — entrepreneurial or independent professional activity in Portugal, for entrepreneurs, independent professionals and investors in operating economic activity;
- Family reunification — spouses, minor children, adult children still dependent, ascendants in a state of economic dependence, partners in a recognised de facto union;
- CPLP regime — simplified mechanism for nationals of the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries, with its own rules for declaration of interest and for conversion into a residence permit.
How to choose the appropriate route
The technical choice between Golden Visa, D7 and D8 is decided against concrete criteria:
- Source of income. Regular passive income (pensions, rentals, dividends, royalties) → D7. Income from remote professional activity tied to a foreign entity → D8. Income from eligible investment activity in Portugal → Golden Visa.
- Capital availability. The Golden Visa requires a minimum investment on the remaining routes, with minimum amounts foreseen in the law for each route. The D7 and D8 do not require capital — only monthly income above the statutory threshold.
- Minimum stay in Portugal. The Golden Visa carries a reduced minimum stay (seven days in the first year, fourteen days in each subsequent two-year period). The D7 and D8 imply effective residency, with substantially longer time spent in Portugal.
- Professional relationship. Employment relationship with a foreign employer, fully remote → D8. Entrepreneur or independent professional with operating economic activity in Portugal → D2 (not Golden Visa, not D8). Without an employment relationship, sustained by own income → D7.
- Nationality horizon. All routes allow an application for naturalisation after five years of legal residency. The Golden Visa has the particularity that its reduced minimum stay may bear on the verification of effective residency at the moment of the naturalisation filing.
- Contentious risk. Each route has its own risk profile — documentary defects, mismatch between actual profile and chosen route, criminal records — assessed at the initial consultation.
The initial consultation exists precisely to map these criteria in concrete terms and produce a written framing of the recommended route — with the alternatives and their respective trade-offs.
Documents, timelines and administrative risk
The documentary component is often the decisive factor. Foreign documents require an apostille or consular legalisation depending on the country of issue, and almost always a certified translation into Portuguese. Criminal record certificates older than ninety days are, as a rule, refused. Income evidence must cover the period required by the consulate.
AIMA processing times in 2026 are not uniform: they vary by application type, by the office handling the file and by the administrative phase. We communicate estimates within reasonable horizons, not promises, and we review them every fortnight.
Prolonged administrative inaction is addressable by legal means: requests for further information, an action to compel the Administration to act, or administrative court proceedings where warranted. Each of these has its own cost and timing implications, assessed case by case.
How we work this area
The responsible partner reads the entire matter before the first reply. The initial consultation usually lasts 25 minutes and ends with a written framing of the applicable route, a document checklist, a timeline estimate per phase and a fee proposal where the matter permits.
From that point, the team handles documentary preparation — apostilles, certified translations, Portuguese and foreign criminal records, evidence of income and accommodation — and the filing itself. We follow the file with the consulate and with AIMA through to title issuance and the first renewal. Where a file is refused or extended inaction occurs, we lodge the appeal and, where required, bring proceedings before the administrative courts.
We are bound by the Statute of the Portuguese Bar Association (Law 145/2015) and by Law 6/2024 on legal advertising. We do not publish results-based metrics, we do not make comparisons with other firms, and we do not promise outcomes.
Frequently asked
What are the main routes to reside in Portugal?
There are three most-sought routes: Golden Visa (residence for investment activity, with no real estate route since October 2023), D7 (residence for holders of regular own income — pensions, rentals, dividends) and D8 (residence for remote professional activity tied to foreign entities). There are also other routes covered — D2 (entrepreneurs and independent professionals), family reunification and the CPLP regime — each with its own requirements.
How is the most appropriate route chosen?
The choice is decided by the actual nature of the income, the availability of capital, the minimum stay required and the contentious risk profile. Regular passive income typically points to the D7; remote professional activity tied to foreign entities points to the D8; investment in eligible productive routes points to the Golden Visa. The initial consultation always ends with a written framing of the recommended route and of the alternatives with their trade-offs.
Can I obtain a NIF and open a bank account before arriving in Portugal?
Yes. The Portuguese tax number (NIF) can be requested by power of attorney and is, as a rule, the first step. Opening a bank account varies by institution, and may be possible remotely or may require attendance. These are preparatory steps, not immigration filings in themselves.
Is family reunification available on every route?
Yes. Golden Visa, D7, D8 and the remaining residence routes admit family reunification of spouses, minor children, adult children still dependent through study or disability, ascendants in a state of economic dependence, and partners in a recognised de facto union. Each category has its own documentary requirements and processing timelines.
Can I apply for Portuguese nationality after obtaining residency?
As a rule, yes, after five years of legal residency — by naturalisation. Since 2024, the period is counted from the date of the initial residence permit application, not from the issue date of the title. The Golden Visa has a particularity — it requires only a reduced minimum stay (seven days in the first year, fourteen days in each subsequent two-year period), which may bear on the verification of effective residency at the moment of the naturalisation filing.
Responsible author
Jorge Ferraz. Admitted to the Portuguese Bar since 2002. Leads the professional website DefesaLegal.pt. University lecturer in Portugal. Sustained practice in immigration and establishment in Portugal, with cross-route experience across the three main routes and in cross-border individual and family matters.
This page is a starting point. The actual analysis of your case begins at the initial consultation — 25 minutes, in person in Porto or by video, with a written framing afterwards.
Reviewed May 2026.