D8 Visa
Residence visa for remote professional activity.
The D8 is the residence visa foreseen in Law 23/2007, as amended by Law 18/2022, for nationals of third countries who carry out remote professional activity — either as employees of a foreign employer or as independent service providers contracted by foreign entities. It was introduced in 2022 and has rapidly become the most used route for technology, services and intellectual professionals seeking to establish residence in Portugal while keeping their activity tied to entities abroad.
What the D8 visa is
The D8 grants authorisation to enter Portugal and, subsequently, to obtain a residence title at AIMA. The focus of the regime is the remote professional relationship with a foreign entity: the holder performs the activity from Portuguese territory, but the employer or the clients are non-Portuguese entities. Hence the formal structure of the regime — distinct from the D7 (regular own income without activity) and from the visas for subordinate work in Portugal (relationship with a Portuguese entity).
D8 residence opens the door to family reunification, periodic renewal, long-term resident status after five years and to the application for Portuguese nationality by naturalisation — also after five years of legal residency.
Who may benefit
The D8 route tends to fit profiles such as:
- Technology professionals with an employment relationship with a foreign company, working fully remotely.
- Service and consulting professionals with service agreements with foreign clients, performed from Portugal.
- Intellectual and creative workers with stable contractual income from foreign sources — writing, design, research, training.
- Subordinated workers in international mobility models, where the employer authorises the move to Portugal without altering the relationship.
The final choice of route depends, in each case, on the actual composition of the income, on the nature of the relationship (employment or service provision) and on the intended tax framing after the transfer of residence.
Requirements and documentation
D8 eligibility, in practical reading, brings together several blocks:
- Remote professional relationship, in one of the two modalities:
- Employed work — employment contract with a foreign employer, with evidence of continuity of the relationship after the move to Portugal.
- Independent work — service agreements with foreign entities, with elements of regularity and stability.
- Minimum income, set by reference to a multiple of the Portuguese minimum wage, with uplifts for dependants. The exact figures are revised annually.
- Contemporaneous evidence of income — statements, invoices, tax filings — covering the period required by the consulate.
- Accommodation in Portugal — lease agreement or property title.
- Health insurance — valid in Portugal and covering the relevant period.
- Criminal records — issued by the country of nationality and by any country where the applicant has resided for more than one year. As a rule, accepted only if issued less than ninety days before filing and duly apostilled or legalised.
- NIF and bank account — typical preparatory steps before filing the application. The NIF can be obtained by power of attorney.
- Identity documentation — passport with validity longer than the title to be issued.
The documentary composition is often the decisive factor. Foreign documents require an apostille or consular legalisation depending on the country of issue, and a certified Portuguese translation where required.
Difference from the D7 and the Golden Visa
Choosing between routes with overlapping requirements is one of the most technical decisions at the start of the file:
- D8 versus D7 — the D8 is intended for applicants performing remote professional activity tied to foreign employers or clients. The D7 is intended for applicants who sustain themselves on regular own income not dependent on employment activity — pensions, dividends, rentals. Income thresholds, evidence requirements and tax positioning are separate. The choice must rest on the actual nature of the income.
- D8 versus Golden Visa — the Golden Visa is a residence title for investment activity, currently on the remaining productive routes (funds, scientific research, cultural contribution, job creation, company capital, capital transfer). The D8 is a residence visa based on professional income, not on investment. The real estate route of the Golden Visa was closed in October 2023.
The initial consultation always ends with a written framing recommending the appropriate route, without committing the outcome.
Administrative risk, timelines and documentary preparation
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 calibrated against recent observed practice for the type of file, not fixed deadlines, and we revisit them every fortnight.
The principal risk factors in D8 applications include:
- documents that are incomplete, out of date or poorly translated;
- evidence of income that does not cover the period required by the consulate, or that does not sufficiently demonstrate the regularity of the source;
- a professional relationship whose nature is not clearly remote — for example, contracts with clauses requiring presence in the employer’s office;
- a mismatch between the applicant’s actual profile and the chosen route — for example, profiles with predominantly passive income that fit the D7 better;
- criminal record certificates older than ninety days;
- accommodation in Portugal with defects of proof (lease without recognition, inconsistent address).
Documentary preparation is, in practice, where time is gained or lost. The initial consultation exists precisely to avoid defective filings before they are submitted.
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, liaison with the relevant consulate and follow-up at AIMA through to issuance of the first title 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 not tax advisers: detailed questions on the tax regime applicable after the transfer of residence are handled by the tax team in a separate consultation, with integrated framing.
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
Is the D8 the same as the “digital nomad visa”?
Yes. “Digital nomad visa” is the informal name used in international media. The Portuguese legal figure is the D8 visa, foreseen in Law 23/2007 as amended by Law 18/2022. The formal rules — modalities, minimum income, documentation — are those of the D8.
Can I use the D8 as an independent service provider (freelancer)?
Yes. The D8 admits two modalities: employed work, under an employment relationship with a foreign employer, and independent work, under service agreements with foreign entities. In each modality, the evidence required adjusts to the nature of the relationship — employment contract or service agreements, with contemporaneous evidence of income.
What is the minimum income required?
The law uses the Portuguese minimum wage as a reference, with a multiplier applicable to the D8 profile and uplifts for dependants. The exact figures are revised annually. The initial consultation communicates in writing the threshold applicable to the case, together with the supporting evidence required by the relevant consulate.
Can I work for a Portuguese company under the D8?
The D8 is intended for professional activity performed from Portugal for a foreign entity — either employer or client. Relationships with a Portuguese entity belong to other routes, namely the D2 for independent activity or the visas for subordinated workers. Mixed cases (part of the income from Portuguese sources, part from foreign sources) are analysed on a case-by-case basis.
What is the practical difference between the D8 and the D7?
The D7 is intended for applicants who sustain themselves on regular own income not dependent on activity performed in Portugal — pensions, dividends, rentals. The D8 is intended for applicants performing remote professional activity tied to foreign employers or clients. Income thresholds, evidence requirements and tax positioning are separate. The choice must rest on the actual nature of the income, not on preference.
How long until I can apply for Portuguese nationality?
Nationality may be applied for by naturalisation after five years of legal residency. Since 2024, the period is counted from the date of the initial residence permit application, and not from the issue date of the title — which means that administrative waiting time no longer counts against the applicant.
Responsible author
Jorge Ferraz. Admitted to the Portuguese Bar since 2002. Leads the professional website DefesaLegal.pt. University lecturer in Portugal. Sustained practice in D8 visa applications across both modalities, with particular focus on technology profiles, international service provision and professional mobility.
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.