What is the Portugal Nomad Visa?
Whilst the Portugal Nomad Visa doesn’t actually exist, it’s the name commonly assigned to what is officially the Portugal D7 Passive Income Visa. The D7 Visa allows the holder to reside in Portugal for 1 year and can be further extended for 2 year periods. After 5 years, holders of the visa are eligible to apply for citizenship.
As a holder of the D7 Digital Nomad Visa you can apply to bring your marital partner and dependent children with you.
What are the general requirements?
D7 Nomad Visa applicants are required to demonstrate they have passive income of at least EUR 8,460 per year, this increases by 50% for a married couple and a further 30% for each dependent they bring with them.
Whilst the focus of passive income has historically meant income from sources like pensions, property rentals and investments, more recently, visa applications have been approved for those with an income from remote work from international sources, such as contractors of non-Portuguese companies.
It is for this reason the D7 Visa has become known as the Portugal Nomad Visa or Portugal Remote Work Visa.
In addition to proof of any income sources, you will also be required to deposit a minimum of EUR8,460 (although we recommend more) into a local Portuguese bank account, have proof of accommodation in Portugal, a clean criminal record and take out a valid health insurance policy.
How much time do I need to spend in Portugal?
D7 Visa holders are required to spend 183 uninterrupted days per year in Portugal or 8 months with various breaks throughout the year.
Where can I travel with my Portugal D7 visa?
With your portugal nomad visa you can travel to all EU Schengen countries as you have the travel benefits of being an EU citizen.
How do I apply for the Portugal Nomad Visa?
The Portugal Nomad D7 Visa can be applied for from your home country via the consulate without the need to visit Portugal.
You will need to attend an appointment at the consulate with all your supporting documents and leave your passport with them to be stamped. We will arrange your consulate appointment for you and help complete your application and supporting documents using our innovative checklist software so you have less to worry about!
Once you’ve gathered all your documents and attended your consulate appointment your application will typically be processed in approx. 6-8 weeks. Processing times do vary between the consulates so it may be longer than this.
Where applicants haven’t enlisted the support of a professional like Cavenwell Nomads, applications may be rejected for further documentation or clarification which can further extend the processing time.
Once the application has been processed you will be issued with a D7 visa which is stamped into your passport and is valid for 4 months. This visa stamp will contain a URL confirming your Portugal Immigration & Borders Service (SEF) appointment.
Due to backlogs from the pandemic your appointment may not be at the closest SEF center to your chosen relocation spot in Portugal so be prepared to travel to your appointment.
Now you have your D7 visa and passport back, it’s time to travel to Portugal!
Once you’re in Portugal you will need to attend your SEF appointment so that you can apply for your residency permit and have your biometric prints taken.
Following your SEF appointment you will receive your residence permit in the post, again due to backlogs this can take up to a few months.
Required Documents
Before you attend your consulate appointment you will need to apply for an NIF which is your Portuguese tax identification number. We will take care of this and apply for it for you, using our partnered fiscal representative. NIF’s are typically issued within 1 week.
With your NIF number you can then apply for a local Portuguese bank account so you can deposit your proof of funds required for the D7 Nomad Visa application. We can also assist you with this, it typically takes 3-4 weeks for the bank to open your account.
Once your bank account is open you can then deposit the EUR 8,460 for your proof of funds for the D7 Visa application.
As this figure is based on 1 years worth of minimum wage salary we suggest using this as an absolute minimum requirement, additional funds will strengthen your application.
As soon as you have your NIF number you can start looking for accommodation in your chosen relocation spot.
Once you have found the right accommodation for you, you’ll need to sign your lease agreement or finalise your property purchase so you can bring either the lease agreement or title deed with you to your consulate appointment.
If you’re renting your accommodation the lease agreement should be for a minimum of 12 months to meet the D7 Visa application proof of accommodation requirements.
As the D7 visa requires a clean criminal record for applicants you will need to bring a criminal record screening report with you to your consulate appointment. This varies depending on your home country however we can assist in identifying the correct body to request your criminal record report from.
You’re also required to obtain travel health insurance with a minimum coverage or EUR30,000 per applicant, we can help identify insurance providers who offer compliant insurance depending on your home country and have a number of insurance partners we work with.
Documents you need to bring to your consulate appointment include:
- Your physical passport which is valid for at least 6 months
- 2 physical passport sized pictures
- Declaration about the reasons for your application
- Your health insurance policy
- Criminal Record Certificate
- Proof of Accommodation – e.g. 12 month lease or property title deed
- Proof of funds deposited into your Portuguese bank account
- Your NIF paperwork
- Proof of Passive Income – eg 6 months bank statements (from your home country)
How can Cavenwell help?
At Cavenwell we pride ourselves in providing end-to-end managed services. This means throughout the process you’ll have access to a dedicated professional to manage your application with you and answer any questions you may have.
Using our innovative checklist portal, you’ll be able to securely provide information and documentation to assist us in completing your application alongside guidance notes and a messaging function to ask questions and receive responses on each of the requirements.
Through our partnerships with providers such as banks and insurance companies, we can help secure accounts and policies remotely and guide you through the options available.
The end result? A stress and hassle free process to securing your visa with the support from an experienced professional throughout to give you the best chances of success first time!