Countries
Portugal · remote income
Live in Portugal on the remote work you already do. We connect the contract, invoices and matching bank movements into one consistent AIMA dossier.
What D8 gives you
The work you already do becomes a Portuguese residence permit, for you and for the people who move with you.
No employer setup required: your existing remote job or freelance contracts qualify directly. You do not need a Portuguese employer, a Portuguese company or a new client. We connect the contract, the invoices and the bank movements into one consistent explanation.
Up to 90 days in any 180, on the residence permit.
Spouse, minor children and dependent parents apply alongside you. Dependants do not need their own income proof.
For qualifying work the flat 20% rate covers Portugal-source income for 10 years. We file the application by 15 January after your first full Portuguese tax year. The tax authority decides.
A 4-month entry visa, a 2-year permit, then a 3-year renewal. Permanent residence at 5 years, citizenship at 10 (7 for CPLP and EU nationals) under the rules in force from 19 May 2026.
D8 or a Portuguese job
D8 is the simpler route when your income is genuinely remote and comfortably above €3,680 a month from a stable source. If you are a freelancer or a contractor, that income can be questioned at renewal and freelance status can be reclassified. A Portuguese employment contract, where your foreign company orders the hire and a payroll company employs you for payroll purposes, removes that ambiguity and makes the IFICI application cleaner.
We tell you which one fits before you pay.
How the income proof works
A monthly total is not enough. The file has to show where the work comes from, how it is paid and why that pattern is likely to continue.
A foreign employment contract or clear client agreements. Whoever pays you should be easy to identify from the paperwork alone.
For freelance cases, consistent invoices across about three months read far better than one large payment.
Bank statements, payslips and transfers should reconcile with the contracts and clear €3,680 a month for the main applicant.
Passive income usually points to D7. D3 with Portuguese payroll applies only when a real foreign employer orders the local hire.
Portugal for remote workers
The visa is the paperwork. This is what you actually get once the permit is in your hand.
Roughly 25% below Spain or France, and Lisbon and Porto are practical bases rather than holiday towns.
Universal healthcare for legal residents. Public schools are free; international schools in Lisbon, Porto and Cascais run €8,000 to €18,000 a year.
An Atlantic climate and an English-friendly business environment, so you can keep living and working in English.
Permit processing is slow: 9 to 18 months end to end in Lisbon and Porto, roughly 5 to 9 months through regional offices.
We say the slow parts out loud.The consulate stage is predictable and reliable when the dossier is complete. The residence permit is the part that drags, so we plan your move around the real range instead of the legal target.
Fit check
Use this as a first filter. We confirm the route against your contracts, deposits and family plan on the consultation.
D8 is likely worth checking if
Check another route if
Evidence file
The dossier joins the remote-income case to the ordinary residence documents the consulate expects to see.
Foreign employment or freelance contracts that explain the ongoing work
Payslips or invoices with matching bank deposits and a stable monthly pattern
A documented monthly trail at or above €3,680 for the main applicant
Accommodation, health insurance and savings evidence
Passport, criminal-record certificate, NIF and the required forms
Civil-status and dependency evidence for everyone moving with you
From income check to permit
From eligibility review to residence permit, your dedicated case manager handles every step. The two authority timings below are ranges we have observed in 2026.
We test the source, the monthly average and the continuity, and whether a Portuguese contract on the D3 route would protect you better.
We prepare the forms, your NIF and the complete contract, invoice, bank and residence evidence set. A Portuguese bank account is required, and we send a step-by-step guide.
You attend the appointment. The consulate reviews the complete application and issues a 4-month entry visa.
You enter Portugal and prepare the originals for the residence appointment.
Biometrics and the residence permit follow after arrival. In 2026 this runs 9 to 18 months end to end in Lisbon and Porto and roughly 5 to 9 months through regional offices. The legal target is 90 days.
If your activity qualifies we file the IFICI application on time. The tax authority decides.
No more dealing with bureaucracy. We take care of every detail, from document preparation to the final decision, with 24/7 support, so you do not have to worry about a thing.
What happens, in order
Service scope
The package covers your case through visa issuance. Any post-arrival work is agreed before you sign.
€2,490 + €990 per family member
For remote employees and freelancers with a stable qualifying income trail.
Book your strategy call PortugalD8 Government fees are separate: consulate visa €110 and AIMA permit €307.20, effective 1 March 2026. The signed engagement confirms scope and payment schedule.
Other Portuguese routes
Same country, same five-year path to permanent residence. What changes is the proof you have to bring.
A qualifying role plus a degree or senior experience, and a Portuguese employer. If you do not have one, your foreign company can order the hire and a payroll company employs you for payroll purposes.
01 PT · D3 Pension, rent, dividends or royalties at the lowest monthly floor in Portugal. The quietest route when your money does not come from work.
02 PT · D7 No investment minimum, savings of €11,040 and a business plan AIMA will accept. We register the Portuguese company and build the case around the venture.
03 PT · D2 Relovisa in numbers
Residence, work, founder and family cases, filed end to end rather than reviewed.
Clients across North America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the CIS, handled from our Portuguese headquarters.
Immigration lawyers, consultants and tax advisors in the countries we file in, including the wider in-country network below.
The immigration lawyers and consultants on our case teams bring 10+ years each.
We take founders, skilled professionals, investors and remote workers to residency and citizenship in the EU, the UK and the US, and we handle the paperwork end to end. On Portuguese cases we file directly, if a refusal follows a complete document set you provided we re-file once at no additional service fee. Approval is always the authority's decision.
People behind your case
Every case is led and coordinated by Relovisa. We bring in the immigration consultants, lawyers, payroll and tax specialists the route needs, while Relovisa remains your single point of contact.
One coordinated case team, built around the route you actually need.
Leads strategy for founder, business and non-standard cases, connecting the route with the client's business, family and long-term plan.
Leads client and partner operations so case teams, local specialists and next steps stay coordinated from assessment to completion.
Supports UK immigration and Talent Visa case management where licensed legal input is required.
Supports German work immigration cases across process planning, local requirements and case coordination.
Supports Portuguese residence matters that require legal review, representation or procedural escalation.
Supports Portugal D2, D3, D7 and D8 cases, including clients with different income structures.
Supports global mobility for self-employed, founder and highly skilled cases through Portugal D8, D2 and D3 routes.
Supports highly qualified professionals and procedural cases involving residence delays and AIMA proceedings.
Advises on international tax structures and non-standard cross-border situations across Europe, Asia and the United States.
Supports clients whose move intersects with crypto assets, international business and tax planning.
Local coverage for routes and services that require authorised in-country specialists.
D8 questions
The questions that decide whether you file this route or another one.
Yes. Digital Nomad Visa is the commercial name introduced in October 2022 for the D8 residence visa.
You need at least 16 months in Portugal during each two-year permit period. We give you a residency-tracking framework so you do not lose status by accident.
The consulate visa takes 30 to 60 days. The residence permit is the slow part: 9 to 18 months in Lisbon and Porto, roughly 5 to 9 months through regional offices. The legal target is 90 days. The visa lets you enter; the permit confirms residence.
Usually with foreign employment contracts and payslips, or with freelance contracts, consistent invoices and matching deposits. A documented company-dividend trail can also be relevant. Passive income points to D7 instead. We structure the proof the way the Portuguese tax registry expects to see it.
Crypto receipts alone are usually refused. We help you turn crypto-derived earnings into a documented stream that AIMA accepts, either through registered freelance activity or through payment from a foreign employer via a payroll company.
Qualifying work covers most software, engineering, research, scientific and senior-management roles, at a flat 20% on Portugal-source income for 10 years. We file the application by 15 January after your first full Portuguese tax year. The tax authority decides.
Yes. What matters is that the work is remote, the income is documented and the monthly trail clears the threshold. If your client base is unstable, we may point you to the D3 employment route instead.
Check D3 when your income is freelance and could be reclassified, when you earn below €3,680 a month, or when you want structured employment and the cleanest IFICI application.
Spouse, minor children and dependent parents apply on the same file. The clock starts on the date your residence permit is issued, not on the consulate visa, and runs 10 years under the rules in force from 19 May 2026, or 7 years for CPLP and EU nationals.
For a Portuguese case we file directly, if a refusal follows a complete document set you provided, we re-file once at no additional service fee, subject to your engagement terms. We do not guarantee approval; the authority decides.
Reviewed by the Relovisa immigration teamPublished 2026-07
Start with the income trail
Tell us how you earn, from whom, how much and who is moving with you. We confirm whether D8 fits or whether a Portuguese contract protects you better, name the first evidence gap and quote the end to end cost.
Book your strategy call30 minutes · €40, applied to your package if you proceed
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