D8 Visa Portugal: Digital Nomad Visa Guide (2024 UPDATES)
Everything you Need to know about the new d8 visa Portugal
Are you a digital nomad looking for your next destination? Thinking of becoming a digital nomad and wondering where you should go? Look no further than sunny Portugal.
As one of the most popular destinations with a long list of perks and the newly introduced D8 Visa Portugal Digital Nomad program, you should absolutely consider newly famous Portugal for your next move.
UPDATED FEBRUARY 2024
Keep reading for a breakdown of visa options, the pros and cons of digital nomadism, why Portugal is great for digital nomads, and more! And if you’re looking to change jobs and stake out on a digital nomad journey, check out these digital nomad jobs.
If the digital nomad life isn’t for you, you may be interested in learning more about the Portugal Golden Visa Program or the D7 Passive Income Visa.
Table of Contents
Digital Nomad FAQs
Portugal Digital Nomad Visa FAQs
Portugal Digital Nomad Visa Overview
Portugal Digital Nomad Visa Requirements
Digital Nomad Life in Portugal
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Digital Nomad FAQs
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A person who travels around the world while they work remotely, whether for a company in their home country, running their own business, or as a freelancer.
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A digital nomad visa allows a non-citizen to work remotely legally in a country they are visiting.
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There are many reasons you may choose to take on the digital nomad life. Love of travel and different cultures. Location freedom. Lower cost of living. Better quality of life.
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Here are all the countries offering digital nomad visas in Europe as of July 2022:
1. Cyprus
2. Croatia
3. Czech Republic
4. Estonia
5. Georgia
6. Germany
7. Greece
8. Hungary
9. Iceland
10. Malta
11. Norway
12. Portugal
13. Romania
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Generally, no. But it depends on the country where the digital nomad visa was issued and the specifics of that country's visa and tax laws.
d8 Visa Portugal FAQs
What are Other Names for the Portugal Digital Nomad Visa?
• D8 Digital Nomad Visa
• Residency Visa for the Exercise of a Professional Activity Done Remotely - “Digital Nomads”
• Remote Work Visa/Remote Worker Visa
• Nomad Visa Portugal / Portugal Nomad Visa
• Digital Nomad Visa for Portugal
Can I Get a Digital Nomad Visa for Portugal?
Until recently, digital nomads and remote workers used the D7 Passive Income Visa or D2 Entrepreneur Visa to gain residency in Portugal. But at the end of October 2022, Portugal introduced two new D8 digital nomad visa options specifically targeted toward remote workers who want to live in Portugal while earning money from outside of the country.
Is Portugal’s new Digital Nomad Visa a Work Visa or Work Permit?
No. The D8 is a new visa for either temporary stay or temporary residency depending on if you apply for the 1-year visa or 2-year permit.
What is the Difference Between the D8 Visa and a Tourist Visa?
A Portugal Tourist Visa only allows you to stay in the country for 90 days and does not allow you to work (legally) during that time. The new D8 Visa allows you to work remotely from Portugal for 1-2 years (longer with renewal) depending on which type of visa you apply for.
Who is Eligible to Apply?
Individuals and third-country nationals (who are not EU/EEA/Swiss citizens) 18 years or older.
Should I Apply For A D8 Or D7 Visa?
In the past, there was not a specific visa designed for digital nomads and remote workers. Therefore, the Portuguese government was approving D7 visas for people with active remote income streams rather than passive. Meaning, they were allowing digital nomads and workers with remote job income to gain residency with the D7 even if they didn't technically have passive income. This is how we were approved. See this post for exactly what we submitted in our D7 Visa Application.
Now that the new Portugal Digital Nomad Visa is available, many people are being rejected or automatically converted to the D7 visa if they can not prove they have passive income (rental income, social security payments, etc.) and only provide active income sources (remote work, freelance, etc.)
So, if you plan to provide for yourself in Portugal based on passive income sources and would like to stay for more than 1 year, you should apply for the D7 Visa.
If you only want to stay for 1 year and plan to perform remote work, you should apply for the Temporary Stay Digital Nomad Visa.
And if you plan to stay for up to 2 years and plan to support yourself with active foreign-earned income, you should apply for the D8 Digital Nomad Residency Permit (4-month visa converted to 2-year residency permit after you arrive in Portugal).
If you’re interested in Schengen zone travel without the in-country requirements of the D7 visa and have enough money to invest, you may consider the Portugal Golden Visa Program.
Can I get Portuguese Citizenship with the digital nomad visa?
Yes! Similar to the timeline for the D7, the D8 long-term digital nomad residence visa can be renewed after the initial 2 years. At the 5-year mark, visa holders are allowed to apply for a permanent residence permit or Portuguese citizenship.
Can I bring my family members with me on a D8 visa?
Yes! If your income is enough to support all of your family members (according to the immigration department definition) they can travel to Portugal with you and apply for a family reunification visa.
Portugal D8 Digital Nomad Visa Overview
Types of D8 Digital Nomad Visas
There are two pathways to choose from when applying for a Portugal Digital Nomad Visa. The first is a visa that allows for a 1-year temporary stay in Portugal as a remote worker. The second is a 4-month visa that you convert to a 2-year temporary residency permit after you arrive in Portugal. I have heard rumblings that this will be called the D8 Digital Nomad Visa. The process to apply is similar to the D7 Passive Income Visa.
Previously, with no actual remote worker visa in Portugal, many digital nomads and remote workers were applying to live in Portugal using the D7 Passive Income Visa or D2 Entrepreneur Visa. Now that the new D8 Digital Nomad Visa has been implemented, it is anticipated that the government will encourage remote workers to apply for the remote work residency permit in lieu of using the D7 route.
Benefits of the 1-Year Temporary Stay Digital Nomad Visa
✓ Live and work legally in Portugal as a freelancer or self-employed business owner for up to 1 year
✓ Try out Portugal without having to commit to long-term residency
✓ Visa-free travel throughout the Schengen Area
✓ Option to renew for an additional 6 months
✓ Maintain tax residency in your home country or current tax residency
✓ No need to open and fund a Portuguese bank account
Which European countries are included in the Schengen Area?
There are 26 Schengen countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Benefits of the 2-Year Digital Nomad Residency Permit
✓ Live and work legally in Portugal as a freelancer or self-employed business owner for up to 2 years
✓ Option to create a Portuguese company or establish your existing business in Portugal
✓ Obtain a Portuguese residency card to replace the 4-month visa in your passport
✓ After converting your visa into a residency permit, enjoy visa-free Schengen Area travel
✓ Option to apply for special tax status and enjoy added tax benefits (NHR Tax Regime ended, but there are new tax break and tax rate benefits for tech workers and startups)
✓ Option to renew for an additional 3-year residency permit (for a total of 5 years)
✓ Qualify to apply for permanent residency or Portuguese citizenship after 5 years
✓ Enjoy Portuguese rights of residency such as education and healthcare
✓ Option to bring family members with you under family reunification
Income Requirements
The main requirement to qualify for the D8 Visa is proof of income. There has been some confusion over this requirement, especially considering that the visa is so new and the details have been slow to be released and hard to find.
As interpreted by lawyer Jéssika Aguiar, co-founder of the relocation and visa specialists Smart Relocation Lisbon, the minimum income requirement for the Portugal Digital Nomad Visa is 4 x the monthly Portuguese minimum wage monthly salary over the previous 3 months. Confused? Let's break it down.
Income for the last 3 Consecutive months above 3040€
820€ x 4 = 3280€ : 3 = 1094€/month
The current Portuguese minimum wage is 820€ per month. Multiply that four times and the total is 3280€. This is the minimum amount of income the digital nomad must have earned over the previous 3 months. That comes to a minimum monthly income average of 1094€ per month.
TIP: Remember, this is the bare minimum. It does not guarantee approval. It's always better to prove more than the minimum if possible to help your application's chances of being approved.
There is a possibility that the income requirements may be interpreted differently by your particular consulate or were intended differently by the Portuguese government.
Here is exactly what it says on the English version of the SEF website: Proof of average monthly income for the last three months with a minimum value equivalent to four months minimum guaranteed remuneration.
Some are interpreting this as a minimum of 3280€ per month for the previous 3 months versus the above calculation. Until we know more, it’s probably advisable to contact your consulate or VFS office to ask them directly what they require.
Portugal D8 Visa Application Process
The application process is quite similar to the Portugal D7 application process.
① Gather your documentation
② Set an appointment with your assigned consulate or VFS office
③ Submit your application at appointment
④ Wait for your decision (up to 90 days depending on which office you submitted your application through)
⑤ Receive your passport with visa
⑥ Head to Portugal!
⑦ Attend your pre-assigned SEF interview in Portugal within 4 months of visa approval
⑧ Receive your Portuguese Residency Permit Card
Portugal D8 Visa Requirements
Like many other visa processes, requirements may vary depending on which consulate, VFS office, or country from which you are applying. It is advisable to reach out to the consulate or VFS office you are applying to in order to find out their specific requirements.
Below, you’ll find a list of requirements as accurate as possible, but we will strive to update the list should more information come to light as the visa rolls out.
✓ Proof of Work Situation
If you’re working under contract (subordinate work), you must present ONE of the following:
a. present the employment contract; or,
b. a statement from the employer proving the link with the company
If you are a freelancer (independent professional activity), you must present ONE of the following:
a. company incorporation agreement; or,
b. service provision agreement; or,
c document proving the provision of services to one or more entities
✓ Proof of Tax Residency Outside Portugal
Most recent tax return or other documentation showing that you are a tax resident in a country outside of Portugal
✓ 2 Passport-Size Photos
See guidelines for EU passport photos here.
✓ Valid Passport or Travel Document
The document must be valid for an additional 3 months following the duration of your intended stay.
✓ Proof of Regular Situation
In case of residence in a country other than the country of current nationality, you must provide proof of the regular situation. The documentation must be valid 3 months after the estimated date of return.
✓ Health Insurance
Proof of medical insurance valid in Portugal and that meets the Schengen Area requirements. It must include coverage for emergencies and repatriation.
✓ Visa Application Form
This form is the same national visa application used for the D7 visa, but instead of choosing the retirement option. As of now, there isn’t any special form for the new Portugal Digital Nomad Visa. You would use the national visa application and select work as the reason for your journey.
If you are applying for a temporary stay visa (1-year visa) choose that option next to "multiple entries" OR if you are applying for temporary residency (2-year visa) you would choose “2 entries”.
✓ Request for Consultation of the Portuguese Criminal Record by SEF
Download the request form here.
✓ Proof of Clean Criminal Record
Criminal record certificate from the country of origin or from the country where the applicant has resided for more than one year (with apostille). For U.S. citizens this would be the dreaded FBI report with the Hague Apostille from Washington D.C.
✓ Proof of Accommodation
You must show proof of adequate accommodation. Details of what “adequate” means have been hard to pin down, but for the temporary stay visa 3 months of initial accommodation seems to be the going time frame. For the longer-stay residency permit, our guess would be that the requirement is similar to the D7 visa, for which SEF requires a 12-month registered lease.
You will need to ask your specific consulate or VFS office for more details, and we will update here when we have more solid information.
✓ Personal Statement
This letter of intent explains who you are, why you want to live in Portugal, where you’ll reside, your ties to Portugal, etc.
✓ Transport Document (Return Ticket)
Proof of return journey is only required if you are applying for the Temporary Stay Digital Nomad Visa (1-year).
D8 Visa Costs
Temporary Stay Visa – 75€
Residency Visa – 90€
There may be and additional cost if you decide to hire a professional to help process your visa. In addition, VFS processing offices charge their own fees on top of the actual visa cost.
Do Digital Nomads Pay Tax in Portugal?
According to Alexander, founder of Portugal Digital Nomad Visa, your tax implications under the new D8 Digital Nomad Visa depend on the length of your stay and whether you earn any income from Portuguese entities.
If your stay is less than 6 months and you do not generate any income from within Portugal, then you are not taxed in Portugal.
If you stay longer than 6 months you may be required to claim tax residency in Portugal and be responsible for Portuguese taxes. In this case, you would be eligible to apply for NHR to take advantage of tax benefits under that tax regime.
Because this is all very new, we will keep an eye on the tax implications of the new D8 Visa and update here as soon as we know more.
Do I need a NIF number?
If you plan to stay less than 183 days in Portugal and have no intention of changing your tax residency status to Portugal, then no, you do not need a NIF (fiscal number/tax number). But if you plan to stay longer than 183 days in the country, you will need a NIF and to change your tax residency to Portugal, by changing your legal NIF address to a Portuguese address.
How do I get a NIF if I'm not in Portugal?
This company has a great reputation, great prices, and can also help you open a Portuguese bank account and file for your NISS (Portuguese social security number).
Use promo code RENOVATINGLIFE20 to get 20% OFF.
Do I need to open a local bank account?
If you plan to stay in Portugal for an extended period (long-term stay beyond the 183-day tax residency mark) you will likely need to open a Portuguese bank account. You can do this remotely by using a company like Anchorless who walks you through the process and works directly with a bank to open your account for you.
Use promo code RENOVATINGLIFE20 to get 20% OFF.
Digital Nomad Life in Portugal
Benefits of Working Remotely in Portugal
✓ Burgeoning digital nomad community, more and more start-ups, and tech companies
✓ A complete digital nomad village on the island of Madeira
✓ English is widely spoken, although learning Portuguese will give you a leg up and it’s fun!
✓ Great weather, culture, events, and beautiful places to work and/or visit from beaches to mountains to castle towns and rural farms
✓ Digital-nomad friendly and welcoming to foreigners
✓ Safe for everyone including singles and women
✓ Relatively low cost of living, particularly outside the major metropolitan areas
✓ Dependable high-speed internet
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Digital Nomad Accommodation in Portugal
One of the hassles of living a nomadic lifestyle is constantly searching for new accommodation. In Portugal there are several services and websites to choose from when looking for short-term or mid-term housing. Here's a good resource list for house hunting in Portugal.
There are a few companies that make finding accommodation as a digital nomad simple and safe.
Uniplaces
Uniplaces offers a mix of furnished and non-furnished places as well as rooms, whole flats, and houses. Catering to students, digital nomads, and short-term renters, they have a wide range of options. Landlords and properties are pre-vetted and Uniplaces facilitates communication directly. Additional benefits include:
✓ Save time by discovering unique homes and booking online
✓ 24 hours to confirm that everything is ok with your new home before payment transfer to the landlord
✓ Authentic photos and videos of verified places
✓ Search by price, type of property, house features, and rules
✓ Service fee covers a wide range of services including no need for a guarantor, a multilingual support team, a 24-hours move-in policy, a place accuracy check, and an official prepaid accommodation certificate
Use promo code UP15RENOVATINGLIFE to get 15% off booking fees
Spotahome
Spotahome is a good option if you're looking for accommodation in the Lisbon or Porto areas, this search platform offers online service, easy leases, and sends representatives to the properties to be “checked” for accuracy. Other benefits include:
✓ Secure Payments
✓ 24-hour After Arrival Fraud Protection
✓ Last-Minute Cancellation Support
Use promo code UP15RENOVATINGLIFE to get 15% off booking fees.
Anyplace
Anyplace is similar to Airbnb but specifically compiles properties designed for remote workers and digital nomads. Fully furnished properties including dedicated work spaces, flexible terms, and high-speed internet.
Flatio
Flatio is a great choice if you're looking specifically for furnished housing. It’s all online, easy to use, and a recent post on a Facebook expat group had these positive things to say:
✓ Cancel for any reason with a 30-day notice
✓ Pay no security deposit, with a rental of fewer than 180 days
✓ Apply to multiple properties at the same time, and when one accepts, all other inquiries automatically cancel
✓ Only enter billing info after a request has been accepted
✓ Put two names on the lease by entering applicant one in the first name field and applicant two in the last name field
✓ Preview the final lease before completing the transaction. Afterward, receive a PDF to print out.
Coliving Spaces in Portugal for Digital Nomads
Coliving is not new, but with the increase in remote work and digital nomads created by the COVID-19 pandemic, it has seen a resurgence in the last few years. Offering lower costs, a sense of community, flexibility, and the opportunity to live with like-minded individuals, it can be a great option for digital nomads and remote workers. But how do you find coliving spaces? Keep reading.
Coliving.com
Coliving.com is one of the best places to look for coliving spaces. Currently offering 27 coliving options throughout Portugal, this site has something for everyone exploring the coliving lifestyle and you can ave up to 40% compared to living in a studio.
Check back soon for a more extensive list of the best coliving spaces in Portugal!
Coworking Spaces for Digital Nomads
With the increase in digital nomads and remote workers in Portugal, several coworking spaces have popped up throughout the country. Many are in Lisbon and Porto due to the sheer population in those areas, but there are more outside the major urban areas if you know where to look.
Check out this list of some of the most popular coworking spaces provided by Worktugal, the “No.1 Most Trusted Remote Work Community in Portugal”.
Or explore this custom map of Portugal populated with a ton more coworking spaces throughout the country.
So, what are you waiting for?
Apply for the Portugal Digital Nomad Visa today and take the remote work leap to life in Portugal!
Need Help?
Check out these resources.
Sources:
Move to Portugal
