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Getting the D7 Retirement and Passive Income Visa for Portugal

Who qualifies for the D7, the income you need (based on the minimum wage), the documents, the fees, and the steps from consulate to AIMA.

Getting the D7 Retirement and Passive Income Visa for Portugal

Last verified: September 2026.

Who this is for

  • You are not an EU, EEA, or Swiss citizen and want to live in Portugal.
  • You live on a pension, rental income, dividends, interest, or other income that does not depend on working.
  • You are planning to bring a spouse or children with you.

Not for you if: your income comes from remote work for employers or clients abroad. Read Getting the D8 Digital Nomad Visa for Portugal instead.

Updated September 2026. The income you need is €920 a month in 2026. Citizenship now takes 10 years for most nationalities, not five.

The D7 is a residence visa for people who can support themselves in Portugal from their own income, such as a pension or investments. You need at least €920 a month in 2026, plus more for each family member. You apply at the Portuguese consulate where you live, which should decide within 60 days. Then you move to Portugal and get a two-year residence permit from the migration agency, AIMA. Official fees are about €300 per adult. Allow six months to a year from first documents to residence card.

Who the D7 is for

Officially, the D7 is the residence visa for retired people and people living on their own income (visto de residência para reformados e pessoas que vivam de rendimentos próprios). It suits:

  • people receiving a state, occupational, or private pension
  • people living on rental income from property
  • people living on dividends, interest, or royalties

You cannot use it to take a job in Portugal. If you plan to work here as an employee or run a business here, other visas fit better. See Visas and Residency in Portugal.

If your income is a salary or fees from remote work, apply for the digital nomad visa (D8) instead. It requires four times the minimum wage, €3,680 a month in 2026.

How much income you need

The minimum is based on Portugal's national minimum wage, which is €920 a month in 2026. The figure is net of social security contributions. Each person in the household adds a share:

Household memberSharePer monthPer year
First adult (you)100%€920€11,040
Each other adult, such as a spouse50%€460€5,520
Each child under 18, or adult child you support30%€276€3,312

Example. A couple with one child needs at least €1,656 a month, or €19,872 a year.

These are minimums. Consulates judge whether your income is stable and regular. A higher income, or savings on top, makes a stronger application.

You must also show that the income is available in Portugal. In practice, most applicants open a Portuguese bank account and move savings or regular payments into it. See Opening a Portuguese Bank Account as a Non-Resident. Many consulates expect savings covering at least a year at the minimum level. Check your consulate's own guidance.

What counts as proof of income

If you are retired:

  • an official statement of your pension amount from the paying authority
  • proof that you will receive it, or have other income available in Portugal

If you live on your own income:

  • documents showing the income from property, investments, or intellectual property, and its amount
  • proof that the income is available in Portugal

Recent bank statements showing the payments arriving help. Bring your latest tax return from your home country too. It shows the income is regular.

Before you apply

  1. Get a Portuguese tax number (NIF). You need it for a bank account and a lease. From outside the EU you usually need a fiscal representative. See Getting a NIF (Tax Number) in Portugal.
  2. Open a Portuguese bank account and transfer funds.
  3. Arrange somewhere to live. Most consulates ask for proof of accommodation, such as a lease or property deed. AIMA will also need your address later.
  4. Order your criminal record certificates. You need one from your country of nationality or from any country where you have lived for more than a year. Get it apostilled or legalised. See Getting an Apostille or Consular Legalisation in Portugal.
  5. Buy travel medical insurance that covers medical care, emergencies, and repatriation. UK pensioners with an S1 form and Brazilians with a PB4 certificate may not need it.

Documents for the consulate

Apply at the Portuguese consulate, or its visa centre, for the country where you live legally. Documents include:

  • the national visa application form, completed and signed
  • two recent passport photos
  • a passport valid for at least three months beyond your planned stay, plus a copy of the photo page
  • proof of legal residence in the country where you apply, if you are not a national of it
  • travel medical insurance
  • criminal record certificates, apostilled or legalised (not needed for children under 16)
  • proof of income, as above, and of its availability in Portugal
  • usually, proof of accommodation and your NIF

Documents not in Portuguese, English, or another accepted language may need a certified translation. Each consulate publishes its own checklist, and some ask for more. Check yours before you book.

Bringing your family

Family members can apply for residence visas at the same time as you, to accompany you. You must show enough income for everyone, using the shares in the table above.

Apply together if you can. If family members join later through family reunification, the rules changed in October 2025. You now usually need to have held your residence permit for two years before you can apply. The wait is 15 months for a spouse or partner you lived with for 18 months before moving. There is no wait for children under 18, or for a spouse who is the other parent of those children. See Applying for Family Reunification in Portugal.

After the visa: getting your residence permit

The D7 visa is valid for four months and two entries. You use it to enter Portugal and apply for a residence permit (autorização de residência) at AIMA.

  1. Book with AIMA. Use AIMA's online contact form and choose "Autorização de Residência com Visto Consular (Não CPLP)". You need your passport number and visa number, and copies of both.
  2. Attend the appointment at an AIMA shop (Loja AIMA). Staff take your fingerprints and photo.
  3. Bring these documents: - a valid passport and your residence visa - proof of income - a signed statement of your address, plus the land registry certificate if you own the home, or a declaration from your landlord if you rent - proof of registration with the tax office (Finanças) and with Social Security, where applicable - health insurance, or proof you are covered by the national health service (SNS) - proof of family relationships, for family members
  4. Wait for the decision. Since 11 September 2026, the law gives AIMA 90 days to decide, extendable by 30 in exceptional cases.
  5. Receive your card. AIMA issues your residence card once the permit is granted.

AIMA also checks that you have no conviction in Portugal for a crime punishable by more than a year in prison.

What it costs

StepOfficial fee
National visa application at the consulate€110 per applicant
AIMA application review€99.80
AIMA grant of the temporary residence permit€85.80

Children up to age six pay no visa fee. The AIMA amounts are the rates currently charged with a 25% reduction on the published fees.

Budget also for documents, apostilles, translations, a fiscal representative, and insurance. These vary by country and provider. A lawyer is optional.

How long it takes

  • Consulate decision: 60 days by law, though appointment waits can add more.
  • Travel: you must enter Portugal within the visa's four months.
  • AIMA: appointment waits vary; the decision is due within 90 days of application.

Many people take six to twelve months in total.

Keeping and renewing your permit

The first residence permit lasts two years. You then renew it for three years at a time. At each renewal you show that you still meet the income requirement. See Renewing Your Residence Permit with AIMA in Portugal.

You must actually live in Portugal. AIMA can cancel a temporary permit if you are away, without good reason, for six months in a row, or eight months in total during the permit's validity.

After five years of legal residence you can apply for permanent residence. You need basic Portuguese at A2 level and a clean tax and Social Security record. See Getting Permanent Residence in Portugal.

Citizenship takes longer since 19 May 2026. You need 10 years of legal residence, or 7 years if you are a citizen of a Portuguese-speaking (CPLP) country. Time spent waiting for AIMA to decide no longer counts. See Getting Portuguese Citizenship by Naturalisation.

Tax once you live here

If you live in Portugal for more than 183 days in a year, or have your habitual home here, you become tax resident. You are then taxed in Portugal on your worldwide income, including pensions. See Becoming a Tax Resident in Portugal.

  • Pensions are taxed at the normal progressive income tax (IRS) rates.
  • The old non-habitual resident scheme (NHR) is closed. Someone moving in 2026 cannot join it.
  • The scheme that replaced it (IFICI) covers certain employment and business income, not pensions or passive income.
  • Tax treaties decide which country taxes each type of income. Government service pensions are often taxed only by the paying country.

File an annual return between 1 April and 30 June for each year you are resident.

If you are refused

The consulate must give reasons. You can ask for an administrative review of the decision, which costs €75, or go to court. Often the fastest fix is a new application with stronger evidence of income or of its availability in Portugal.

Sources

This guide is written from official Portuguese and EU sources and, for prices and contact details, the providers' own websites.

Last verified September 2026. Rules and fees change; check the official source before acting.

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