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Getting the D2 Entrepreneur Visa for Portugal

Researched and written with AI tools from official sources. How we make our guides

Who qualifies for the D2, the money you must show, the documents, the fees, and the steps from consulate to AIMA for the self-employed and business owners.

The Portugal Brief 11 min read

Getting the D2 Entrepreneur Visa for Portugal

Last verified: October 2026.

Who this is for

  • You are not an EU, EEA, or Swiss citizen and want to work for yourself in Portugal.
  • You will freelance, set up a company, or invest in a business here.
  • You have not yet applied, or you hold a D2 and want the renewal rules.

Not for you if: you work remotely for employers or clients outside Portugal. Read Getting the D8 Digital Nomad Visa for Portugal instead.

Updated October 2026. Since 11 September 2026, AIMA must decide new residence permits within 90 days. If you are self-employed, you can now change the type of work you do by telling AIMA, without a new card.

The D2 is the residence visa for non-EU citizens who will be self-employed or run a business in Portugal. You apply at the Portuguese consulate where you live, pay €110, and the consulate has 60 days to decide. You then move here and get a two-year residence permit from AIMA, the immigration agency. There is no fixed minimum investment. You must show means of at least €920 a month in 2026, which is €11,040 a year for one adult.

Who the D2 is for

The official name is the residence visa for independent professional activity or for immigrant entrepreneurs. It covers three groups.

Self-employed professionals. You will work for yourself in Portugal, for example as a consultant, designer, or translator. You need a company contract, or a written proposal for a service contract. Your profession must appear on the tax office's list of self-employed activities. If your profession is regulated in Portugal, you also need proof that you may practise it.

Entrepreneurs. You will invest in Portugal, for example by setting up a company or buying into one. You declare the investment and show either that you have made it, or that you have the money available in Portugal.

StartUP Visa founders. You have an innovative project accepted by a certified incubator. This is a separate programme with its own steps. See Getting the StartUP Visa for Portugal.

Which visa fits you

Pick the right visa before you start. A wrong choice usually means a refusal and a new application.

  • D2: you earn your living in Portugal from your own business or freelance work.
  • D8: you work remotely for employers or clients based outside Portugal.
  • D1: you have a job with a Portuguese employer.
  • D3: you have a highly qualified job, teaching post, or research post.
  • D7: you live on a pension, rent, or investments.

The full list of routes is in Visas and Residency in Portugal.

How much money you need

The law sets no minimum investment and no minimum share capital for the D2. What you must prove is means of subsistence. The yardstick is the national minimum wage, which is €920 a month in 2026. The figures are net of social security contributions.

Household memberSharePer monthPer year
You100%€920€11,040
Each other adult50%€460€5,520
Each child under 18, or adult child you support30%€276€3,312

If you are an entrepreneur, you show these means for at least 12 months. If you are self-employed, the income from your contracts counts towards your means.

These are minimums. The consulate also judges whether your plan is believable. A larger investment or a stronger client base makes a stronger file.

Documents for the consulate

Every residence visa needs the same core documents:

  • the national visa application form, filled in and signed
  • two identical, 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 status, if you apply in a country where you are not a citizen
  • travel insurance covering urgent medical care and repatriation (UK S1 and Brazilian PB4 holders may be exempt)
  • a criminal record certificate from your country of origin, or from any country where you lived over a year, with an apostille or legalisation (not needed under 16)
  • proof of means of subsistence

If you are self-employed, add:

  • a company contract, or a written proposal for a service contract
  • if your profession is regulated, a declaration from the professional body that you may practise in Portugal

If you are an entrepreneur, add:

  • a declaration that you have made, or plan to make, an investment in Portugal, giving its type, value, and length
  • proof that you made the investment, or
  • proof of money available in Portugal (a loan from a Portuguese bank counts), plus a clear description of the investment you intend to make

The official list does not ask for a formal business plan. You must still describe the investment clearly, and a short plan is a good way to do it. Consulates can ask for extra documents, and many ask for proof of accommodation and a Portuguese tax number (NIF). Check your consulate's own list before you book.

For help with apostilles, see Getting an Apostille or Consular Legalisation in Portugal.

How to apply, step by step

  1. Get a NIF. You do not need a tax representative to get a NIF. Later, once you own property or a car here or work here while living outside the EU and EEA, you must either appoint one or switch on free electronic notifications on the Portal das Finanças. See Getting a NIF (Tax Number) in Portugal and Appointing a Fiscal Representative in Portugal.
  2. Open a Portuguese bank account and move in the money you will use as proof.
  3. Prepare your route documents. Sign client contracts, or write up your investment and gather the proof.
  4. Order your criminal record certificate and get it apostilled. This often takes weeks.
  5. Buy travel insurance and arrange somewhere to live.
  6. Book the consulate. Apply at the Portuguese consulate, or its visa centre, for the country where you live legally. Pay the €110 fee.
  7. Wait for the decision. The law gives the consulate 60 days for a residence visa.
  8. Travel to Portugal. The visa is valid for four months and two entries. Use it to enter and attend your AIMA appointment.

You cannot switch to a D2 from inside Portugal as a visitor. Get the visa first.

Getting your residence permit from AIMA

When the consulate issues your visa, it also books your AIMA appointment. The details are in a link on the visa sticker. If the link does not work, use AIMA's online contact form. Choose "Autorização de Residência com Visto Consular (Não CPLP)" and give your passport and visa numbers.

To get the permit, the law says you must, by the time of the appointment:

  • have set up a company, or signed a service contract for a liberal profession, or registered the start of your self-employed activity (início de atividade)
  • be registered with the tax office and social security
  • have means of subsistence and somewhere to live
  • have no conviction in Portugal for a crime punishable by more than a year in prison

Bring:

  • your passport and residence visa
  • proof of your activity: the company contract, the service contract, or your start of activity declaration
  • proof of registration with the tax office (Finanças) and with Social Security
  • a signed statement of your address, with a landlord's declaration if you rent, or the land registry certificate if you own
  • proof of means of subsistence

At the appointment you give fingerprints and pay the fees. AIMA now has 90 days to decide, and can extend that by 30 days in exceptional cases. If it refuses, it must give its reasons in writing and tell you how to challenge the decision.

Setting up your business or self-employment

You can register as self-employed with the tax office online once you have a NIF. You then issue electronic receipts (recibos verdes) for your work. See Registering as Self-Employed (Recibos Verdes) in Portugal.

If you prefer a company, the steps are in Starting a Company in Portugal.

Social security. Self-employed people pay 21.4% on 70% of their income from services. If you are self-employed for the first time, contributions start in the twelfth month after you begin. See Understanding Portugal's Social Security System.

Tax. Once you live here for more than 183 days in a year, or keep your main home here, you become tax resident. Portugal then taxes your worldwide income. The old NHR regime is closed. Its replacement, IFICI, covers certain research, startup, and qualified jobs. See Qualifying for the IFICI Tax Regime That Replaced NHR.

What it costs

ItemOfficial fee
Consular residence visa€110 per applicant (free for children up to six)
AIMA, assessing the permit€133.00 full fee, €99.80 charged now
AIMA, granting the permit€114.30 full fee, €85.80 charged now
Administrative review of a refused visa€75

AIMA's fee table gives a full fee and a fee 25% lower. Until its services move fully online, AIMA applies the reduced fee at the counter too. That makes €185.60 per person for the permit.

Budget separately for apostilles, translations, insurance, company set-up, and any lawyer or accountant. These vary by country and provider.

How long it takes

  • Consulate: up to 60 days from a complete file. Getting an appointment can take longer.
  • Travel: you must enter Portugal within the visa's four months.
  • AIMA: up to 90 days to decide, extendable by 30.

No official end-to-end time is published. Allow several months, and do not book non-refundable flights around one date.

Bringing your family

Your spouse or partner and your children can apply for residence visas at the same time as you. This is the family accompaniment visa. You must show enough means for everyone, using the shares in the table above.

If they join later, they use family reunification. You usually need to have held your permit for two years first. The wait is 15 months for a spouse or partner who lived with you for 18 months before you moved. There is no wait for minor children, or for a spouse who is the other parent of those children. See Applying for Family Reunification in Portugal.

Keeping and renewing your permit

Validity. The first permit lasts two years. Each renewal lasts three years.

Renewing. Apply online from 90 days and no later than 30 days before the card expires. You must still meet the conditions of the D2, and be up to date with tax and Social Security. See Renewing Your Residence Permit with AIMA in Portugal.

Changing what you do. Since 11 September 2026, you can change the type of self-employed work by telling AIMA. You do not need a new card. You may also take a job as an employee, but AIMA must replace your card with an employment permit.

Living here. AIMA can cancel your permit if you are away without good reason for six months in a row, or eight months in total, while it is valid. If you must be away longer, ask AIMA before you leave.

Permanent residence. After five years of legal residence you can apply for permanent residence. You need basic Portuguese at A2 level. See Getting Permanent Residence in Portugal.

Citizenship. Since 19 May 2026, you need ten years of legal residence, or seven if you are a citizen of a Portuguese-speaking (CPLP) or EU country. You must also pass a test of Portuguese language, culture, history, and national symbols. See Getting Portuguese Citizenship by Naturalisation.

If you are refused

If the consulate refuses the visa, you can ask for an administrative review, which costs €75, or go to court. Often the fastest fix is a new application with stronger proof. Common gaps are an unclear investment, money that is not yet in Portugal, or client contracts that look informal.

If AIMA refuses the permit, the written decision tells you the reasons and the deadline to challenge it in court.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change often; check the official source before you act.

Sources

This guide is written from official sources and, where relevant, organisations' own websites.

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

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