What is the D7 Visa?

The D7 Visa is a residency Visa, also known as Retirement Visa or Passive Income Visa. It was created in 2007 and allows third country citizens to apply for temporary residence in Portugal, as a path to obtain permanent residency and eventual citizenship.

Some of the benefits of the D7 Visa, include being able to travel within the Schengen area for a total of 90 days out of 180 days in a calendar year; being illegible to access the Portuguese National Health System; Being able to work as an independent professional; Be illegible to access the National Education System, schools, Professional training etc…The D7 visa allows applicants and their family members, legal residence in Portugal. Unlike the Golden Visa, the D7 does not require investment, however, also unlike the Golden Visa, it requires the applicant to become a fiscal Portuguese resident, and therefore applicants must remain a minimum of 183 days followed in Portugal or 8 months with breaks, within a 1 year period. 

The D7 Visa is a temporary residency permit, valid for 4 months and is issued by the Portuguese Embassy/Consulate of your area of residency. After your interview takes place, you will be approved for the visa, and will have to hand over your passport for the visa stamp to be placed. Once this is done, the SEF appointment will be automatically booked for you. Please note that the appointments may take place at a SEF branch that is outside from the area at which you may be a resident.

The Cost of the Visa is roughly €90 payable at the embassy/consulate for issuing the Visa and a further €70/90 payable at the SEF for issuing you Residence Permit. The D7 Visa will be valid for 2 years from date of issuance, and can be renewed for an additional 3 years. After 5 years you can opt for Permanent Residence and Citizenship. A very common question is if you can apply for the D7 Visa whilst in Portugal, and the answer is No. You have to apply from your home/residence country, as it will be there that the initial interview will take place. 

The list below outlines the main requirements for the D7 Visa, However, it is very important to understand that each Embassy or Consulate has specific requirements. It is also important to know that there are several Portuguese Embassies & Consulates, in different countries, that do not allow you to submit your Visa application directly or through anyone else other then a specific provider of those services with whom they have a monopoly of services. This applies to several states in the US, as well as to the UK as a whole. If you contact us using our contact form, please state from which country you are applying for your particular Visa, so that we can advise you on the requirements of your location. 

What are the general Visa requirements for the D7 Visa?

• A Valid Passport.
• 2 x Passport sized/type photos.
• Portuguese Bank Account. This can also be done remotely and we will assist you. You are required to show savings in this account at the time of your application for a minimum of €10.000 for a single applicant.
• Proof of Passive Income – In the form of Pension(s), Real Estate Rental Income, Royalties, Interlectual Property, Dividends, Interest from Savings.
• Proof of bearing self sufficient – The D7 minimum financial requirements are determined by the Portuguese minimum wage in place at the time of your application. For the year 2023, the Portuguese minimum wage is €760 per month, therefore the minimum income you must show for as a single applicant, €9,120 per annum. For a spouse you will need to add a further 50% of income and for each dependant child under the age of 18, you will need to add a further 30%.
• Proof of accommodation, You do not need to own a property, but you need to have a minimum of a 12 month rental contract in place. 
• Health and Travel Insurance – The main applicant as well as all the dependents, must have comprehensive Health and Travel Insurance, valid for all EU member states, prepaid for 12 months, covering health emergency situations and eventual repatriation. The minimum covered must exceed €30,000 per applicant.
• Clean criminal record issued by the country of your residence where you have lived for over a year. This document must by Apostilled. 
• Specific forms that will be completed and submitted by ourselves.

Documents required for your SEF appointment;

• Application form – We will assist with this as it will be in Portuguese.
• 2 x Passport size/type photos.
• A Valid Passport.
• Proof of funds as required and mentioned above.
• Proof of accommodation as required and mentioned above.
• Permission to check your Portuguese Criminal record.
• NIF.
• Proof of your medical Insurance.