LET THE D7 VISA AND GOLDEN VISA EXPERTS GUIDE YOU TO EU RESIDENCY IN 2024
PORTUGAL // HUNGARY // GREECE // SPAIN
Ready to start your new life in Europe in 2023? Whether you’re retiring, relocating, or looking for a Plan B only, the team at D7 Visa can help make your European immigration experience a breeze.
YOUR 1-STOP SHOP FOR GOLDEN VISAS AND D7 VISA APPLICATIONS
Offering assistance with everything from your document compilation and bank account opening to obtaining your tax number… including public healthcare registration and drivers licenses, PLUS assistance with a rental contract – which are all hard to do remotely – we do ALL the heavy lifting.
WHY DO CLIENTS CHOOSE TO WORK WITH US?
– For entrepreneurs and professionals, time = money. Would you rather be working on your core business, or spend hours on admin tasks involving foreign bureaucrats who don’t speak your first language or answer their phones..?
– GET IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME: There is a lot of inaccurate and dated information about the D7 Visa program on the internet. The exact requirements also vary from one consulate to the next, and can change at any time. If your file is missing a single support document, or it’s submitted in the wrong format, your application can get rejected outright, or “parked” indefinitely, leading to major delays and costly appeals.
– DIY D7 APPLICATIONS CAN END UP COSTING YOU MORE: Even if you go the DIY route, there will still be unavoidable costs to obtain a bank account, get a NIF, and obtain a proof of address by renting or buying a property.
– WORK ONLY WITH IN-COUNTRY GOLDEN VISA EXPERTS: Whether you wish to apply for the Greek, Portuguese or Spanish Golden Visa, you’ll be working with a top-flight team of program specialists situated in-country.
– When you add up all those hard costs and time spent trying to navigate a foreign country’s immigration processes, it makes a lot of sense to pay one price and get it all done right, the first time round, with the help of a professional.
And with us, you’re not alone in a foreign process.
Our team of experts can help you coordinate every moving part of a complex process, and even accompany you to your SEF appointment to ensure that everything runs smoothly the first time round.
Featured EU Golden Visa and Residency Programs
Portuguese residency in 4-6 months – with or without investment
The D7 Visa is an excellent choice for foreigners seeking to settle or retire in Portugal. If you have stable recurring income, or if you’re able to work remotely for an employer outside of Portugal, you could be eligible to apply for the new Portuguese D8 Digital Nomad Visa or longer-term Digital Nomad Residency Program.
Exploring everything from the financial requirements and timelines to the application process and pricing, this site covers everything you need to know.
The D7 is a long-term residency visa that can lead to eventual permanent residency and/or citizenship. And unlike with a Golden Visa, you don’t need to invest or purchase a property at all.
Find out more about this relatively unknown Portuguese visa class below, or contact us now for more information…
Not yet ready to relocate to Portugal due to overseas business or life commitments? Be sure to check out Portugal’s current Golden Visa options. Priced from only €200K in 2022, the ultimate Plan B is now within reach of a far greater number of people…
Key D7 Visa benefits
Live, work or study in Portugal with visa-free access to the EU for up to 90 out of 180 days.
Save money on taxes with the Portuguese Non-Habitual Residency (NHR) Program.
Your entire family are eligible for inclusion – and your spouse can work in Portugal as well.
Obtain Portuguese residency in as little as 4-6 months – we do all the heavy lifting.
Gain access to Portugal’s world-class National Health Service (SNS) as a Portuguese resident.
Once you’ve held D7 residency for 12 months, your newborn children can become Portuguese citizens.
Gain the right to work and do business in Portugal as an independent professional.
Gain access to Portugal’s schools, National Education System and vocational training opportunities.
D7 Passive Income Visa vs D8 Digital Nomad Visa – Which should I choose?
TIP: Need more flexibility? Be sure to check out the new €200K artistic support Golden Visa option, more commonly known as the Cultural Golden Visa (NOT a donation).
While the D7’s program requirements are essentially “applicant agnostic”, it is nonetheless well-suited to the following groupings of applicants:
- Retired people receiving sufficient levels of stable recurring pension income.
- Landlords earning sufficient long-term income from the rental of movable and/or immovable assets abroad.
- Individuals earning stable recurring income from investments, or those earning sufficient stable dividend income.
The brand new D8 Digital Nomad Visa, on the other hand, will suit the following types of applicants:
- Remote workers, long-term digital nomads and information industry professionals earning adequate stable recurring income outside of Portugal. If you have significant savings available, this can count in your favor.
- Remote consultants, life coaches, digital entrepreneurs, affiliate marketers and even crypto traders with sufficient stable recurring income, ideally combined with significant accessible savings.
For those actually seeking to relocate to Portugal for longer than 6 months per year, the Portuguese D7 Visa offers unrivaled value compared with Portugal’s Golden Visa Program.
It is also significantly more affordable than the Spanish Non Lucrative Visa.
D7 VISA VS GOLDEN VISA
| CONSIDERATION | PROPERTY GOLDEN VISA | CULTURAL GOLDEN VISA | D7 VISA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Investment | €280K+ ; €350K+; €400K+; €500K+ | €200K (Non-Urban), €250K (Urban) | €0 |
| Application Process Duration | 12 – 18 months | 8 – 10 months | 4 – 6 months |
| Family Eligibility | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Road to Permanent Residency & Citizenship | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Minimum In-Country Stay Requirement Per Yer | 1 Week | 1 Week | 6 Months+ |
| Portuguese Language Test Required | No | No | No |
| Non-Habitual Residency Program Eligibility | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Professional Services Fees | €20,000 – €30,000+ | None/Included | From €2,495 |
| Passive Income Required | No | No | Yes |
| Capital guaranteed | Typically not | Yes (on some projects) | N/A |
| Potential returns expected on some projects | Variable between 1.5% – 3%, IF applicable | Variable (on some projects) | N/A |
| Medical Insurance Required | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Portuguese Tax Number (NIF) Required | Yes | Yes | Yes |
The D7 Visa and Residency Permit application process at a glance
Obtaining Portuguese temporary residency via this program is a 2-step process: First, you apply for the D7 Visa, which is an “entry stamp” type visa which is valid for 4 months, and allows for two entries into Portugal. This visa allows you to travel to Portugal for your residency permit, which allows you to legally settle in the country.
If your D7 visa is set to expire before the date on which your SEF residency interview is scheduled for, you can still travel on this visa by presenting your SEF interview confirmation letter along with the visa – but more on that later…
The D7 Visa Application Process: Key Steps
Step 1: Contact us by completing the form below.
Step 2: Introduction to your case manager, fee quotation and contract signature.
Step 3: Booking of consular appointment
Step 4: Compilation of application file with your case manager
Step 5: Attend consular appointment
Step 6: Submit full visa application and receive notification of your application outcome within approximately 60 days.
Step 7: Receive your temporary visa (valid for 4 months).
The Residency Permit Application Process: Key Steps
Step 8: Schedule your SEF appointment at the bureau branch closest to where you’re renting or where you’ve bought a home. If you’re using a service provider such as ourselves, we can assist with this, or your local Portuguese embassy can assist.
You can also book it yourself via SEF’s website. You can also view a list of the various SEF services branches here.
STEP 9: Have your core application documents translated into Portuguese, including marriage and birth certificates, if relevant to your application. (Contact us for more on the specific requirements in this regard).
STEP 10: Complete the Portuguese residency permit application form – this is NOT your D7 Visa application form.
STEP 11: Travel to Portugal to attend your SEF interview. The interview typically takes around 20 minutes to complete. You’ll have to authorise the authorities to check your criminal record in Portugal to ensure you’ve not committed a crime since arriving in the country. You’ll also have to supply proof of your tax residency or tax situation;, e.g. a tax clearance certificate from the country in which you’re tax domiciled.
STEP 12: Obtain your Portuguese temporary residency permit (typically issued with 1 to 2 years’ validity, and mailed to your address in Portugal or to the local post office in around 2 weeks).
Step 13: Renew your temporary residency permit every 2 years, and apply for permanent residency or Portuguese citizenship after 5 years (at this point, you’ll be expected to prove real world ties with Portugal and speak intermediate level Portuguese. You’ll also have had to stick to the minimum in-country stay requirements for the first 5 years of holding Portuguese residency status.
D7 Minimum Income Requirements 2023
| MINIMUM STABLE RECURRING INCOME REQUIREMENT (2023) | PER MONTH | PER YEAR | PER 2 YEARS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual | €760+ | €9,120+ | €18,240 |
| Married Couple | €1,140+ | €13,680+ | €27,360 |
| Per Additional Minor Dependent | €228+ | €2,736+ | €5,076 |
| Per Additional Adult Dependent | €228+ | €2,736+ | €5,076 |
| Per Family of 4 (2 dependent children) | €1,596+ | €19,152+ | €38,304+ |
While your available savings are typically considered during the D7 Visa application process, the Portuguese authorities are primarily concerned with your ability to accommodate and sustain yourself in Portugal without having to rely on salaried income.
As such, the key requirement for the program is having one or more sources of stable passive income – that is income derived from fixed-rate investments, royalties, monthly pension payouts, retirement annuities, company dividends (provided that you’re not active involved in the management of the company), as well as income derived from the rental of movable or immovable assets.
In addition, you will be required to prove that your passive income has been stable for up to 6 months or more, and that it should remain stable in the medium term.
NB: The above minimum income thresholds should be considered a minimum – depending on individual consular requirements, you may be expected to earn more and/or provide proof of significant savings.
CAN I APPLY ON THE BASIS OF SAVINGS?
The Portuguese authorities have, in the past, approved D7 applications based on demonstrable savings only. In practice, this has no longer been a viable option since early 2022. You are realistically going to require both adequate savings AND passive income to be approved for residency.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
- PROOF OF ADDRESS: Being a recurring income visa, no property purchase is required – however, you will be required to have a residential address in Portugal. A 1-year rental agreement or letter from a sponsor authorising you to live in their Portuguese property indefinitely is generally acceptable to meet this requirement. NOTE: We can assist with a solution for this.Or you can buy a home in Portugal, should you so choose, but unlike with the Golden Visa program, there is no minimum pricing requirement for such a property. We can assist you in this regard.
- CLEAN CRIMINAL RECORD: In order to apply, you’ll be required to submit a police clearance certificate from your country of current residence. This document must be apostilled, and cannot be older than 6 months.
- PORTUGUESE BANK ACCOUNT: While this requirement was suspended during Covid, you will now be required to open a Portuguese bank account and deposit a significant amount of savings in it (€12,500+ recommended for a single person). We can assist you with opening a suitable account if needed.
- COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH INSURANCE: You, along with any dependent applicants, will be required to have comprehensive health insurance coverage, without any holding periods or co-payments.This can be cancelled once your visa is approved, however you will again require this in order to renew your residency permit after 2 years.
- NIF (PORTUGUESE TAX NUMBER): In order to apply for the D7 Visa, you’ll also be required to obtain a local tax number, or Número de Identificação Fiscal in Portuguese.We can assist you in this regard via power of attorney, and serve as your interim tax representatives in Portugal ahead of your arrival in the country.
- UNABRIDGED BIRTH AND MARRIAGE CERTIFICATES: If your application will include a spouse and/or minor children, these documents will have to be obtained as well. Again, these documents will have to be apostilled.
- VALID PASSPORT COPY: This document does not have to be certified or apostilled if you are applying from South Africa. Be sure to confirm this requirement with your local Portuguese embassy or consulate for all other countries.
- TWO PASSPORT PHOTOS: These need to meet the size and color requirements for Portugal. Confirm the exact, up to date requirements with VFS or directly with your local Portuguese embassy or consulate.
Please note: In order to keep your residency permit renewable, you will be expected to spend a minimum of 6 months per year in Portugal, whereas the minimum stay requirement for a Golden Visa is around 7 days per year.
Why choose us
D7 Visa assists non-EEA nationals to obtain residency in Portugal. In addition, we specialise in helping entrepreneurs to set up, manage and grow their businesses in Europe.
Powered by one of Portugal’s leading immigration firms, D7 Visa gives you access to leading professionals specializing in the D7 Residency Program, HQA Visa, Golden Visa, and Non-Habitual Residency Programs.
We also offer the new 200K Cultural Golden Visa – the fastest, most affordable Golden Visa option in Portugal in 2023.
Given the large swathe of government discretion involved in approving D7 Visa applications, a large percentage of independently submitted applications are not approved. Working with an expert firm can help ensure that your application is approved without any complications.
We offer an end-to-end visa application service, and can also support you in deciding on where to settle, and how to go about purchasing property in Portugal.
Immigration can be a challenging process, but working with a professional firm can make the process seamless and ensure that your transition to Portuguese residency is hassle-free.
WHAT’S INCLUDED IN YOUR SERVICE FEE?
We provide an end-to-end, white-glove service, including:
- Obtaining a Portuguese NIF (tax number) by power of attorney
- Assistance with Portuguese bank account opening
- Assistance with property rental agreements (proof of domicile)
- Assistance with Portuguese drivers license application.
- Assistance with Portuguese healthcare services registration
- Assistance with company formation, if appropriate (e.g. for D2 Visa applications)
- Assistance with business plan writing and development, if appropriate (e.g. for D2 Visa applications)
- Pre-arrival tax representation service
- Client case file building – document formatting and sequencing, motivational letter input and review, SEF interview preparation and more
- We can also accompany you to your SEF appointment in Portugal (optional extra).
In addition, we also offer a host of resettlement services to expats seeking to settle in Portugal.
Contact us to get your D7 application started today.
