24/12/2022
The Digital Nomad Visa is a special type of visa, available from the 30th of October of 2022, that allows foreigners to stay legally in Portugal while working remotely, either with subordinate link (work contract) or independent link, for a natural or legal person based outside Portugal.
Obtaining a Portugal digital nomad visa is becoming increasingly easier, especially in the age of advanced remote working.From 30 October 2022, under the new Portugal Digital Nomad Visa program, you can now live and work in Portugal as a remote worker. The Portuguese government announced the Digital Nomad Visa earlier this year to allow digital nomads to stay or settle for a certain period in Portugal. Many countries now have Digital Nomad Visas, and the Portuguese version is very appealing.
The Portugal Digital Nomad Visa is for remote workers that are looking to work remotely from Portugal. The requirements are that the individual has to make four times the national minimum wage to live and work in the country, which amounts to around (€2,820) per month.
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Portugal’s Digital Nomad Visa is split into two categories. Remote workers can either apply for a temporary stay visa for up to one year or a residency visa that can then be renewed for up to five years. The two categories are very appealing, whether you are looking for a short-term temporary stay visa or are looking to obtain a residency visa and perhaps live longer in the country.
If you obtain a residency visa, after five years, you can apply for permanent residency and even Portuguese citizenship, provided that you fulfill all the requirements. With citizenship, you will have the right to live, work, and study in any European Union (EU) member country.
This visa type is a nice alternative to the D7 Visa (also referred to as the Portugal Passive Income Visa), which is ultimately a visa for passive income earners. Portugal’s Digital Nomad Visa provides an entire visa type focused on attracting remote workers and entrepreneurs to the country.
Concerning the application process, you can visit the Portuguese Consulate in your home country or at SEF (Portuguese immigration and border services) if you are already in Portugal. You will need to show proof of income (bank statements) for the past three months, tax residency documents, and either a contract of employment or proof that you are self-employed. The application process is relatively straightforward, whether you apply in your home country or at SEF.
Recipients are also able to travel throughout the Schengen Area visa-free without having to deal with border control – one of the key advantages of the new visa.
The digital nomad residence visa process involves two stages:
● The embassy stage, in which you submit your application for the digital nomad visa at your nearest Portuguese consulate in your country of citizenship or permanent residence.
● The residency permit stage, which happens at the immigration department once you enter Portugal using your digital nomad visa.
This visa can be granted as a Temporary Stay Visa (period of stay is under one year) or as a Residence Visa (period of stay in Portugal over one year).
The residency visa is granted, usually for a 4 month period that covers the time from the arrival to the SEF appointment to handle the residency permit process (when the visa is issued, you will have a linkthateitherprovides adatefortheappointmentorthepossibilityofbookingit).Thetemporary visa is issued for the exact period of stay and does not entail a residency permit.
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Key requirements
● NIF and Portuguese bank account
● A salary from remote work that is at least four times the Portuguese minimum wage (that
would be €2820 per month minimum)
● Proof of personal tax residence in Portugal (a 12 month rental agreement registered with the
tax authority)
● An employment contract from an employer based outside of Portugal
● For freelancers, you’ll need a contract that proves you’re working with clients
● Bank statements and payslips (or invoices) to prove your monthly income
● Proof of financial support: the minimum amount deposited in the Portuguese Bank account
(€8260 )
General documentation needed:
TEMPORARY VISA (LESS THAN ONE YEAR) - see below for Resident Visa
● Official form duly printed, filled and signed
● Passport or additional travel document valid for 3 months after the duration of the stay -
please scan the ID pages and all other used pages;
● Two passport photos, up-to-date, colorized and with enough quality to identify the applicant;
● Criminal record certificate:
● the date of issue must be 6 months less previous to the date of submission;
● the Criminal Record Certificate must be either from the applicant's country of origin
or from the country where the applicant has been living for more than year;
● The Criminal Record Certificate needs to be translated into Portuguese by a sworn translator - the Embassy can provide sworn translators or ensure the translation -
the applicant chooses.
● The Criminal Record Certificate, when issued by a country that is not Serbia,
Montenegro or North Macedonia, needs to be apostilled.
● Travel medical insurance
● issued by a company of the country of origin or current residence;
● must have a capital not inferior to 30.000 € (the amount in EUR or in equivalent
currency needs to be explicit) and include urgent medical attention and repatriation;
● The period of insurance should cover the full period of your travel and should at
least have a 4 month validity after arriving in Portugal.
● In case of the applicant is not a citizen from the countries of jurisdiction of this embassy, a
Serbian/Montenegrin/North Macedonia residence permit is required and must be valid 6
months after the intended date of departure
● Request for criminal record enquiry by the Immigration and Border Services (SEF) printed
and signed;
● Proof of accommodation for the full period of stay: hotel or similar, lease contract with the
landlord signature certified/notarized.
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Specific documentation:
● For subordinate link, one of the following documents:
1. Work contract with clause that proves remote work (or declaration that states it) with
signature of the employer certified/notarized;
2. Promise of work contract with clause that proves remote work (or declaration that states
it)with signature of the future employer certified/notarized;
3. Certified/notarized statement from the employer proving the employment relationship and
authorization for remote work;
● In situations of independent professional activity, one of the following documents:
1. A company contract with clause that proves remote work (or declaration that states it)with
contracting entity signature certified/notarized;
2. A contract for rendering services with clause that proves remote work (or declaration that
states it) with contracting entity signature certified/notarized;
3. A written proposal for a contract for the rendering of services with contracting entity
signature certified/notarized;
4. A document demonstrating online services provided to one or more entities, with
contracting entity signature certified/notarized;
● Proof of average monthly income earned in the exercise of subordinate or independent
professional activity in the last three months of a minimum value equivalent to four guaranteed minimum monthly remunerations (for 2022 – RMMG is 705 €, hence – 2820 €, net revenues).
● The bank extracts of the previous 3 months are needed;
● The proof of this requirement should be made through the presentation of bank
extracts from any SEPA country, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, the country of origin of the applicant or the country of the employer of the applicant, in any legal currency.
● In case the extracts are not provided in English or Portuguese, they need to be translated officially (ie, com sworn translator) to one of the abovementioned languages.
● This Consular Section can demand certified documents i.e., certified/notarized bank declarations with balances or longer period extracts in case the documents provided do not provide sufficient evidence.
● A certified/official document attesting the applicant fiscal residence, ie, a document issued by the Tax authorities of the country of residence that proves the applicant pays is registered in that country for fiscal purposes.
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General documentation needed: RESIDENCY VISA (OVER ONE YEAR)
● Official form duly printed, filled and signed - signatures of the applicant do not need to be notarized;
● Passport or additional travel document valid for 3 months after the duration of the stay - please scan the ID pages and all other used pages;
● Two passport photos, up-to-date, colorized and with enough quality to identify the applicant;
● Criminal record certificate:
● the date of issue must be 6 months less previous to the date of submission;
● the Criminal Record Certificate must be either from the applicant's country of origin
or from the country where the applicant has been living for more than year;
● The Criminal Record Certificate needs to be translated into Portuguese by a sworn translator - the Embassy can provide sworn translators or ensure the translation -
the applicant chooses.
● The Criminal Record Certificate, when issued by a country that is not Serbia,
Montenegro or North Macedonia, needs to be apostilled.
● Travel medical insurance
● issued by a company of the country of origin or current residence;
● must have a capital not inferior to 30.000 € (the amount in EUR or in equivalent
currency needs to be explicit) and include urgent medical attention and repatriation;
● The period of insurance should cover the full period of your travel and should at
least have a 4 month validity after arriving in Portugal.
● In case of the applicant is not a citizen from the countries of jurisdiction of this embassy, a
Serbian/Montenegrin/North Macedonia residence permit is required and must be valid 6
months after the intended date of departure
● Request for criminal record enquiry by the Immigration and Border Services (SEF) printed
and signed;
● Proof of accommodation (for at least, the 4 first months): hotel or similar, lease contract with
the landlord signature certified/notarized.
Specific documentation:
● For subordinate link, one of the following documents:
1. Work contract with clause that proves remote work (or declaration that states it) with
signature of the employer certified/notarized;
2. Certified/notarized statement from the employer proving the employment relationship and
authorization to work remotely;
● In situations of independent professional activity, one of the following documents:
1. A company contract with clause that proves remote work (or declaration that states it)with
contracting entity signature certified/notarized;
2. A contract for rendering services with clause that proves remote work (or declaration that
states it) with contracting entity signature certified/notarized;
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3. A document demonstrating online services provided to one or more entities, with contracting entity signature certified/notarized;
● Proof of average monthly income earned in the exercise of subordinate or independent professional activity in the last three months of a minimum value equivalent to four guaranteed minimum monthly remunerations (for 2022 – RMMG is 705 €, hence – 2820 €, net revenues):
● The bank extracts of the previous 3 months are needed;
● The proof of this requirement should be made through the presentation of bank
extracts from any SEPA country, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, the country of origin of the applicant or the country of the employer of the applicant, in any legal currency;
● In case the extracts are not provided in English or Portuguese they need to be translated officially (ie, com sworn translator) to one of the abovementioned languages
● This Consular Section can demand certified documents i.e., certified/notarized bank declarations with balances or longer period extracts in case the documents provided do not provide sufficient evidence.
● A certified/official document attesting the applicant fiscal residence, ie, a document issued by the Tax authorities of the country of residence that proves the applicant pays is registered in that country for fiscal purposes.
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FAMILY
Family members of a digital nomad visa applicant, when all the family travels from the same country of origin, can apply for a visa for accompanying the main applicant. In that case, these are the documents needed:
General documents:
● Official form duly printed, filled and signed - signatures of the applicant do not need to be notarized;
● Passport or additional travel document valid for 3 months after the duration of the stay - please scan the ID pages and all other used pages;
● Two passport photos, up-to-date, colorized and with enough quality to identify the applicant;
● Criminal record certificate - see above for specifications
● Travel medical insurance
● issued by a company of the country of origin or current residence;
● must have a capital not inferior to 30.000 € (the amount in EUR or in equivalent
currency needs to be explicit) and include urgent medical attention and repatriation;
● The period of insurance should cover the full period of your travel and should at
least have a 4 month validity after arriving in Portugal.
● In case of the applicant is not a citizen from the countries of jurisdiction of this embassy, a
Serbian/Montenegrin/North Macedonian residence permit is required and must be valid 6
months after the intended date of departure
● Request for criminal record enquiry by the Immigration and Border Services (SEF) printed
and signed;
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● Proof of accommodation - may be the one provided by the digital nomad applicant Specific documentation
● Marriage or civil union certificate - for spouse/partner
● Birth certificate - in case of dependent
● Marriage or civil union certificate or birth certificate must be issued by the competent civil authorities of the country of origin of the applicant and must be apostilled and translated to Portuguese or English by sworn translator
● Availability of resources:
● bank accounts (singular - in the family member name - or joint accounts) that prove
availability of financial resources for the requested period of stay
● reference values per month/minimum (2022 values) - 705 € for adult family member
applicant, 353 € for dependent adult and 212 € for dependent children
● Ie, this means that in an application of the partner of a digital nomad visa for a period of one year must prove, at least, the availability of 705 € x 12 = 8.460 € already available in bank accounts. These values needed to be proved
independently of the resources for the digital nomad visa applicant;
● The bank extracts of the previous 3 months are needed;
● The proof of this requirement should be made through the presentation of
bank extracts from any SEPA country, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, the country of origin of the applicant or the country of the employer of the applicant, in any legal currency;
● In case the extracts are not provided in English or Portuguese they need to be translated officially (ie, com sworn translator) to one of the abovementioned languages
● This Consular Section can demand certified documents i.e., certified/notarized bank declarations with balances or longer period extracts in case the documents provided do not provide sufficient evidence.
