How to Obtain a Residence Permit in Portugal in 2026: Grounds, Required Income and State Fees

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What grounds for Portugal's residence permit apply in 2026

Portugal's residence permit in 2026 is issued under seven grounds, and all of them fall into three groups: income, work, and investment. The procedure is the same for any group: first a national D-category visa at the consulate, then entry, then an application to the immigration agency AIMA — and only after that is the residence permit formalized with a resident card.

Ground	What is confirmed	Who it suits
D7 — own income and pension	Passive income secured for 12 months	Retirees, pensioners, owners of rental property
D8 — remote work	Average income over 3 months from 4 minimum wages	Employees and freelancers working for foreign clients
D2 — independent activity and self-employment	Service agreement or investment project	Self-employed, company founders
D3 — highly qualified work	Employment contract with salary above the national average	Specialists with a job offer from an employer
ARI — investment activity	Fund units, science, culture, job creation	Investors without plans to live permanently in the country
Family reunification	Kinship with a resident and two years of their residence	Spouses, children, dependent parents
Education and research	Enrollment or agreement with a research center	Students, researchers

Portugal's residence permits differ not in the duration of the title, but in what the applicant uses to confirm their right to it. The legal framework for all grounds is common — the law on foreigners Lei n.º 23/2007 in its current version. The last major amendment that rewrote the conditions for Portugal's residence permit is Lei n.º 61/2025 of October 22, 2025, which came into force on October 23, 2025: it abolished the "statement of interest", narrowed the work search visa to qualified professions, and changed the title validity periods.

What is not on the list of residence permit grounds. Real estate purchases. Since October 2023, the Mais Habitação package removed housing from the list of investment grounds, and in 2026 this rule applies: the law directly prohibits directing investment into real estate even indirectly.

Portugal's Residence Permit for the Financially Independent: D7 Visa

Portugal's residence permit under D7 visa is obtained by those who live on pension, rental income, royalties, or financial investment returns. This income must be confirmed for a period of at least 12 months — as stated in Article 5 of Portaria n.º 1563/2007, the regulation that establishes means of subsistence for all categories of applicants.

What the consulate requests under this ground according to the official document list of Portugal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

• for a pensioner — a document confirming the pension amount and a document on the guarantee of its receipt or the existence of other income on Portuguese territory;
• for someone living on own income — a document on the origin and amount of income from movable or immovable property, intellectual property, or financial investments, and confirmation of its availability in Portugal.

The key word here is "availability in Portugal". The mere existence of capital abroad does not satisfy the requirement: you must show that money comes or can come to a Portuguese account.

D7 does not apply to salary, including remote work: wages are active income, and Portugal's residence permit on this income is issued under a different ground.

D8 Visa for Digital Nomads: Income from Four Minimum Wages

Portugal's residence permit under D8 visa requires income from four minimum wages — €3,680 in 2026. The average income over the last three months is calculated. The requirement is listed in the document checklist for the remote professional activity visa on Portugal's official visa portal, along with a document confirming the applicant's tax residency status.

The connection with an employer or client is confirmed by:

• for employment — an employment contract or a statement from the employer about employment relations;
• for self-employment — an incorporation agreement, service agreement, or a document on services actually rendered to one or more clients.

The threshold calculation is tied not to a fixed amount but to the minimum wage: Decreto-Lei n.º 139/2025 of December 29, 2025 set it at €920 effective January 1, 2026 — €50 higher than in 2025. This means the D8 threshold grows with it each January.

Year	Minimum wage	D8 threshold (4 × RMMG)
2025	€870	€3,480
2026	€920	€3,680

In autonomous regions, the minimum wage is higher: €966 in the Azores, €980 in Madeira. This affects regional calculations, but the threshold for Portugal's residence permit is calculated from the national figure.

Golden Visa Portugal: What Remains of ARI in 2026

Portugal's investment residence permit in 2026 is issued for fund units, cultural donations, and creating ten jobs. The thresholds are €500,000 for funds and €250,000 for culture. Added to them are scientific investments from €500,000 and company capitalization from €500,000 with five jobs. The amounts and conditions are listed in Article 3 of the law on foreigners.

Two details that are usually lost in retellings:

• the 20% discount for sparsely populated areas applies to job creation, scientific and cultural investments — but not to funds, the most common option;
• paragraph 5 of the same article requires that the investment not be directed to real estate directly or indirectly — this blocks schemes like "a fund that buys property".

We covered the mechanics of funds, holding periods, and the requirement to hold at least 60% of assets in companies located in Portugal separately — in an article on the Golden Visa of Portugal through funds.

How Much Money You Need to Show: Calculation Under Portaria 1563/2007

Income for Portugal's residence permit is calculated as fractions of the minimum wage for each family member. The fractions are: 100% for the first adult, 50% for each additional adult, 30% for a child. The 30% fraction applies to children under 18 and to adult children who are dependents. The formula is fixed in Article 2 of Portaria n.º 1563/2007 and applies both when the title is issued and when it is renewed.

Substituting the 2026 minimum wage gives this table:

Family composition	Calculation	Required monthly income
One adult	100%	€920
Two adults	100% + 50%	€1,380
Two adults and one child	100% + 50% + 30%	€1,656
Two adults and two children	100% + 50% + 30% × 2	€1,932
One adult and one child	100% + 30%	€1,196

Check which figure your source uses. As of our verification on September 3, 2026, the official AIMA page on means of subsistence still cites the 2025 minimum wage — €870 with a reference to Decreto-Lei n.º 112/2024. Calculation based on it understates the requirement for a family of three by about €90 per month. The current amount is set by Decreto-Lei n.º 139/2025.

A common misconception is that owning your own home in Portugal cuts the income required for a residence permit in half. Such a discount exists in the regulation, but it applies to applicants for education, internship, volunteering, and religious officials. The D7 and other income-based grounds do not apply the halving: there the income is calculated by the full table and must be secured for 12 months.

State Fees: How Much Resident Status Costs

Portugal's ordinary residence permit costs €110 at the consulate plus €133 and €114.30 at AIMA. The first payment to the agency is for receipt and analysis of the application, the second for issuance or renewal of the title. AIMA tariffs are set by Portaria n.º 307/2023 and indexed annually as of March 1.

Payment	Base rate	With 25% discount
Consular fee for national visa	€110.00	not applicable
AIMA: receipt and analysis of application	€133.00	€99.80
AIMA: issuance or renewal of temporary residence permit	€114.30	€85.80
AIMA: issuance of permanent residence	€351.10	€263.40
In-person issuance of completed title	€29.90	€29.90
Expedited issuance by the 2nd business day	+€47.80	+€47.80

A 25% discount on Portugal's residence permit fees is provided in section XIV of the tariff table — for submission through the digital channel. But there is also a condition written in the same place that changes the picture: until the service is transferred to the digital channel, the 25% discount applies to in-person reception rates. That is, in 2026 the right column is not a future scenario but the actual price for most applicants.

A comparison with the investment route explains what investors actually pay for:

Route	Receipt and analysis	Title issuance	Total
Ordinary residence permit (D7, D8, work, education)	€133.00	€114.30	€247.30
ARI — investment residence permit	€842.80	€8,418.90	€9,261.70

A difference of thirty-seven times — this is not the cost of document verification but payment for the regime: ARI does not require permanent residence in the country. Renewal of ARI costs €4,210.30 compared to €114.30 on ordinary grounds, and the same fee applies to each family member brought through reunification.

Procedure: D Visa, Entry, AIMA, Resident Card

Obtaining Portugal's residence permit consists of four steps and begins outside the country — with a national visa. The residence permit itself is issued inside the country. The procedure is set out in Article 58 of the law on foreigners: the D visa exists precisely so that its holder can enter and apply for residency.

1. D Visa application. For Russian citizens, applications are accepted by the BLS International visa center in Moscow by referral of the consular department of the Portuguese Embassy. Fee — €110, plus the operator's service fee. The decision timeframe for a residency visa is 60 days.
2. Entry. The visa is valid for four months and allows two entries. It comes with preliminary permission to reside, which already includes preliminary numbers for the taxpayer ID, social security, and healthcare system.
3. Application to AIMA. Here they check the full set of conditions in Article 77: a valid visa, presence in the country, means of subsistence, housing, registration in the social security system, and absence of a conviction with a sentence of over one year's imprisonment.
4. Resident card. After a positive decision, Portugal's residence permit is formalized with a title; a separate fee is charged for in-person card issuance.

A visa refusal is not final and does not close the door to Portugal's residence permit: the Moscow embassy accepts a reconsideration application within 15 days of notification, with a €75 reconsideration fee.

Title Validity: Two Years, Then Three-Year Periods

Portugal's temporary residence permit is valid for two years from the date of title issuance and renewed for three-year periods. This is how Article 75 of the law on foreigners reads in its current version — accounting for amendments in Lei n.º 18/2022, Lei n.º 9/2025, and Lei n.º 61/2025.

The practical effect is simple: a five-year tenure for permanent residency is completed with two titles — two years plus three. An application for renewal must be submitted no later than 30 days before the title expires, and a receipt for the application itself replaces the title for 60 days and can be extended.

Renewal conditions repeat issuance conditions and are the same for all types of Portugal's residence permits: means of subsistence by the same table, housing, fulfilled tax obligations, and social security obligations. How the renewal application is submitted through the AIMA portal and why the digital channel is not available to everyone — in a separate article on renewing Portugal's residence permit online.

How Long You Can Absence from Portugal Without Losing Status

The title is annulled if a resident is absent without valid reasons for six consecutive months or eight months total. Eight months are counted for the entire title validity period. For permanent residence, the limits are wider: 24 consecutive months or 30 months total over three years.

The law leaves two ways out, and both require action in advance:

• absence beyond the limit must be justified by a statement to AIMA — usually before departure, in exceptional cases after;
• the status is not annulled if the resident proves that during the absence they were engaged in professional, entrepreneurial, cultural, or public activity.

This is the ordinary regime, not the Golden Visa regime. The "seven days a year" rule applies to the investment residence permit and does not transfer to D7 and D8. An applicant planning to live in Portugal "by visits" on the model of ARI risks losing their title.

What Real Estate Purchase Gives to a Residency Application File

Buying real estate in Portugal does not create a basis for status, but closes the mandatory condition "housing". Moreover, it closes it for the entire period, not just once: the housing requirement stands in Article 77 when the title is issued and in Article 78 at every renewal.

The practical difference between ownership and rental is this:

What housing confirms	Upon title issuance	At every renewal
Ownership right with land registry extract	Accepted	Does not require contract update
Long-term lease agreement	Accepted	The contract must be valid on the application date

This is why buyers with Russian passports often follow the "housing plus D7" route: an apartment or house closes the alojamento (housing) question in the file, and income remains the ground. This provides no acceleration of timelines — neither for the residence permit nor for citizenship.

If you are viewing Portugal as a country to live in rather than as a way to gain status, the entry point is [real estate in Portugal](/portugal/): there are currently 480 properties from €90,000 in the catalog, including [Algarve](/portugal/algarve/) — 227, [Porto](/portugal/porto/) — 98, [Lisbon](/portugal/lisbon/) — 78. How to pay for a purchase from abroad — in the section on money transfers for real estate transactions.

Tax Residency: 183 Days and Housing Considered as Intent

You become a tax resident of Portugal not only after 183 days in the country but also earlier — because of housing. The second criterion of the law is housing under conditions that imply intent to maintain and occupy it as a permanent place of residence. Both are listed in Article 16 of the Income Tax Code, and the second directly concerns owners.

Three clarifications without which the rule is misread:

• 183 days are counted in any twelve-month period beginning or ending in the tax year, not in the calendar year;
• a day of presence is counted as any day, full or partial, that includes an overnight stay in Portugal;
• when either criterion is met, a person is considered a resident from the first day of stay.

What exactly constitutes "conditions implying intent" is not spelled out in the law — it is an evaluative category applied by the tax authorities. Ownership of housing alone does not automatically make someone a resident, but it is not a neutral fact either if there are other indicators of the center of vital interests.

Family Reunification: The Two-Year Rule from Lei n.º 61/2025

The right to family reunification under the general rule arises after two years of lawful residence of the resident in Portugal. This rule was introduced by Lei n.º 61/2025 and replaced the previous system where an application could be submitted almost immediately after obtaining a title.

Exceptions to the two-year term are provided for minors and legally incapacitated family members, as well as for a spouse or partner who lived with the applicant for at least 18 months immediately before their entry into Portugal. The application now has requirements for housing and adequacy of own income without regard to social benefits.

A separate detail for budget calculation: with an investment residence permit, each family member brought through reunification is charged at ARI rates — €8,418.90 for title issuance and €4,210.30 for renewal, whereas the same actions on ordinary grounds cost €114.30.

Residence Permit, Permanent Residence and Citizenship of Portugal: Three Statuses and Three Timeframes

Residency, permanent residency, and citizenship of Portugal — are three different statuses with three different timeframes. The 2026 reform changed only the third one. The timeframes by 2026 are arranged like this.

Status	Condition	Standard
Temporary residence	D visa, means, housing; title for 2 years, renewal for 3	Lei n.º 23/2007, Art. 75 and 77
Permanent residence	5 years of temporary title, means, housing, basic Portuguese	Lei n.º 23/2007, Art. 80
Citizenship	10 years of lawful residence for third-country nationals	Lei Orgânica n.º 1/2026

Basic knowledge of Portuguese for permanent residence is confirmed by a CIPLE certificate, a test at an accredited CAPLE center, or a certificate of completion of level A2 at Português Língua de Acolhimento courses.

What changed in naturalization timeframes as of May 19, 2026 and why for Russians it is now ten years instead of five — in an article on the new Portuguese citizenship law. A summary of countries where real estate is still a basis for residency is maintained on the page for [residence by investment in property](/residence/).

What Became Easier in 2026 and What Became Harder

The 2025–2026 reform simplified the mechanics of titles and tightened the family and work lines. The tally on both sides.

Easier:

• the title is issued for two years and renewed for three — five years to permanent residence is covered by two titles;
• a receipt for a renewal application replaces the title for 60 days and can be extended;
• preliminary permission to reside comes with the visa, including numbers for taxpayer ID, social security, and healthcare system;
• while the digital channel is not operational, rates reduced by 25% apply to in-person reception.

Harder:

• family reunification under the general rule — after two years of residence;
• the work search visa has been narrowed to qualified professions;
• income thresholds grow with the minimum wage: €3,680 for D8 in 2026 versus €3,480 in 2025;
• the path to citizenship for third-country nationals has been lengthened to ten years;
• real estate has not returned to the list of investment grounds and is directly excluded from it, including indirect schemes.

How We Verify Data

All amounts and timeframes are cross-checked against the text of the law on foreigners, the regulation on means of subsistence, and AIMA's official tariff table — not retold from secondary publications. Document lists are taken from Portugal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa portal. Numbers that could not be verified against a primary source were not included in the text.

Homzer is a marketplace for foreign real estate with transaction support. We do not issue visas or provide immigration law advice. The material is for reference: Portugal's migration legislation changed twice in 2025–2026, subordinate regulations clarify the application procedure, and AIMA tariffs are indexed annually as of March 1. Before submitting documents, verify the current version of the norms and consult a Portuguese lawyer.

Sources:

• Lei n.º 23/2007 as amended by Lei n.º 61/2025 of October 22, 2025 — Articles 3, 52, 57-A, 58, 75, 77, 78, 80, 85
• Portaria n.º 1563/2007 of December 11, 2007 — means of subsistence, Articles 2 and 5
• Decreto-Lei n.º 139/2025 of December 29, 2025 — minimum wage €920 from January 1, 2026
• Portaria n.º 307/2023 of October 13, 2023 — AIMA tariff table, sections III, XIV, XVI, XVII
• Portugal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa portal — document checklists and consular fees
• Portuguese Embassy in Moscow — application procedure and refusal reconsideration
• Income Tax Code (CIRS), Article 16 — tax residency
• Lei Orgânica n.º 1/2026 — naturalization timeframes

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Russian citizens obtain Portugal's residence permit in 2026?

Yes. The law on foreigners does not establish restrictions based on citizenship of the applicant. Applications for national visas from residents of Russia are accepted by the BLS International visa center in Moscow by referral of the consular department of the embassy.

How much money is needed for Portugal's residence permit?

For income-based grounds — from €920 per month for one adult, €1,380 for a couple, and €1,656 for a couple with one child according to the Portaria n.º 1563/2007 table. For the D8 visa, the threshold is separate: €3,680 average income over the last three months.

Does buying real estate in Portugal give you a residence permit?

No. Real estate has been excluded from the list of investment grounds since October 2023, and the law prohibits directing investment into it even indirectly. Ownership is used to confirm housing in the application file, but is not a basis for residency.

What types of Portugal's residence permits exist?

Seven categories of grounds: own income and pension (D7), remote work (D8), independent activity and self-employment (D2), highly qualified work (D3), investment activity (ARI), family reunification, education and research. Title types, however, are the same: temporary for two years and permanent after five years.

How does D7 visa differ from D8?

D7 is designed for passive income — pension, rental, dividends, royalties — and requires it to be secured for 12 months. D8 is designed for active remote work income from a client outside Portugal and requires average income over three months of at least four minimum wages.

For what term is a Portuguese resident title issued?

A temporary title is issued for two years from the date of issuance and renewed for three-year periods. A renewal application must be filed no later than 30 days before the title expires.

How much does Portugal's residence permit cost in state fees?

Consular fee for a national visa — €110. At AIMA: €133 for receipt and analysis of the application and €114.30 for issuance or renewal of a temporary title; when filed through the digital channel — €99.80 and €85.80.

How long can you be absent from Portugal without losing your status?

No more than six consecutive months and no more than eight months total during the permit's validity period, otherwise the residence permit may be revoked. Longer absences must be justified by a statement to AIMA, typically submitted in advance.

When can you apply for family reunification?

Generally, after two years of legal residence in Portugal. Exceptions apply for minors, individuals lacking legal capacity, and a spouse who lived with the applicant for at least 18 months before the applicant's entry into the country.

How many years does a residence permit take to become permanent residency and citizenship?

Permanent residence is granted after five years of temporary residence permit, provided you have sufficient funds, housing and basic Portuguese. Citizenship by naturalization for third-country nationals is granted after ten years of legal residence under the law effective May 19, 2026.

Do I become a tax resident of Portugal if I buy property but spend little time there?

Not automatically. Beyond the 183-day rule, the law provides a second criterion: property maintained in conditions that suggest an intention to keep and occupy it as a permanent home. The tax authority makes the assessment based on the totality of circumstances.