How to get RESIDENCY in Portugal

The first thing you need to understand is that most countries have an agreement with Portugal (and the rest of the European Union) that waives the required visa for three months or 90 days. This means you can enter Portugal freely for a holiday or a short stay. You can not stay longer than three months and you need to exit the country for three months before returning for another three month stay.

If you require to stay longer for any stretch of time, you are legally required to take up residency in Portugal. Currently this is possible for residents of most countries around the world but you should take into account that it’s a fairly slow process when compared to some other countries like the UK or the USA.

D7 Visa

The D7 visa is a route to residency which was designed for retirees and has come to include digital nomads or people who have passive or international forms of income. In other words, you’re not drawing a salary from within Portugal. Some of the main requirements of the D7 is that you need to have enough money to pay for your way of life in Portugal and you now need a 12 month lease or a deed on a house that proves you have your own accommodation.

Golden Visa

A Golden Visa is a way to buy your residency through various different options (like property with a certain value and in certain areas). You can also invest into Portuguese companies and funds to qualify for the Golden Visa. You don’t necessarily have to spend much time in Portugal each year either which suits some people.

These rules changed in January 2022 and this map shows you where you are now allowed to purchase a house of €500k and above within the Algarve to qualify. There are exceptions to this rule if you buy a home in a residential development. Ask me how.

If you’d like to know all the details about the various ways of acquiring residency in Portugal and how it pertains to your particular situation, get in touch.