If you’re planning to move to Portugal, you’ve probably come across the D7 and D8 visas. At first glance, they look almost identical. Both let non-EU citizens live in Portugal without going through the Golden Visa route, both can lead to permanent residency or even citizenship after five years (provided you meet the legal requirements), and both allow you to bring your family with you.

So… what’s the actual difference?

In reality, it all comes down to where your income comes from.

What Are The D7 and D8 Visas

The D7 visa is the passive income visa, sometimes called the “retirement visa”. It’s designed for people who earn money without actively working for it, such as through a pension, rental income, dividends, royalties, or investments. While it’s popular among retirees, it’s also a great option for landlords and investors who have a steady stream of passive income. 

The D8 visa is the digital nomad visa. It’s meant for people who are still working, just not for a Portuguese company. If your income comes from a remote job, freelance clients, or an online business based abroad, this is usually the visa you’ll be looking at, even if you’re still working from your laptop on a terrace in Boavista.

The Income Line And Why It Keeps Moving

One thing that often catches people by surprise is that neither visa has a fixed euro amount written into law. Instead, the financial requirements are linked to Portugal’s minimum wage. Every time the minimum wage goes up, the visa thresholds go up too.

As of August 2026, here’s what that looks like:

D7 visa

• €920/month for a single applicant
• +50% for a spouse or partner
• +30% for each dependent child

That means a couple would generally need around €1,380/month in qualifying passive income.

D8 visa

• €3,680/month (or €44,160/year) for a single applicant
• The same family additions apply

It’s a pretty big jump, roughly a 4x gap between the two thresholds. The D8 was intentionally designed with a substantially higher income threshold than the D7, reflecting its role as a residence route for remote professionals rather than financially independent applicants. 

Beyond Income: What Else Both Visas Ask For

The visa paperwork actually overlaps more than people expect:

• A valid passport with enough validity left to cover the process;
• A NIF (Portuguese tax number), obtainable remotely through a fiscal representative
• A Portuguese bank account;
• Proof of accommodation in Portugal: generally a long-term lease, property deed, or other evidence of suitable accommodation rather than short-term tourist bookings;
• A clean criminal record certificate, apostilled (or legalized) and translated;
• Health insurance valid in Portugal, or proof of access to the public system.

If you’re applying for the D7 visa, many Portuguese consulates also like to see savings alongside your passive income—typically around €11,040 for a single applicant in 2026 (12 months’ worth of the minimum wage). Although not a legal requirement, it’s common practice. You’ll also need to prove, at each two-year renewal, that you still meet the D7’s financial requirements. 

The D8 visa has a different focus. You’ll need to prove your income comes from employers or clients outside Portugal through an employment contract, freelance agreements or invoice history. You’ll also need to demonstrate this at each two-year renewal of your residence permit. 

Where applications actually go wrong

These are the patterns we’ve seen come up most often while helping clients settle into Porto over the last 8 years:

Thin income proof. One bank statement instead of three to six months of consistent history. Income that looks like a one-off deposit rather than something recurring.

Wrong category. Active income submitted as if it were passive, or the reverse. If you’re still invoicing clients, that’s a D8 profile, not a D7, no matter how stable the income looks.

Accommodation that doesn’t hold up. A hotel reservation or short-term booking submitted as proof of address. Consulates want a real lease or purchase agreement with your name on it.

Documentation that’s technically expired. Police clearance certificates older than three months, missing apostilles, or documents that weren’t translated into Portuguese by a certified translator.

Underestimating timelines. Both visas typically take four to eight months start to finish: weeks to prepare documents, roughly 60 to 90 days for consulate processing, then more time after arrival for the AIMA residence permit appointment. Applicants who leave this until the last minute against a lease start date or a job end date tend to be the ones who panic in month three.

What If I Have Both Passive and Active Income?

This is actually more common than you might think.

If you receive both passive income and income from remote work, you may qualify for either visa. The key is deciding which income source you’re relying on for your application. In most cases, it’s best to apply under the visa category that most accurately reflects your financial situation.

If you’re not sure which route makes the most sense, that’s exactly the kind of question we help our clients answer before they apply.

To Sum Up

Moving to Portugal is a big step, but choosing the right visa doesn’t have to be complicated. Once you know which category your income falls into, the rest of the process becomes much easier to navigate. 

Common questions on this topic:

1. I have both a pension and some freelance income, which visa should I apply for?

It depends on which income source you’re actually relying on to meet the minimum threshold. If your passive income alone covers the D7 requirement, that’s usually the simpler route. If you need the freelance income to qualify, you’d be looking at the D8 instead. This is one of the most common questions we help clients work through before applying. 

2. Can I switch from a D8 to a D7 later if my income situation changes? 

Yes, you can switch from a D8 digital nomad visa to a D7 passive income visa from within Portugal via AIMA (the successor to SEF) if your residency card is still valid, provided you meet the new income type and threshold requirements

3. What happens if my income drops below the threshold at renewal time? 

If your income drops below the required threshold at renewal time, your renewal application risks being rejected by AIMA because Portuguese law strictly mandates that you must maintain “adequate means of subsistence” to remain in the country. 

Not sure which path fits your goals? Talk to us! We help you find the right property for your investment and point you to a partner to handle the visa process. 

Fill out our 5-minute fit questionnaire and let’s figure out your next step in Porto.