Rule changes
- Since 19 May 2026: citizenship now takes 10 years, counted from the first residence card.
- Since 1 January 2026, an amount update set by formula: the income requirement rose with the 2026 minimum wage.
Portugal, at your own pace.
Portugal offers one of the broadest sets of legal residency routes covered in this guide, spanning salaried work, self-employment, remote income, study, family reunification and investment.
When rules change mid-way, the date your application is filed is what often decides which rules apply to you. Where are you right now?
Pick by how you live
15 routes, grouped by what Portugal's system asks of you day to day — not by which visa is most talked about. Every figure below is what Immimaps has verified against Portugal's official programme rules.
Your income comes from employers or clients outside the country. You don't want a local employer, and you don't need one.
A pension or other steady income from outside the country, and no plan to take a local job.
Routes where you prove money you hold or receive, rather than a job offer. The money is shown, not spent.
Most of these sums are shown, not spent.
On most remote-work and retirement routes, the figure is proof of means — it sits in your own account until it's checked, and nothing is transferred. Routes where money genuinely moves are marked below.
routes ask you to show a balance or income — once it's checked, it stays yours.
routes place capital that is exposed until the hold period or conditions are met.
What keeping the visa actually asks of you
EU Blue Card (Portugal), Portugal CPLP Residence Authorization (Autorização de Residência para Cidadãos da CPLP), Portugal D1 Subordinate Work Visa (Art. 88 Residence Permit), Portugal D2 Visa – Entrepreneur / Independent Worker, Portugal D3 Highly Qualified Activity Visa (Tech Visa), Portugal D8 Digital Nomad Visa, StartUP Visa (IAPMEI) are renewed rather than granted once. Expect each renewal to check the route's conditions again, so keep the same proof ready.
Counted from each route's own rules. Some routes lead to permanent residence or citizenship and some don't; the route cards below say which.
Pick a route, see the real commitment
Every official figure below is what Immimaps has verified for that route against Portugal's official programme rules — not a marketing minimum. Service fees are what independent firms publish for the route, shown only once five or more are on file.
An EU-wide route for highly skilled employees, with mobility rights across other Blue Card countries built in from the start.
For joining a spouse, parent or other close family member who already holds residency in Portugal.
A golden-visa route built on capital invested directly into a Portuguese company, paired with a commitment to create jobs there.
A golden-visa route funded through a non-recoverable donation to a Portuguese cultural, arts or heritage project — the money is not returned or reinvested.
A golden-visa route through a regulated investment fund rather than a direct purchase — the route most applicants now use since the original property option closed.
A golden-visa route earned by creating and maintaining a set number of permanent jobs in a Portuguese company, an operating commitment rather than a lump-sum investment.
A golden-visa route through capital directed to a Portuguese public or private scientific research institution.
€920 shown as proof of means — nothing is transferred.
The standard route for someone moving to Portugal on a salaried job offer, built around the employment contract rather than personal savings.
For people starting a business or working independently in Portugal, assessed on a business plan and proof you can support yourself while it gets going.
A route for specialist and managerial hires on higher salaries, with an easier qualifying path for roles inside Portugal's certified technology-sector programme.
For enrolling in higher education or another recognised study programme in Portugal, with proof of both admission and living costs.
For remote employees and freelancers whose income comes from clients or an employer based outside Portugal.
Built for retirees and others living on pensions, rental income or other passive income, rather than local employment.
For founders with an innovative business idea accepted into Portugal's official startup incubation programme, a route judged on the project rather than capital brought in.
What each route costs, stage by stage
Added up from the official figures on file for each route — split into money spent for good, money locked and returned later, and money shown but never transferred. Not a modelled estimate.
EU Blue Card (Portugal)▾
At application
Decision — reported: 2 months.- Spent for goodOfficial fees: €227.37, paid to the government for the initial application.
- Shown, never leaves you€16,824 shown as proof of means every year — nothing is transferred.
At renewal
Renewal — reported: 3 years.- Shown, never leaves you€16,824 — the same proof is shown again.
2 ways to qualify — shown: the cheapest. Alternatives: €21,030 / €16,824 (shown).
Family Reunification Permit▾
At application
Decision — reported: 9 months.- Spent for goodOfficial fees: €295.60, paid to the government for the initial application.
- Shown, never leaves you€920 shown as proof of means every month — nothing is transferred.
Golden Visa Business Capital▾
At application
Decision — reported: 1 year, 6 months.- Spent for goodOfficial fees: €6,798 – €8,867, paid to the government for the initial application.
- Locked€500,000 placed as capital — recoverable in principle, exposed in practice.
Golden Visa Cultural Donation▾
At application
Decision — reported: 1 year, 6 months.- Spent for goodOfficial fees: €6,798 – €8,867, paid to the government for the initial application.
- Spent for good€250,000 — a non-recoverable payment, spent for good.
Golden Visa Fund Investment▾
At application
Decision — reported: 1 year, 6 months.- Spent for goodOfficial fees: €6,946.30, paid to the government for the initial application.
- Locked€500,000 placed as capital — recoverable in principle, exposed in practice.
Golden Visa Job Creation▾
At application
Decision — reported: 1 year, 6 months.- Spent for goodOfficial fees: €6,798 – €8,867, paid to the government for the initial application.
Golden Visa Scientific Research▾
At application
Decision — reported: 1 year, 6 months.- Spent for goodOfficial fees: €6,798 – €8,867, paid to the government for the initial application.
- Locked€500,000 placed as capital — recoverable in principle, exposed in practice.
Portugal CPLP Residence Authorization (Autorização de Residência para Cidadãos da CPLP)▾
At application
- Spent for goodOfficial fees: €59.40 – €79.10, paid to the government for the initial application.
- Shown, never leaves you€920 shown as proof of means every month — nothing is transferred.
2 ways to qualify — shown: the cheapest. Alternatives: €79.10 / €59.40 (shown).
Portugal D1 Subordinate Work Visa (Art. 88 Residence Permit)▾
At application
Decision — reported: 1 month.- Spent for goodOfficial fees: €209.80, paid to the government for the initial application.
- Shown, never leaves you€920 shown as proof of means every month — nothing is transferred.
At renewal
Renewal — reported: 2 years.- Shown, never leaves you€920 — the same proof is shown again.
Portugal D2 Visa – Entrepreneur / Independent Worker▾
At application
Decision — reported: 2 months.- Spent for goodOfficial fees: €295.60, paid to the government for the initial application.
- Shown, never leaves you€11,040 shown as proof of means — nothing is transferred.
Portugal D3 Highly Qualified Activity Visa (Tech Visa)▾
At application
Decision — reported: 2 months.- Spent for goodGovernment fees on file: €295.60, paid to the government for the initial application.
- Shown, never leaves you€16,113.96 shown as proof of means every year — nothing is transferred.
At renewal
Renewal — reported: 1 year, 6 months.- Shown, never leaves you€16,113.96 — the same proof is shown again.
2 ways to qualify — shown: the cheapest. Alternatives: €19,336.68 / €16,113.96 (shown).
Portugal D4 Student Visa▾
At application
Decision — reported: 1 month.- Spent for goodGovernment fees on file: €295.60, paid to the government for the initial application.
- Shown, never leaves you€11,040 shown as proof of means — nothing is transferred.
Portugal D8 Digital Nomad Visa▾
At application
Decision — reported: 3 months.- Spent for goodOfficial fees: €295.60, paid to the government for the initial application.
- Shown, never leaves you€3,680 shown as proof of means every month — nothing is transferred.
At renewal
Renewal — reported: 3 years.- Shown, never leaves you€3,680 — the same proof is shown again.
Portugal Retirement (D7) Visa, Passive Income Visa▾
At application
Decision — reported: 4 months.- Spent for goodOfficial fees: €295.60, paid to the government for the initial application.
- Shown, never leaves you€920 shown as proof of means every month — nothing is transferred.
2 ways to qualify — shown: the cheapest. Alternatives: €920 (shown) / €11,040.
StartUP Visa (IAPMEI)▾
At application
Decision — reported: 1 month.- Spent for goodGovernment fees on file: €270 – €280, paid to the government for the initial application.
- Shown, never leaves you€6,445.56 shown as proof of means — nothing is transferred.
The order Portugal Retirement (D7) Visa, Passive Income Visa follows
- 2026-05-18Portugal rewrote its nationality law in 2026, extending the residence period required before naturalisation from 5 to 10 years for most non-EU applicants (7 years for EU and Portuguese-speaking-country nationals), and the clock now starts from the date a residence permit card is issued rather than from the date the application was filed. source
The cost calculator separates money spent for good from money that's only shown or locked up.
Open the cost calculatorUpload it and Immimaps checks it against what Portugal's official programme actually requires, and reads the contract clause by clause. Free, no account.
Check my documentEvery official figure on this page is checked against Portugal's official immigration sources. Service fees are what independent firms publish for a route — not an official figure, and never any one firm's price. Immimaps does not publish success rates, approval odds or any probability score — here or anywhere else.
Don’t take a life-changing move on someone else’s word.
Immimaps is not an agency and takes no placement fees. We show the real figures on every route, show the working, and tell you what it actually costs.
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