Portugal D2 visa money needed: the law sets no minimum investment

Portugal's published D2 rules set no minimum investment, so anyone who quotes one as a legal requirement should be asked which rule says so. The figure above is a different test: what you must show to support yourself.

If a lawyer or agent has put a minimum investment in front of you as a rule of the D2, ask them to name it. The ministry's pages tell an entrepreneur to declare the investment's nature, value and length, and to show either that it has been made or that the money to make it is available in Portugal. Nowhere do they fix an amount, so a number quoted as a legal minimum is the quoting firm's own figure, and you can decide whether to pay for it.

The figure above answers another question. It is the means-of-subsistence test for an entrepreneur applicant: twelve months of the national minimum monthly wage for the main applicant, with half of it for each further adult and three tenths for each child. That is money you hold or will earn, not a fee.

Proof of the investment, without a minimum

Someone working on their own account shows a company contract or a written proposal for services instead of an investment. The route also changes the means test: the twelve-month figure is the entrepreneur's, while someone working on their own account must show means for the longest period the permit allows.

The minimum wage the test is built on is usually updated each January, so the amount above moves with it. Compare the date of the rule change shown above with the date of your own calculation.

Registration comes before the appointment

The residence permit that follows the visa is a second step with its own order. The immigration agency asks for proof that you have started your activity with the tax office and with social security, so the registration has to come before the residence appointment, not after it.

After the visa

The residence permit lasts two years at first and is renewed for three years at a time.

What to ask before you pay

Two kinds of recipient appear on a D2 bill, and a good quote separates them.

Charges that go to the government:

• The consular fee for the visa, and the immigration agency's application and grant fees for the residence permit. The government fee shown above is these charges, which AIMA currently charges at the same reduced rate in person and online.

Charges that are the firm's own:

• A lawyer's, accountant's or adviser's fee for the application or for setting up the business, each on its own line.

Raise these with whoever is quoting:

1. Has anyone quoted you a minimum investment as a legal requirement? Ask them to point to the rule.
2. How many people are coming with you, and has the amount been scaled for each of them?
3. Are you applying as an entrepreneur investing in Portugal, or working on your own account? The documents differ.
4. What evidence will show the investment has been made, or that the money is available in Portugal?
5. Will your activity be registered with the tax office and social security before the residence appointment?

If a lawyer's quote or service contract for your D2 puts an investment figure on a line, answer yes to the first question in the box below and it will be read line by line against the official rules on file; if you hold nothing like that, enter the money you can show and the period it covers. The check compares a document or a figure with the published rules, and does not look at your application or advise on it; for advice on your own case, speak to a qualified immigration lawyer.

General information, not legal advice.