Portugal D7 Visa

Portugal D7  Visa

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Offering a secure political and social environment, good infrastructure, lower cost of living, and high-standard quality of life, Portugal is an attractive destination for people seeking residence within the EU.

The D7 visa is probably the best choice for you If you are a non-EU citizen looking to migrate to Portugal with reasonable passive income (not salary derived).

The D7 visa entitles you to live in Portugal based on your passive income if you are a pensioner, investor, or entrepreneur who has some means of supporting yourself without having to make a significant economic investment. Passive income is income that takes little to no effort to earn and maintain. This could be through a pension, income from rental properties, income from a business you own, income from a remote job, social security income, dividends or income from investments, royalties, intellectual property, or savings.

The D7 visa differentiates itself from Golden Visas by being extremely affordable, with no minimum investment required. However, it does require you to live in Portugal for a longer period and may have some tax implications on your income. But if you intend to live in Portugal most of the time, the D7 Visa is a much better and faster option.

It is affordable and allows non-EU citizens to obtain Portuguese residency as long as they have enough funds to support themselves while in Portugal.

This visa is perfect for pensioners, retirees, investors, or entrepreneurs who want to live in Portugal without having to make a significant economic investment. It is sometimes called the “retirement visa,” “freelancer visa,” or “passive income visa”.

Despite being referred to as the passive income visa, the D7 Visa is also ideal for remote workers and freelancers, long-term digital nomads, and even crypto traders. Many people on this visa are full-time remote workers, freelancers, or entrepreneurs. However, regardless of whether they earn their income actively or passively, all of these people have one thing in common: they are bringing their own source of income to Portugal.

The D7 visa can then be renewed after 1 year for two consecutive periods of 2 years and can be converted into a permanent residency permit and citizenship after 5 years.

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D7 Visa Advantages

• Faster visa application process than the Golden Visa
• Free entry and circulation in the Schengen Area for the duration of the visa
• You can live, work and study in Portugal, or work for companies in other EU countries as a freelancer or remotely
• You can travel within the EU
• Tax benefits via the Non-Habitual Resident (NHR) scheme
• Taking advantage of the Portuguese health care system, which is government-funded and has minimal fees
• Spouses and children can be included in the visa

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The Process to Get the D7 Residency Visa Portugal

To obtain the D7 Residency Visa, you need to go through two steps:

1. Apply for a temporary D7 Visa at the Portuguese Embassy or Consulate in your home country (which lasts for 4 months)
2. Make an appointment with SEF, or Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras (Portuguese Immigration Department), in Portugal, who will deal with D7 Residency Visa.

Step1: Present all the necessary D7 application documents to a Portuguese Embassy or Consulate in your country. It may take a few weeks or months to get an appointment at the consulate, so make sure to book it in advance.  If your application is approved, the embassy will issue a temporary visa allowing you to travel to Portugal, rent or buy a place, settle in, and attend an interview with SEF for the D7 residency permit (who then give a decision within 90 days of that interview). This temporary visa is valid for 4 months (120 days) from the time it is released.

Step 2: Make an appointment with SEF once the temporary visa is issued. This appointment is a personal interview and you will need to present any additional documentation as necessary. SEF will advise you of this. If this interview is successful, you will be issued a D7 Residency Visa for 1 year, which is then renewable twice, each visa lasting for 2 successive years (a total of 5 years). At the end of these 5 years, you can apply for permanent residency in Portugal.

After 5 years of residency in Portugal, you can obtain Portuguese citizenship for the so-called “EU passport” or a second passport, if qualified.

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The D7 Visa Requirements

You must:

• Be a non-EU national
• Have sufficient funds/income to support yourself (and your family if applicable) during your stay in Portugal
• Have a clean criminal record

Given that this visa is aimed primarily at pensioners, there are no age limits or health requirements.

You do not need to know Portuguese to obtain the visa, but you will need to pass the A2 language test later when you want to apply for citizenship.

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Documents Required for the D7 Visa Portugal

The D7 visa Portugal required documentation is:

• D7 application form
• A valid passport (valid for at least 6 months after your D7 Visa would end)
• 2 passport-sized photos
• Proof of regular income or passive income (for example, dividends or savings)
• Proof of a place to live (either bought, rented, or staying with friends)
• Criminal background record from your country of origin
• Valid travel insurance with health coverage
• 6 months of bank statements

Please keep in mind that you are likely to need to provide certified translations of these supporting documents. The Portuguese Embassy or Consulate should be able to provide you with the names and contact information of official translators who can help you with this work.

You must prove, in some way, that you have sufficient income coming into your bank account (or already in it) and that you will continue to receive this income for the duration of your residency permit. An example of this would be bank statements indicating income from a pension or rental income.

Proof of a place to live for the majority of people means a rental agreement or a rental lease. However, if you have friends or relatives in Portugal, you can have them write you an invitation letter stating that you are welcome to live with them while you look for a new place to live.

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The Income Requirements

Applicants for the D7 Visa must demonstrate that they have a minimum income or pensions for 12 months:

• €7.200 for the first adult (Portuguese minimum wage)
• €3.600 for second or more adults (half the minimum wage)
• €2.160 per child (30% of the minimum wage)

Please be aware that this income is based on the Portuguese minimum wage, which rises annually. It is currently €7,200 but is expected to rise in 2021.

This makes sense: this visa aims to attract people who can support themselves, so the further you are from the minimum, the better.

It is recommended that you hold a minimum amount equal to 12 months’ income in a Portuguese bank account.

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The D7 Visa Processing Time

It can take up to 60 days to receive a temporary four-month visa in your home country, from the time you submit all of the necessary information.

The duration of your permanent D7 Visa will depend on where you are applying in Portugal. If you live in Lisbon or Porto, getting an appointment with the SEF can take up to 120 days. In smaller cities, however, it is normally much faster.

Be aware that current COVID restrictions are slowing this process in general, so check with your local SEF office for more details.

To summarize the steps for getting the D7 visa:

1. Apply for the temporary D7 visa in your home country
2. Make an appointment with SEF in Portugal once you have your temporary visa
3. Attend your SEF interview and present additional documents
4. Get your D7 Residency Visa

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Tax Benefits with the D7 Visa

You are entitled to take advantage of Portugal’s Non-Habitual Resident (NHR) Tax Regime if you have a D7 Residency Visa. The NHR is a generous tax program with benefits based on your total income. It offers tax-free incentives (or reduced tax rates) for some groups for up to 10 years. While the NHR scheme is quite varied, the groups of people who are typically most interested in the NHR scheme are pensioners as well as entrepreneurs and freelancers.

The following types of income may be qualified for the NHR program:

• Dividends
• Real estate income
• Capital gains from the disposal of real estate
• Occupational pensions
• Royalties
• Business and self-employment profits derived from eligible occupations (but be mindful of relevant double taxation agreements)

As of 2020, pensioners registering for the NHR tax scheme will be charged at a rate of 10%.

Before applying for the D7 visa, we strongly advise you to consult with a good accountant with expert knowledge of the Portuguese NHR scheme so that you are aware of the tax implications of your income.

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Family Members and Dependents

Family members of the main D7 application are entitled to a residence permit, based on family reunification law.

The main applicant is entitled to include the following dependent family members within their application:

• A spouse or partner
• A minor or incapacitated child
• Single children older than 18 who are studying in an educational institution in Portugal
• Dependent parents of the main applicant or their spouse
• Minor siblings, who are legally deemed to be in the care of the main applicant