D8 Visa – Remote Work (Digital Nomad) in Portugal

The so-called digital nomad visa was created by Law 18/2022, which amended the Foreigners Act (Law 23/2007) to allow the entry of people who work in Portugal remotely for employers or clients established abroad. The law provides for two options.

1. Residence visa (D8)

• It is granted to employees and independent professionals who carry out a professional activity performed remotely for natural or legal persons domiciled or headquartered outside Portugal, with proof of the employment relationship or of the provision of services (Art. 61-B of Law 23/2007).
• It is used to enter Portugal and apply for a residence permit. It is valid for two entries and allows a stay of four months in the country (Art. 58(1) and (2)). The visa comes with a residence pre-authorization, with provisional allocation of the NIF (Portuguese tax identification number), the social security number and the National Health Service number (Art. 58(6)).

2. Temporary stay visa

• It allows entry and a stay for a period of less than one year to carry out a professional activity, employed or independent, performed remotely for a natural or legal person domiciled or headquartered outside Portugal (Art. 54(1)(i) and (4)).
• It is granted for the duration of the stay and is valid for multiple entries (Art. 54(2)). The stay may be extended up to one year (Art. 72(1)(e)).
• It does not give direct access to a residence permit, which as a rule requires a valid residence visa (Art. 77(1)(a)). Those who intend to live in Portugal should therefore apply for the residence visa.

Regulations and recent amendments

The documents for each option are set out in Regulatory Decree 84/2007 (Decreto Regulamentar) (Art. 18-B for the temporary stay and Art. 31-A for the residence visa), as worded by Regulatory Decree 4/2022. Law 61/2025 and Law 62/2026 amended other aspects of the Foreigners Act, such as the CPLP (Community of Portuguese Language Countries) permit, family reunification and the residence permit application, but did not change the wording of Arts. 54, 58 and 61-B (consolidated version in the Diário da República consulted in September 2026).

Who can apply

• Employee: anyone with an employment contract with a company or person established outside Portugal, for example a Brazilian company, who will keep working for it remotely.
• Independent professional: anyone who provides services, as an individual or through a company, to one or more clients domiciled or headquartered outside Portugal.
• What they have in common is that the employer or clients are outside Portuguese territory (Arts. 54(1)(i) and 61-B of Law 23/2007). Those who will work for a Portuguese company or open a business in Portugal should consider other visas, such as those for employed work or for independent activity and entrepreneurship.

Minimum income

The applicant must prove average monthly income, earned from employed or independent activity over the last three months, of at least four times the national minimum monthly wage (remuneração mínima mensal garantida) (Arts. 18-B(c) and 31-A(1)(c) of Regulatory Decree 84/2007). The requirement is the same for both options.

• The national minimum monthly wage has been €920 since January 1, 2026, on the mainland (Art. 3 of Decree-Law 139/2025 (Decreto-Lei)). The MNE visa portal uses this amount as the benchmark for 2026.
• Thus, in 2026, the required monthly average is €3,680 (4 × €920).
• The rule refers to average income earned from professional activity. Passive income, such as rent or financial investments, does not replace this proof; it is the typical basis for the D7 visa.

General documents for the residence visa

According to the visa portal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MNE), among others:

• application on the official form and two recent photographs;
• passport valid for three months beyond the duration of the intended stay;
• travel insurance covering medical expenses, including emergency care and repatriation. The MNE states that this requirement may be waived under an international agreement, citing the PB4 certificate in the case of Brazil;
• criminal record certificate from the country of origin or from the country where the applicant has resided for more than one year, with a Hague Apostille;
• proof of means of subsistence.

Documents specific to the D8

• Employed work: employment contract or employer's statement proving the employment relationship.
• Independent activity: articles of association, service agreement or document demonstrating services provided to one or more entities.
• Proof of average monthly income over the last three months (four times the minimum wage).
• Document certifying the applicant's tax residence (Art. 31-A of Regulatory Decree 84/2007).

For the temporary stay visa, the list also accepts a promise of employment contract and a written proposal for a service agreement (Art. 18-B of the same regulatory decree). In both cases, the MNE states that the consular post may request additional documents.

Where to apply in Brazil

• National visa applications are received by VFS in Brasília, Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and São Paulo, and by the Portuguese vice-consulates in Belém, Curitiba, Fortaleza, Porto Alegre and Recife, according to the MNE pages on where to apply for the visa and external service providers.
• Decision period: 60 days for the residence visa and 30 days for the temporary stay visa, counted from the filing of the complete application (Arts. 58(4) and 54(3) of Law 23/2007).
• Consular fee: €110 for processing the national visa application, according to the MNE fees page (consulted in September 2026). VFS services may carry their own charges.

Brazilian documents usually require a Hague Apostille. To obtain the NIF before traveling, see the page on the NIF.

Within the four-month validity of the visa, the holder applies to AIMA for the residence permit. AIMA's page on digital nomads bases the application on Art. 88(1) of the Foreigners Act, in conjunction with Regulatory Decree 84/2007.

How it is done

• By appointment, with in-person submission and the specific form, at any AIMA service center (Loja AIMA). AIMA states that an online platform for residence visa holders is being implemented.
• Documents indicated by AIMA: valid passport; the valid D8 visa; a sworn statement (declaração sob compromisso de honra) from the foreign employer or client confirming the employment relationship or the provision of services; a declaration of address and proof of the right to use the home (land registry certificate, lease or landlord's statement).
• The general requirements also apply: means of subsistence, accommodation, registration with Social Security where applicable, and no conviction for a crime punishable in Portugal with imprisonment of more than one year (Art. 77 of Law 23/2007).

Validity, renewal and absences

• The temporary permit is valid for two years from the issue of the residence card and is renewable for successive periods of three years (Art. 75(1); AIMA).
• The application for the permit must be decided within 90 days, extendable by 30 in exceptional circumstances (Art. 82(5)). Renewal must be requested at least 30 days before the permit expires (Art. 78(1)).
• People who work remotely tend to travel. The temporary permit may be canceled if the holder, without valid reasons, is absent for six consecutive months or eight non-consecutive months during its period of validity (Art. 85(2)(a)). Absence beyond these limits must be justified to AIMA, as a rule before departure (Art. 85(3)).

Time frames, renewal, expired residence cards and AIMA delays are explained on the page on residence permits.

Traveling together

• A residence visa may also be granted to accompany an applicant for a residence visa, and the applications may be filed simultaneously (Art. 58(5) of Law 23/2007). This covers the family members listed in Art. 99(1) and a partner in a de facto union (Art. 100(1)).
• The application to accompany a family member must prove family ties and stable and regular resources sufficient for the applicant and the family members, calculated under Ministerial Order 1563/2007 (Portaria) (Art. 24-B of Regulatory Decree 84/2007). Under the criteria published by the MNE, the benchmark is 100% of the minimum wage for the first adult, 50% for each additional adult and 30% for each minor or dependent adult child.
• For the temporary stay visa, there is an equivalent rule for accompanying a family member (Art. 54(1)(h); Art. 18-A of the regulatory decree).

Family reunification after Law 61/2025

• Those who already hold a residence permit and want to bring their family later follow the family reunification regime. Since Law 61/2025, the resident must, as a rule, have held a valid permit for at least two years, or 15 months in the case of a spouse or equivalent partner with whom the resident lived for at least 18 months before entering Portugal (Art. 98(1) and (2)).
• This period does not apply to minor children or dependent children lacking legal capacity, or to a spouse or equivalent partner who is the parent or adoptive parent of a dependent minor or dependent person lacking legal capacity (Art. 98(3)). The exemption for holders of a permit for highly qualified activity, an investment permit or an EU Blue Card does not extend to the D8.
• An application for reunification with family members who are already in Portugal is only admissible in the cases of Art. 98(3) (Art. 103(2)).

The documents and the eligible family members are listed on the page on the D6 family reunification visa. Since the interplay between the accompanying family member visa and the new reunification rules still raises questions in practice, it is advisable to plan the family's move before applying.

The visa does not, by itself, settle your tax situation. Some points should be reviewed before the move:

• Tax residence in Portugal: a person is resident if they stay in the country for more than 183 days in any 12-month period or have a home that suggests the intention to keep it as their habitual residence (Article 16 of the IRS Code (Código do IRS)). A resident is taxed on all of their income, including income paid by the foreign employer or clients.
• Leaving Brazil: the Brazilian Federal Revenue Service (Receita Federal) requires the Notice of Definitive Departure from the Country (Comunicação de Saída Definitiva do País) and the Definitive Departure Tax Return (Declaração de Saída Definitiva do País). Without the notice, the person remains a Brazilian resident for the first 12 months of absence, with a risk of dual residence.
• Brazil–Portugal Convention: it resolves cases of dual residence and determines which country may tax each type of income, with a credit for the tax paid in the other.
• IFICI: the regime that replaced the NHR (Non-Habitual Resident regime) applies to specific activities, listed in Art. 58-A of the Tax Benefits Statute (Estatuto dos Benefícios Fiscais). Working remotely for a foreign company does not, by itself, give access to the regime.
• Social security: registration is a requirement for the residence permit whenever applicable (Art. 77(1)(f) of the Foreigners Act). The situation of those who remain covered by the Brazilian social security system must be reviewed case by case.

We explain these rules in detail on the page on tax residence between Brazil and Portugal.

Both visas lead to a temporary residence permit, but they start from different situations.

• Source of the money: the D8 requires active work, employed or independent, performed remotely for entities established outside Portugal. The D7 is intended for retirees and for those who live on their own income, such as pensions, rent and investments.
• Benchmark amount: for the D8, the monthly average over the last three months must equal four times the minimum wage (€3,680 in 2026). For the D7, the benchmark is the minimum wage (€920 in 2026), secured for a period of no less than 12 months and increased for the other family members.
• Proof: for the D8, an employment contract, an employer's statement or contracts with clients, and proof of tax residence. For the D7, proof of the pension or income and of its availability.
• Short stays: only remote work has a specific temporary stay option, for less than one year (Art. 54(1)(i)).
• After the visa: in both cases the same rules apply on validity, renewal, absences and, later, permanent residence and citizenship.

Those who have both types of income should choose the basis that most accurately reflects, with documents, their actual situation, because continued compliance with the requirements is checked at renewals.

Permanent residence

After five years with a temporary permit, with no sentence of more than one year of imprisonment in that period, and with means of subsistence, accommodation and basic knowledge of Portuguese, the foreign national is entitled to a permanent residence permit (Art. 80(1) of Law 23/2007). For Brazilians, language is not usually an obstacle.

Citizenship

• Under Organic Law 1/2026 (Lei Orgânica), in force since May 19, 2026, Brazilians need seven years of legal residence to apply for naturalization. Periods, whether consecutive or not, are added together if they fall within a maximum window of nine years (Arts. 6 and 15 of the Nationality Act (Lei da Nacionalidade)).
• What counts is the period in which the person is in Portugal with their status regularized under residence cards, visas or permits under the Foreigners Act. The time spent waiting for the decision on the residence permit application no longer counts for new applications (repeal of Art. 15(4)).
• Permanent residence is not a requirement for naturalization. The other requirements include knowledge of Portuguese culture, history and national symbols and the ability to support oneself; for Brazilians, knowledge of the language is presumed.

See the page on citizenship by length of residence and the article on the new Nationality Act. For those considering citizenship, long trips and gaps without a valid residence document are the points that call for the most attention.

Sene & Araújo has lawyers admitted to the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) and the Portuguese Bar Association (Ordem dos Advogados), with offices in São Paulo and Albufeira. We act directly in the procedures in Portugal, without intermediaries.

1. Initial review: we check the employment relationship or contracts, where the employer or clients are based, the income over the last three months and the composition of the family, and indicate whether the D8, the D7 or another visa is the appropriate route.
2. Preparing the application: list of documents, apostilles, NIF, proof of tax residence and statements from the employer or clients, with a review before submission at VFS or the vice-consulate.
3. Family: simultaneous applications for accompanying family members or planning of family reunification, in accordance with the rules of Law 61/2025.
4. In Portugal: scheduling and preparation of the residence permit application before AIMA, monitoring of renewal deadlines and of the limits on absences from the country and, when necessary, an administrative complaint or legal action in the administrative courts.
5. Next steps: tax residence in both countries, permanent residence and planning of the citizenship application.

The decision on the visa rests with the consulate, and the decision on the residence permit with AIMA. Our role is to organize the case, meet the deadlines and present the appropriate grounds.