Portugal D8 visa income requirement for 2026: €3,680 a month, savings and how to apply

D8 digital nomad visa Processing: 60-day legal target; often 3 to 9 months in practice

The Portugal D8 digital nomad visa requires €3,680 a month in foreign remote income in 2026, four times the €920 minimum wage. Here is how the threshold works, what savings to show, and how to apply.

The Portugal D8 visa income requirement for 2026 is €3,680 a month for a single applicant, averaged over the three months before you apply. That is four times Portugal's national minimum wage, which rose to €920 on 1 January 2026 under Decreto-Lei 139/2025. The income has to come from active remote work for employers or clients outside Portugal, and most applicants should also be ready to show about €11,040 in savings. Pages still quoting €3,040, €3,280 or "about $3,285" are working from an older year's minimum wage.

Portugal D8 visa income requirement in 2026

The D8 is Portugal's visa for people who work remotely for someone outside the country. Its income test is not a fixed number written into the visa rules. It is pegged to the retribuição mínima mensal garantida, the guaranteed monthly minimum wage, and you must show average monthly income of at least four times that wage over the last three months. The VFS Global checklist used by Portugal's consulates in the United States puts it the same way: three months of bank or credit card statements in your name showing at least four monthly minimum wages.

Because Portugal raises the minimum wage every January, the D8 threshold moves with it. That is why search results disagree so much.

Year	Portuguese minimum wage	D8 threshold (4x)	D7 threshold (1x)
2023	€760	€3,040	€760
2024	€820	€3,280	€820
2025	€870	€3,480	€870
2026	€920	€3,680	€920

If you are preparing an application that will be submitted in early 2027, check whether a new minimum wage has been published. The threshold usually rises again in January, and a file built in December can fall short a few weeks later.

Couples and families

Portugal's general means-of-subsistence rules add 50% for a spouse or partner and 30% for each dependent child. For a D8 household in 2026 that works out to roughly €5,520 a month for a couple and €1,104 more for each child. Only the main applicant's remote income is normally counted, so a couple where both work remotely sometimes chooses to file two separate D8 applications instead.

What counts as income, and what doesn't

Counts: salary from an employer based outside Portugal, or freelance and business income from clients outside Portugal, shown by an employment contract or employer declaration, or by service contracts, a company contract or proof of services provided.
Doesn't count on its own: pensions, rent, dividends and savings drawdowns. That is passive income, and it belongs to the Portugal D7 visa, which only asks for one minimum wage.
Risky: Portuguese clients on your invoices. The visa is for work done for entities abroad, and a local client can undermine the application.

How much savings you need for the D8

The US consular checklist does not list a savings requirement for the D8. In practice, most lawyers advise showing €11,040, which is 12 months of the 2026 minimum wage (not 12 months of D8 income). The figure comes from Portugal's general subsistence rules (Portaria 1563/2007), and some consulates and AIMA offices still ask for it. Applying the same family percentages, a couple would show about €16,560 and each child adds about €3,312.

Holding the money in a Portuguese bank account is not mandatory everywhere, but it makes the later AIMA stage easier. You will need a Portuguese tax number first; see how to get a NIF as a non-resident.

Temporary stay or residence: the two D8 options

The D8 comes in two versions, and consulates sometimes use different labels for them (some call the residence version "DR", and the temporary stay version is coded E11 at some posts).

	Temporary stay visa	Residence visa
Length	Up to 1 year, multiple entry	Visa valid about 4 months (120 days) to enter and apply to AIMA
After arrival	No residence permit	AIMA residence permit, usually 2 years, then a 3-year renewal
Family	No family reunification	Family can apply with you or join later
Path to permanent residence	No	Yes, after 5 years of legal residence

If you want to try Portugal for a year without committing, the temporary stay version is simpler. If you want to settle, apply for the residence visa from the start.

Documents for the D8 residence visa

Requirements vary slightly by consulate. The US checklist (via VFS Global) asks for:

National visa application form, signed, plus two passport photos
Passport valid for at least three months after your planned return date, and proof of legal residence if you live outside your country of nationality
Three months of bank or credit card statements showing at least four minimum wages a month
Travel insurance covering medical expenses, urgent care and repatriation
Criminal record certificate from your country of nationality or any country where you lived more than a year, apostilled (for Americans, an FBI check, apostilled or in its sealed envelope)
Signed request for a Portuguese criminal record check
Personal statement explaining why you are moving, where you will live and the type of accommodation
Proof of accommodation: a signed lease, an invitation, or a family declaration. Hotel or Airbnb bookings may be accepted only for long stays of at least six months
Employment contract or employer declaration, or for freelancers a company contract, service contracts or documents proving services provided
A document proving your current tax residence

The consulate can ask for more, and a complete file does not guarantee approval. Fees are not refunded if you are refused.

How to apply for the D8, step by step

Check your numbers. Pull your last three months of statements and confirm the average clears €3,680 (plus family add-ons) with a margin for currency swings if you are paid in dollars or pounds.
Get a NIF and, ideally, a Portuguese bank account. Many consulates expect a NIF, and you will need it for a lease anyway.
Order slow documents first. Criminal record checks generally need to be recent (within about 90 days) and apostilled. Americans should request IRS Form 6166 early as proof of tax residence.
Secure accommodation. A lease of 12 months is the safest choice; short-term rentals are only accepted for long stays.
Book and submit at the consulate or VFS centre that covers where you legally live. San Francisco and Washington DC require the visa fee by money order or cashier's check; the VFS service fee is paid separately.
Wait. Consulates have a legal 60-day target for residence visas, but real waits are often longer.
Enter Portugal while the visa is valid and attend your AIMA appointment. AIMA appointments are often set after the visa's 120 days have passed; what matters is that you entered on time. At AIMA you will need health insurance valid in Portugal, and travel insurance may not be accepted at this stage.

D8 costs

Item	Typical cost	Notes
Consular visa fee	€110	Paid in local currency; non-refundable
VFS service fee	Varies by country	Only where VFS handles intake
AIMA residence permit	About €227 in person (2024 table)	Reception fee €121.95 plus permit fee €104.82; AIMA's table is marked as being updated and digital filing gets 25% off
Apostilles, translations, FBI or police checks	Varies	Budget time as well as money
Insurance	Varies	Travel insurance for the visa, then private health insurance for AIMA

All fees change. Confirm the current amounts with your consulate and on AIMA's fee table before you pay.

Portugal D7 vs D8: which one fits

	D7	D8
Income type	Passive (pension, rent, dividends)	Active remote work for foreign employers or clients
2026 monthly minimum (single)	€920	€3,680
Savings commonly expected	€11,040	€11,040
Can you work remotely?	Generally yes, but income must still meet the passive test	Yes, that is the point of the visa

If most of your money is passive, read the D7 guide before forcing a D8 application. If you earn from remote work but fall short of €3,680, Spain's equivalent is worth a look in the Spain digital nomad visa guide.

Life on a D8: presence, family and tax

Time in Portugal: temporary residents should not be away for more than six consecutive months, or eight months in total, during the validity of the permit. The D8 is a residence visa, not a license to roam.
Family joining later: since Lei 61/2025 took effect in October 2025, family reunification generally requires holding your residence permit for two years first. Minor children are exempt. Family who apply at the same time as you are treated differently, so it is usually easier to move together.
Tax: spending more than 183 days a year in Portugal normally makes you a Portuguese tax resident. The old NHR regime is closed to new arrivals, and its replacement (IFICI) only covers certain qualifying activities. Speak to a tax adviser in both countries before you move, and check with your employer about payroll and social security.

What people who've done it say

These are individual experiences from public forums. They illustrate the process; they do not override official rules.

Consulates can take much longer than promised. An American couple who applied from Japan in mid-2023 reported on Nomad Gate that they were told four weeks "or less". The consulate then asked for extra certifications, including a specific signature on the employment letter and an apostilled marriage certificate, the file stalled over the August holidays, and approval came in October. The consulate held their passports throughout and, they say, paused the case when they asked to take a passport back for a trip.
Money is what consular staff look at hardest. In the same thread, an earlier D7 applicant in Japan reported approval about four weeks after the consulate had a complete file, and was told the head of the consular section paid particular attention to the financial side. They also report getting by with a four-month rental, while noting that a one-year lease is the usual advice.
Freelancers without contracts struggle. An affiliate marketer posting on Expat.com in 2024 had income well above the threshold but no formal contracts, only platform terms and invoices. Regulars replied that the consulate needs one of the listed documents, and suggested building a paper trail of services provided and payments received from each company.
The first card goes to your registered address. A digital nomad visa holder on Expat.com was still waiting for a residence card months after the AIMA interview. Another member, whose own card arrived in a couple of weeks, pointed out that cards are delivered to the residential address on file and must be signed for in person; the poster had given a postbox address.
Book AIMA if the consulate doesn't. A US applicant on Expat.com was approaching the 60-day mark and asked about the next step. The reply: if no AIMA date or link comes with the visa, you have to arrange the appointment yourself once you are in Portugal.

Common mistakes

Using an old threshold. €3,040, €3,280 and €3,480 are previous years. In 2026 the figure is €3,680, and it will likely rise again in January.
One weak month. Consulates look at the three-month average and at whether the statements match the income you claim. A low month or unexplained transfers invite questions.
Portuguese clients on the invoices. The D8 is for work done for entities outside Portugal.
Thin employer paperwork. A contract that doesn't mention remote work from Portugal can be questioned; a short letter confirming it helps.
Insurance with vague territory wording. Make sure the certificate clearly covers Portugal or the Schengen area for the dates you need.
Expired or un-apostilled police checks. These are among the most common paperwork slips.
Trying to apply from Portugal as a tourist. You need the visa in your passport before you move.

Bottom line

For 2026, plan on €3,680 a month of foreign remote income averaged over three months, plus about €11,040 in savings, and more for each family member. Build the file around clean statements, clear proof that your work is for employers or clients outside Portugal, and an apostilled criminal record, then expect the consulate stage to take longer than the official 60 days. If your income is mostly passive, the D7 is the better fit.

Sources

Part of our Moving to Portugal series.

Last updated November 4, 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.