Comparing Portugal’s D7 Visa and The Golden Visa

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Written by: | Last updated on March 6, 2024 | Est. Reading Time: 7 minutes

You might have heard of the golden visa and the D7. But what’s the difference between them? Are they the same as the retirement visa, the entrepreneur visa, and the passive income visa?

And most importantly, which one is right for you?

These visas are aimed at those from outside the EU/EEA/Switzerland, for example the UK, USA, Canada, or anywhere that isn’t the EU/EEA or Switzerland.

Residency in Portugal comes with numerous benefits including:

  • Access to Portuguese healthcare institutions.
  • Access to Portuguese education institutions.
  • The right to apply for Portuguese citizenship after five years of residency.

While there is a lot of crossover between the visas, The D7 and the golden visa are aimed at different types of people:

  1. Those that want to move to Portugal on a more or less full-time basis (D7).
  2. Those that want residency here, but want to have the freedom to spend more time outside of Portugal (golden visa).

Physical Stay Requirements

One of the best difference between the golden visa and other residency visas is the physical stay requirements.

  • The golden visa is aimed at those who want residency in Portugal, but don’t necessarily want to live here full-time. This visa only requires you to spend an average of seven days per year in Portugal.
  • The D7, in comparison, like most D-series visas, is aimed at those that want to move to Portugal on a more committed basis. It requires you to spend around six months per year in Portugal.

According to Lisbon-based lawyer, Sandra Gomes Pinto, “Within the first two-year period, you should not leave Portugal for more than six months in a row or eight months in total. [source]

Note: You can move to Portugal on the golden visa and spend as much time here as you want. You’re certainly not limited to just seven days per year. Most D-series visas, in comparison, expect you to make your home in Portugal, and spend around six months of the year here.

In fact, there are a number of reasons you might choose the golden visa, even if you plan to move to Portugal:

  • You have savings but don’t have a passive income.
  • You want to move to Portugal, but not just yet. However, you want to get your path to residency started.
  • You want to start a business or invest in a business in Portugal, and have decided the golden visa is a better option than the D2 visa.
  • You live in a country with political uncertainty and want to have a “just in case” backup plan.
  • You want to live in Portugal, but you want to have the freedom to travel or leave without worrying about physical stay requirements.
  • You want to stay longer than 90 days in Portugal, but less than the 183 days in which one often becomes a tax resident after.
Physical StayIncome Type
Golden Visa7 days p/year averageInvestment
D7 Visa6-8 months p/ residence periodPassive Income

Income Types

Another major difference between the two visas are the income types.

  • The Golden Visa requires a cash investment or donation, typically €500,000 or more. It doesn’t require you to have a passive income (e.g. pension) or an active income (i.e. salary or freelancing income).
  • The D7 requires you to have a passive income, which is an income you don’t actively work for. Examples of passive income include a pension or social security, income from investments, rental income, or royalties.

What happens if you have savings or work in a remote job?

While there are exceptions, savings aren’t normally accepted for the D7. In this instance, the golden visa may be your best option.

While a salary from a remote job or income from freelancing was accepted for the D7 in the past, it no longer is. There is now a new visa for freelancers or those with remote jobs called the D8 or digital nomad visa.

Costs

Another big difference is costs. While the golden visa comes with a lot of flexibility, that flexibility comes with a higher price tag.

Here are some of the costs to consider:

  • Investment e.g. €500,000 in a fund.
  • Government fees, which typically amount to around €8,000.
  • Lawyer fees, which typically amount to around €5,000 to €10,000 per person.
  • Cost of travel to Portugal for biometrics, which varies depending on where you’re travelling from.

In comparison, the government fees for the D7 are around €250 and legal fees are typically in the €2,000-3,000 per person range, although there are some cheaper services too. While there are other costs to consider, such as the cost of getting a NIF and Portuguese bank account, all in all it’s clear the D7 is much cheaper.

Detailed Comparison: Golden Visa VS the D7

The Golden Visa

The golden visa (or ARI) offers residency in Portugal in terms for making an investment here.

Currently, the most common form of investment is investing in a fund, such as a venture capital fund. However, investments can take other forms, such as investing in a Portuguese business, creating jobs, or donating to an institution in the Portuguese arts and culture sector.

The golden visa attracts higher fees than the other residency visas but, despite this, there are two main reasons to consider this option:

  1. You want the freedom that only comes with having to spend an average of 7 days per year in Portugal.
  2. You have cash to invest, but don’t have income that would qualify for one of the other visas (e.g. a passive income for the D7 or an income high enough for the D8).

There are a number of ways that you can invest in the golden visa. Some of the most common are:

  • Funds – Invest at least €500k in a qualifying private equity or venture capital fund.
  • Scientific Research – Invest in public or private scientific research amounting to at least €500k (€400k if in a low density area).
  • Job creation – Create at least 10 jobs (8 jobs if in a low density area).
  • Company incorporation – Transfer €500k and incorporate a company within Portugal.
  • Cultural Investment – Invest at least €250,000 in a qualifying arts, culture, or national heritage project.

Previously it was possible to purchase real estate and qualify but as of 2023, this option is no longer available.

Cons

  • Costs: The golden visa attracts higher fees than any of the other visas. This comes in the form of legal fees, government fees, and any missed opportunities from any investment being tied up for 5+ years.
  • Processing time: Currently, there is a large backlog of golden visa applications and the processing time is lower than some other residency visas.

The D7

The D7 (sometimes known as the passive income or retirement visa) is aimed at those with a passive income. As of 2024, the amount needed for a single applicant is €820 per month.

For a spouse or partner, add 50%, and for each dependent child, add an additional 30% of the main applicant’s amount.

Example types of passive income include:

  • A pension.
  • Social Security.
  • Income from a Rental Property.
  • Royalties.
  • Dividends.

You aren’t limited to these types of income. The main requirement is that it is passively earned.

The D7 could be right for you if:

  • You want to spend the majority of the year in Portugal.
  • You don’t have €500,000 to invest in the golden visa.
  • You have a regular form of passive income (e.g. a pension, income from a rental property, or income from a remote job).

Cons

  • Address Requirement: Applicants are typically requested to show that they have an address in Portugal before they apply for the visa. In practice, this usually means renting an apartment in advance, and often that means having to travel to Portugal to find somewhere suitable.
Written by

James Cave is the founder of Portugalist and the author of the bestselling book, Moving to Portugal Made Simple. He has visited just about every part of Portugal, including Madeira and all nine islands of the Azores, and lived in several parts of Portugal including Lisbon, the Algarve, and Northern Portugal.

You can contact James by emailing james@portugalist.com or via the site's contact form.

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There are 26 comments on this article. Join the conversation and add your own thoughts, reviews, and stories of life in Portugal. However, please remember to be civil.

Comments

  1. If you have the money, the golden visa is definitely the best option. It gives you so much more freedom than the D7 and only requires you to spend 14 days every 2 years.

    Next best is the D7. It’s good if you have a passive income but don’t have enough money for the golden visa.

    The only appealing thing about the D2 for me is that you do get some flexibility on leaving the country if it’s business related. This doesn’t seem to be the case with the D7. It seems to have a more complicated application process if you want. I guess if you want to start a business it’s an option but if you’re just looking for an easy residency path it’s not as good as the other two.

    Reply
  2. Hi James,

    I am a fellow mediaviner, too! Can the mediavine earnings count as a passive income for d7 visa? Will above 2k USD suffice?

    Reply
    • Quite a few bloggers living in Portugal under the D7 and with an income that’s not completely passive. The minimum amount is more a question for a lawyer – I can put you in touch.

      Reply
  3. Hi,

    I’m actually living in America and I’m working remotely for almost a year for a company in Europe, with an indefinetly contract agreement, wich visa should I apply and what option should I choose in their application form https://pedidodevistos.mne.pt/VistosOnline/ , my current income exceeds the 1500 USD per month, I’m single with no kids.

    Reply
  4. Hi James,

    It says that with D7 Visa you are “eligible” to apply for a citizenship after 5 years, however I believe this is still at the discretion of the minister!
    What are the chances that I get my Portugal citizenship after continuous 5 years living with D7 visa?
    I am asking, because in Malta, you also have the right to apply for a citizenship after one year that you have acquired the Long Term Residence Permit, but hardly ever someone has become a citizen of Malta in 6 years, it takes 18years?

    Reply
  5. I have been looking over your web pages regarding visa options for gaining Portuguese residency. My wife and I are US citizens (age 60s) and we meet the income requirements for the D7 visa. I know that the residency requirement (once approved) is six months continuous or eight months non-continuous.

    My question is: If we lived in Portugal and travelled to Spain (for a day) would that invalidate the six months continuous residency? I want to know how strict this requirement is for physically always being in Portugal? If we are tourists (short trips) to other Schengen countries – does this require us to spend eight months, rather than the six months to meet the residency requirements?

    Thank you in advance. I haven’t been clear on this issue.

    Reply
  6. Hi James,

    First of all thank you for all the questions you had answered for others which gives more clarity for people who are reading this and are interested to come to Portugal.

    Q1. I would like to clarify if I have a property (with a mortgage) in one country and have a rental income coming from it, and have a bank’s fixed deposit income in another country where I live. Are both these income from 2 different sources and countries eligible to obtain the D2 or D7 Visa and can it be combined to show the total income?

    Q2. Can parents be combined in one application and if yes will they need to be 50% each as the main applicant monthly income threshold ( (2 adults and 2 seniors) = €800 (main applicant)+ €400+€400+€400 = €2000 total )?

    Q3. Can the D2 or D7 visa forms be downloaded and submitted directly? Do you know any person who could help if we later on decide to apply through an agent?

    Q4. If we migrate to Portugal do we really need to learn Portuguese to survive there and get by and will English be not enough?

    Reply
  7. Hi!

    Hope you don’t mind if I answer 🙂

    Next year you won’t be able to invest in your own residency for the golden visa in the large cities, like Lisbon, Porto and Algarve.

    However other types of investments will still work as they do now.

    If you invest in a property for business or even lodgings, like a hotel or vacation home to be rented out, that will still work even in the big cities 🙂

    Hope it helps!

    Reply
  8. Hi James,
    Thank you for this great article. I’m single, no kids, and I’ve got the equivalent of about 1200 euros per month in passive income from a revenue-generating website (sometimes up to €3000 depending on different factors), as well as about $200K USD in savings and investments. I’ve had the passive income every month since 2019 (just over two years). I am also 100% fluent in Portuguese, but not sure that matters. With that as a backdrop, would I be likely to get approved for the D7 visa? Also, just curious if the D7 visa is a path to citizenship and a Portuguese passport?

    Thanks in advance for any input or wisdom. Most appreciated!

    Reply
    • Hi William,

      Thanks for getting in touch.

      I need to do an article about minimum amounts to see what the average needed is to be accepted.

      Reply
  9. Yeah, absolutely! Starting with the freelancing does make a lot of sense.

    But the tricky part of the question is at what point do you reach stable enough for a D7? €1500+ for 6 months, 1yr, 3yrs?

    Reply
  10. Hi Simon,

    I would say sort out the freelancing first and then look into visas. Becoming a freelancer can be stressful and a lot of work. I know it took me a few years before I felt confident I could pay my bills…and even then.

    Reply
  11. Hi James,
    My partner and I are looking to begin freelancing and move to Portugal, a few months space between the two. Both the D7 and D2 visa seem like pretty good options, but because we’re not sure if the bulk of the work would be from inside the country or outside is there something more short term allowing us to be in Portugal for say 6-9 months and apply for one or the other when we know a bit more?

    Reply
  12. Hi, I am an online freelancer and earn around USD – $3k/mo or 2.5k Euro. I have a wife and 3 kids, which category is best and does D7 allow me to become PR eventually like in 5 or 7 years after paying those taxes, etc.? Can I still buy cheap property with my savings which goes in addition to the passive income?

    Reply
  13. Hi AJ,

    Probably the D2, although I’ll get a lawyer to confirm whether that’s the better option than the D7 in this instance.

    On either the D2 or D7, you can add other family members to the application. The main applicant needs to meet the requirements (typically around €700 per month but more better) + 50% for a spouse or partner and 30% of that for each child.

    It might also be good to speak to an accountant once you get here to make sure the unofficial husband employee is still the best setup.

    Reply
  14. What visa would be applicable for a family of four where the wife runs a successful online coaching business, and the husband is a stay at home dad that aides in his wife’s business unofficially and doesn’t earn any income outside of this arrangement.

    Reply
  15. Hi there, is there any way of living in Portugal for 1 year + but not being a tax resident? I have a business in the UK and will be working remotely in Portugal, my primary residence will be in Portugal but I don’t want to be double taxed in both the UK and Portugal. Is there a visa for this? Does it tie in with the NHR programme? Thanks.

    Reply
  16. I have a retirement salary of about 1200 Euro. Is It Ok to ask for a D7 visa for me and my wife? I have some investments in my country, is It neccesary to move these investments to Portugal?. Thanks a lot in advance

    Reply
  17. When buying property for 500k euro for Golden Visa purposes, can that property be mortgaged or do you need to pay the full amount in cash?

    Reply

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