A lot of couples move to Portugal without being married. Sometimes they are in a long-term relationship, engaged, or have been living together for years and want to know whether they can apply as a couple rather than as two separate people. The short answer is yes, potentially, but you need to be able to show that the relationship is real and established in a way the Portuguese authorities will recognize.
The immigration law is very clear in that respect. They should be treated as a couple. From a practical point of view, you may have additional challenges. So, it’s important to prove that. If you can have a de facto relationship contract, that would be ideal. If you have proof that you have lived together for a while and that you have the same address, that’s also important. Proof that you have joint bank accounts would also be relevant. We have a couple that have lived together for five or six years, and they wrote wills naming each other. These are all important elements that can help the Portuguese authorities believe that it is a real relationship.
Sandra’s answer is that unmarried couples can qualify together, but there is more of a proof burden than there is for a married couple who can simply show a marriage certificate.
You need to show that this is a genuine long-term relationship and not just two people applying side by side for convenience. Helpful evidence can include proof that you live together, shared bank accounts, and ideally a formal de facto union document if you have one. Typically, you will need to show that you’ve lived together at the same address for three years.
Where things get harder is if you are together but not actually living together. Sandra was quite clear on that point. In the webinar, when asked about an engaged couple living at separate addresses, she said that if you do not live together, you do not have a de facto union for these purposes. Her practical advice was simple: either get married first or apply separately.
“If you do not live together, you do not have a de facto union. If you are engaged but living separately, you should not apply together. I think: get married. If you are going to marry anyway, get married first and make things simpler.”
Are there downsides to not apply together? The main downside is that the income requirement would be slightly higher. For example, a de facto couple would need 100% of the main applicant’s income and then an additional 50% for the spouse or long-term partner. However, for two separate applications, both parties would need 100% of the initial amount.
For the D7 in 2026, this would mean each person would need €920 per month per month in passive income. For the Digital Nomad Visa (D8), this would mean each person would need €3,680 per month. So, there’s quite a difference when you’re talking about the Digital Nomad Visa.
This can also affect government and legal fees, although a lawyer might be willing to give a discount for two individual applications if they are part of the same family.
So yes, an unmarried couple can apply together, but Portugal is looking for something more concrete than just being in a relationship. In practice, the closer your situation looks to a married couple in terms of shared life and shared paperwork, the easier it is likely to be.
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