Table of Contents
If you’re researching Portuguese residency, one question comes up again and again:
“How much time do I actually need to spend in Portugal?”
Sometimes it’s framed as minimum stay requirements.
Sometimes it’s how long can I be outside Portugal?
But really, everyone’s saying the same thing: I want to move to Portugal, but I don’t want to feel chained to somewhere.
Note: the information below applies to most visas (e.g. the D7 visa and the Digital Nomad Visa) but some visas (like the Golden Visa) have their own rules regarding physical stay requirements.
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After 5 years of temporary residency, you can apply for permanent residency, which offers more flexibility.
Temporary Residency
The legal rules
Once you hold a Portuguese residence permit (such as the D7 or Digital Nomad Visa), immigration law allows your permit to be cancelled if you are absent from Portugal for too long.
As a temporary residency permit holder (usually during the first 5 years) the rule is:
- ❌ No more than 6 consecutive months outside Portugal
- ❌ No more than 8 total (non-consecutive) months outside Portugal
- These limits apply per residence card period (first card: 2 years, renewal: 3 years)
In practice, it would look like this, depending on whether you took the time consecutively or non-consecutively.
First Card (2 Years)
Consecutive Months
Year |
Time in Portugal |
Time outside Portugal |
|---|---|---|
Year 1 |
6 months |
6 months |
Year 2 |
12 months |
0 months |
Total (2 years) |
18 months |
6 months |
Non-Consecutive Months
Year |
Time in Portugal |
Time outside Portugal |
|---|---|---|
Year 1 |
8 months |
4 months |
Year 2 |
8 months |
4 months |
Total (2 years) |
16 months |
8 months |
Second Card (3 Years)
Consecutive Months
Year |
Time in Portugal |
Time outside Portugal |
|---|---|---|
Year 1 |
6 months |
6 months |
Year 2 |
12 months |
0 months |
Year 3 |
0 months |
0 months |
Non Consecutive Months
Year |
Time in Portugal |
Time outside Portugal |
|---|---|---|
Year 1 |
9 months |
~2.7 months |
Year 2 |
9 months |
~2.7 months |
Year 3 |
9 months |
~2.7 months |
Permanent Residency
The legal rules
Portuguese immigration law allows permanent residency to be cancelled if you spend too much time outside Portugal.
The rule is:
❌ No more than 24 consecutive months outside Portugal
❌ No more than 30 total (non-consecutive) months outside Portugal within any 3-year period
These limits apply after permanent residency is granted and are assessed on a rolling 5-year basis.
Permanent Residency Card (5 years)
Permanent residency is a little unique because while the card lasts for 5 years, it’s the previous 3 years that are assessed at the time of renewal.
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Consecutive Months
Year |
Time in Portugal |
Time outside Portugal |
|---|---|---|
Year 1 |
0 months |
12 months |
Year 2 |
0 months |
12 months |
Year 3 |
12 months |
0 months |
Non Consecutive Months
Year |
Time in Portugal |
Time outside Portugal |
|---|---|---|
Year 1 |
2 months |
10 months |
Year 2 |
2 months |
10 months |
Year 3 |
2 months |
10 months |
Exemptions
Portugal’s immigration law does allow exemptions from the usual absence limits — both the 6/8-month rule for temporary residence and the 24/30-month rule for permanent residence.
In short: If you have a strong, legitimate reason for being outside Portugal — and you notify AIMA with proof — your residence permit does not have to be cancelled, even if you exceed the normal limits.
These exemptions exist because life happens.
Common accepted reasons include:
Professional or business reasons
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- Overseas work assignments
- Running a business abroad
- Cultural or professional projects requiring travel
Study or training
- University degrees
- Research placements
- Professional training programs abroad
Medical reasons
- Serious illness
- Specialist treatment abroad
- Pregnancy, childbirth, or recovery
Urgent family reasons
- Serious illness of a close relative
- Bereavement
- Caring responsibilities
The key test is simple:
Can you prove the reason, and does it still make sense that Portugal is your real home?
Exemptions
In reality, AIMA does not count the days you are outside of Portugal — or at least, they have not in the past.
“Up until now, the authorities haven’t look only at the number of days you were outside Portugal. What they really assess is whether Portugal is your main place of residence – where your home is, where you are registered for tax and healthcare, and where your life is based.”
This may change, of course. The new EU EES will make it easier for AIMA to track how much time someone spends outside the Schengen Area and they could look at NIF usage and credit card usage outside of Portugal. For this reason it’s better to err on the side of caution and, if you really need more flexibility, consider the Golden Visa instead.
The Golden Visa: the flexible alternative
If the D7 is a “live in Portugal” residence permit, the Golden Visa is designed for people who need maximum flexibility.
With a Golden Visa, your physical stay requirement is minimal. You only need to spend:
- An average of 7 days per year in Portugal to maintain residency
- Or as much as 365 days per year if you want to fully live here
In other words, Portugal can be:
- Your full-time home
- Your part-time base
- Or simply your legal residence in Europe
All are valid under the Golden Visa framework.
This flexibility comes at a price.
Typical Golden Visa costs include:
- Legal and government fees (several thousand euros over the process)
- A qualifying investment of:
- €500,000 in an approved investment fund, or
- €250,000 cultural donation
- €200,000 in certain low-density or heritage cases
However, for many people, the additional legal and government fees and investment requirement are worth it for the flexibility the Golden Visa offers.
Final Thoughts
All Portuguese residency routes ultimately ask the same question: is Portugal genuinely your home? The difference lies in how much flexibility each stage gives you along the way.
Temporary residency (your first five years) is the most restrictive. You can travel, but Portugal must clearly be your main base.
Permanent residency becomes much more forgiving, allowing long periods abroad while still keeping Portugal as your legal home.
And finally, citizenship removes stay requirements altogether. Once you become a Portuguese citizen, you can live anywhere in the world without risking your status.
As an alternative to visas like the D7 and Digital Nomad Visa, The Golden Visa offers the greatest flexibility from day one — but at a significantly higher cost.
While many people may find the physical stay requirements a little frustrating, particularly during the first 5 years, it’s a small price to pay for the benefits that come with moving to Portugal.