Here we will talk about the visa called D7, which provides a long-term residency status in Portugal for retirees and non-EU citizens, who intend to relocate to Portugal and for those who are receiving a reasonable and regular passive income.

Some of the benefits of this type of VISA are: the right to live, work, study or establish a business in Portugal; Family reunification; Enjoying a qualified and accessible health care system.

Main requirements

The main requirements to a successful application are: foreign citizens must have for entry, stay or residence in Portuguese territory means of subsistence, to be able to prove that the candidate have stable and regular incomes that are sufficient for the basic needs of the foreign national and, where applicable, his family, namely for sustenance, housing, health and hygiene care; in the case of a retired foreign citizen, by means of official documents proving the respective income, as well as the guarantee of its reception or availability of other income in national territory; and in the case of foreign citizens who live from income from assets, intellectual property or financial applications, through an official document proving the financial investments, and amount of such income as well as their availability in Portugal.

The main visa candidate is allowed to include their dependant family members within their application: a spouse, a minor or incapacitated child, single children older than 18, studying in an educational establishment in Portugal; dependant parents of the main applicant or its spouse.

Once an application has been approved, applicants are issued with a Portuguese residency card that is valid for two years. In order to maintain residency, the card must be renewed at the end of the second year, at which a three-year residency card will be issued. After five years of residency completed, the candidate can apply for permanent residency or can also apply for Portuguese nationality as long as he fulfils all requirements including having sufficient knowledge of the Portuguese language and the proof of the absence of conviction, by presenting a criminal record by the competent Portuguese services and competent services of the country of birth and the countries where they have resided, provided that he lived there after reaching the age of criminal responsibility.

Minimum stay

Mind that the minimum stay requirement in Portugal that the candidate must accomplish is six consecutive months or eight non-consecutive months.

Once a Portuguese resident, the candidate will have to comply with the tax obligations and submit tax returns in Portugal, as its failure to do so on time, will result in the payment of fines between €150 and €3,750, which may be increased with interest.

Should you experience any problems or difficulties in this matter, we would recommend you seek the services and advice of a solicitor who will guide you through the entire process.