Schengen short stay (tourist): US citizens are visa exempt for Schengen short stays. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that third country nationals must hold a long stay visa to enter and stay in Portugal for over 90 days. The official EU ETIAS page, checked 2026-10-15, states that ETIAS is currently not in operation and lists a fee of EUR 20 for when the system starts.
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Living in Portugal long term
Portugal offers US passport holders a passive income residence route (D7) pegged to the Portuguese minimum wage, a remote work route (D8) in both temporary stay and residence forms, an entrepreneur route (D2), a skilled job seeker visa, family reunification, and an investor route (ARI) that no longer includes real estate. The Non-Habitual Resident tax regime is closed to new applicants. Short stays are limited by the Schengen 90 in 180 day rule.
Numbers on this page apply to holders of a US passport. Page last verified: 2026-10-15
Rules change. Confirm the current rules with the official source or the consulate for Portugal before you apply, pay a fee, or book travel around a date in this table.
Every route, with the math
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| Route | Income required | Investment required | Total cost | Processing time | Days allowed | Renewal rules | Tax residency trigger | Years to permanent residency | Years to citizenship | Last verified | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schengen short stay (tourist) Tourist allowance | Not applicable | Not applicable | No fee as of October 2026. Entry is visa free and ETIAS was not yet in operation, so no authorization fee was charged. The official EU ETIAS site lists a fee of EUR 20 for when the system starts. | Not applicable | 90 days in any 180 day period across the Schengen area | Not renewable. Time outside the Schengen area does not reset the rolling 180 day window. | More than 183 days in Portugal in any 12 month period beginning or ending in the tax year, or holding a home in Portugal in conditions that show the intention to keep and occupy it as a habitual residence (Personal Income Tax Code, Article 16). See the tax note in the research file. | Not a residence status. Short stays do not count toward the 5 years of legal residence required for permanent residence. | Not a residence status. Short stays do not count toward the legal residence required for naturalization (10 years for US passport holders). | 2026-10-15 | Official source |
| D7 passive income and retirement residence visa Passive income | Passive income at least equal to the Portuguese minimum wage under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs means of subsistence criteria: EUR 920 per month for the main applicant in 2026 (EUR 11,040 per year), plus 50 percent (EUR 460 per month) for a spouse or second adult and 30 percent (EUR 276 per month) for each child. The 2026 minimum wage of EUR 920 is set by PCM Regulatory Decree 139/2025. | Not applicable | EUR 110 visa application fee per the official VFS fee schedule, plus AIMA residence permit fees from the official AIMA fee table in force from March 1, 2026: EUR 133.00 for reception and analysis and EUR 114.30 for the temporary residence title (EUR 99.80 and EUR 85.80 through the digital channel). | 60 days. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that the deadline for deciding on a residence visa application is 60 days. | Long stay. The residence visa allows the holder to enter Portugal and apply for a residence permit from AIMA. Stays over 90 days require a long stay visa. The residence permit is valid for 2 years and renewable for 3 year periods. | The residence permit is valid for 2 years from issuance and is renewable for successive 3 year periods (Article 75 of Law 23/2007, as stated for Portuguese residence permits on the EU Immigration Portal). | More than 183 days in Portugal in any 12 month period beginning or ending in the tax year, or holding a home in Portugal in conditions that show the intention to keep and occupy it as a habitual residence (Personal Income Tax Code, Article 16). | 5 years | 10 years | 2026-10-15 | Official source |
| D8 remote work residence visa (digital nomad, residence variant) Digital nomad | Average monthly income over the last three months of at least four times the Portuguese minimum wage: 4 x EUR 920 = EUR 3,680 per month in 2026, per the official Embassy of Portugal in Washington DC checklist, which also requires a tax residence certificate. | Not applicable | EUR 110 visa application fee per the official VFS fee schedule, plus AIMA residence permit fees from the official AIMA fee table in force from March 1, 2026: EUR 133.00 for reception and analysis and EUR 114.30 for the temporary residence title (EUR 99.80 and EUR 85.80 through the digital channel). | 60 days. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that the deadline for deciding on a residence visa application is 60 days. | Long stay. The residence visa allows the holder to enter Portugal and apply for a residence permit from AIMA. Stays over 90 days require a long stay visa. The residence permit is valid for 2 years and renewable for 3 year periods. | The residence permit is valid for 2 years from issuance and is renewable for successive 3 year periods (Article 75 of Law 23/2007, as stated for Portuguese residence permits on the EU Immigration Portal). | More than 183 days in Portugal in any 12 month period beginning or ending in the tax year, or holding a home in Portugal in conditions that show the intention to keep and occupy it as a habitual residence (Personal Income Tax Code, Article 16). | 5 years | 10 years | 2026-10-15 | Official source |
| D8 remote work temporary stay visa (digital nomad, temporary stay variant) Digital nomad | Average monthly income over the last three months of at least four times the Portuguese minimum wage: 4 x EUR 920 = EUR 3,680 per month in 2026, per the official Embassy of Portugal in Washington DC checklist, which also requires a tax residence certificate. | Not applicable | EUR 110 visa application fee per the official VFS fee schedule. | 30 days. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that the deadline for deciding on a temporary stay visa application is 30 days, and VFS Global states the same standard processing time. | Temporary stay of up to 1 year for remote work | The visa is not renewable. A holder who needs more time applies to AIMA for an extension of stay (prorrogacao de permanencia) under Article 72 of Law 23/2007, which covers temporary stay visas; the official AIMA fee table charges EUR 106.10 for that extension (EUR 79.50 through the digital channel). Anyone planning more than a year in Portugal needs the residence variant instead. | More than 183 days in Portugal in any 12 month period beginning or ending in the tax year, or holding a home in Portugal in conditions that show the intention to keep and occupy it as a habitual residence (Personal Income Tax Code, Article 16). | Not a residence status. Time on a temporary stay visa does not count toward the 5 years of legal residence required for permanent residence. | Not a residence status. Time on a temporary stay visa does not count toward the 10 years of legal residence required for naturalization. | 2026-10-15 | Official source |
| D2 entrepreneur and independent work residence visa Work | No route specific income threshold. The general means of subsistence criterion for long stay visas applies: means at least equal to the Portuguese minimum wage, EUR 920 per month in 2026, under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs means of subsistence criteria set by Ordinance 1563/2007. | No fixed minimum amount is set in law. Applicants are assessed on the independent activity or business project and on the general means of subsistence, not on a set investment figure. | EUR 110 visa application fee per the official VFS fee schedule, plus AIMA residence permit fees from the official AIMA fee table in force from March 1, 2026: EUR 133.00 for reception and analysis and EUR 114.30 for the temporary residence title (EUR 99.80 and EUR 85.80 through the digital channel). | 60 days. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that the deadline for deciding on a residence visa application is 60 days. | Long stay. The residence visa allows the holder to enter Portugal and apply for a residence permit from AIMA. Stays over 90 days require a long stay visa. The residence permit is valid for 2 years and renewable for 3 year periods. | The residence permit is valid for 2 years from issuance and is renewable for successive 3 year periods (Article 75 of Law 23/2007, as stated for Portuguese residence permits on the EU Immigration Portal). | More than 183 days in Portugal in any 12 month period beginning or ending in the tax year, or holding a home in Portugal in conditions that show the intention to keep and occupy it as a habitual residence (Personal Income Tax Code, Article 16). | 5 years | 10 years | 2026-10-15 | Official source |
| Skilled job seeker residence visa Work | Proof of financial resources of at least three times the Portuguese minimum wage: 3 x EUR 920 = EUR 2,760 in 2026, per the official consulate checklist, or a sponsorship letter from a Portuguese citizen or a legal resident covering lodging, food, and removal costs. | Not applicable | EUR 110 visa fee per the official VFS fee schedule, plus a EUR 40 VFS service fee where VFS collects the application. | 60 days. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that the deadline for deciding on a work search visa application is 60 days (article 128/1 of the Administrative Procedure Code). | Up to 120 days | Not renewable. The visa carries an appointment with the residence permit services within its 120 days; a holder who starts highly qualified work in that window can apply for a residence permit. A holder who does not start work must leave Portugal and can only apply for this visa again one year after the previous visa expires (Article 57-A of Law 23/2007). | More than 183 days in Portugal in any 12 month period beginning or ending in the tax year, or holding a home in Portugal in conditions that show the intention to keep and occupy it as a habitual residence (Personal Income Tax Code, Article 16). | Not a residence status by itself, and the 120 days do not count. A holder who starts highly qualified work in the window and converts to a residence permit starts the 5 years of legal residence required for permanent residence from that permit. | Not a residence status by itself, and the 120 days do not count. After conversion to a residence permit, the 10 years of legal residence required for naturalization run from legal residence under the permit. | 2026-10-15 | Official source |
| Family reunification (D6) Other | The sponsor must show means of subsistence for the family unit under Ordinance 1563/2007, on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs criteria: at least EUR 920 per month in 2026 (100 percent of the minimum wage) for the first adult, plus 50 percent (EUR 460 per month) for a spouse or second adult and 30 percent (EUR 276 per month) for each child. | Not applicable | EUR 110 visa application fee per the official VFS fee schedule, plus AIMA residence permit fees from the official AIMA fee table in force from March 1, 2026: EUR 133.00 for reception and analysis and EUR 114.30 for the temporary residence title (EUR 99.80 and EUR 85.80 through the digital channel). | AIMA must decide the reunification application within 9 months, per Article 105 of Law 23/2007 as rewritten by Lei 61/2025. | Long stay. Family members enter on the D6 visa after AIMA approves the reunification and then hold their own residence permits. | The residence permit is valid for 2 years from issuance and is renewable for successive 3 year periods (Article 75 of Law 23/2007, as stated for Portuguese residence permits on the EU Immigration Portal). | More than 183 days in Portugal in any 12 month period beginning or ending in the tax year, or holding a home in Portugal in conditions that show the intention to keep and occupy it as a habitual residence (Personal Income Tax Code, Article 16). | 5 years | 10 years | 2026-10-15 | Official source |
| Golden Visa (ARI, residence permit for investment activity) Investor | Not applicable | One of the following categories, per AIMA (Article 90-A of Law 23/2007): EUR 500,000 or more into units of non-real-estate collective investment funds constituted under Portuguese law, with a maturity of at least 5 years at the time of investment and at least 60 percent of the investment made in commercial companies headquartered in Portugal; EUR 500,000 or more into research activities of public or private scientific research institutions in the national scientific and technological system; EUR 250,000 or more into support for artistic production or the recovery or maintenance of national cultural heritage; EUR 500,000 or more to form a commercial company headquartered in Portugal combined with the creation of 5 permanent jobs, or to increase the share capital of an existing Portuguese company with the creation of at least 5 permanent jobs or the maintenance of at least 10 jobs (at least 5 of them permanent), for a minimum period of 3 years; or the creation of at least 10 jobs. Several amounts are reduced by 20 percent when the investment is made in a low-density territory. The investment cannot be directed, directly or indirectly, to real estate. | AIMA fees from the official AIMA fee table in force from March 1, 2026: EUR 842.80 for reception and analysis plus EUR 8,418.90 for the grant (EUR 632.10 plus EUR 6,314.20 through the digital channel). Renewal is EUR 842.80 plus EUR 4,210.30 (EUR 632.10 plus EUR 3,157.80 digital). No consular visa fee applies for US citizens, who enter visa free and apply to AIMA. | No official processing time is published by AIMA. Reported (not official): independent analyses of live cases in 2025 and 2026 put new applications at roughly 12 to 18 months from submission to the first residence card, and older backlog cases have taken far longer. | Residence permit for investment activity, valid for 2 years from issuance of the title, per AIMA. The holder does not have to live in Portugal full time: AIMA sets the minimum presence at 7 days in the first year and 14 days in the subsequent years. | Renewable for as long as the investment is maintained and the minimum presence rules are met (7 days in the first year, 14 days in subsequent years), per AIMA. | More than 183 days in Portugal in any 12 month period beginning or ending in the tax year, or holding a home in Portugal in conditions that show the intention to keep and occupy it as a habitual residence (Personal Income Tax Code, Article 16). Low presence ARI holders who stay under these tests remain non resident for tax. | 5 years | 10 years | 2026-10-15 | Official source |
Route notes
D7 passive income and retirement residence visa: Official visa code D7 covers pensioners, religious persons, and people living on their own income. Residence permit validity and renewal periods were confirmed in the 2026-10-15 unknowns pass: 2 years, then renewals of 3 years, under Article 75 of Law 23/2007 and as stated on the EU Immigration Portal. AIMA permit fees in the total cost field are from the official AIMA fee table in force from March 1, 2026 (Portaria 307/2023, as updated), read on aima.gov.pt in the 2026-10-15 zero-unknowns pass. The Non-Habitual Resident tax regime is closed to new applicants; a narrower incentive for scientific research and innovation (IFICI) replaced part of it. See the research file for sourcing and for the AIMA fee figures that stayed unverified. Citizenship: under Lei Organica 1/2026 (Diario da Republica, May 18, 2026, in force May 19, 2026), naturalization requires 10 years of legal residence for nationals of countries that are neither Portuguese language countries nor EU member states, which covers US passport holders. Naturalization procedures already pending when the law took effect stay under the previous law.
D8 remote work residence visa (digital nomad, residence variant): Official visa code DR. For subordinate or independent remote work for employers or clients outside Portugal. Residence permit validity and renewal periods were confirmed in the 2026-10-15 unknowns pass: 2 years, then renewals of 3 years, under Article 75 of Law 23/2007 and as stated on the EU Immigration Portal. AIMA permit fees in the total cost field are from the official AIMA fee table in force from March 1, 2026 (Portaria 307/2023, as updated), read on aima.gov.pt in the 2026-10-15 zero-unknowns pass. Citizenship: under Lei Organica 1/2026 (Diario da Republica, May 18, 2026, in force May 19, 2026), naturalization requires 10 years of legal residence for nationals of countries that are neither Portuguese language countries nor EU member states, which covers US passport holders. Naturalization procedures already pending when the law took effect stay under the previous law.
D8 remote work temporary stay visa (digital nomad, temporary stay variant): Official visa code ER. This is a temporary stay visa, not a residence visa. Time on this visa is not legal residence and does not count toward permanent residence or naturalization; see the path fields.
D2 entrepreneur and independent work residence visa: Official visa code D2 covers independent professional activity and migrant entrepreneurs. No fixed minimum investment or income figure for D2 is set in law; the general means of subsistence criteria apply, as set out in the income and investment fields. A separate Startup Visa track runs through IAPMEI certified incubators. Residence permit validity and renewal periods were confirmed in the 2026-10-15 unknowns pass: 2 years, then renewals of 3 years, under Article 75 of Law 23/2007 and as stated on the EU Immigration Portal. AIMA permit fees in the total cost field are from the official AIMA fee table in force from March 1, 2026 (Portaria 307/2023, as updated), read on aima.gov.pt in the 2026-10-15 zero-unknowns pass. Citizenship: under Lei Organica 1/2026 (Diario da Republica, May 18, 2026, in force May 19, 2026), naturalization requires 10 years of legal residence for nationals of countries that are neither Portuguese language countries nor EU member states, which covers US passport holders. Naturalization procedures already pending when the law took effect stay under the previous law.
Skilled job seeker residence visa: Official visa code DP. Portugal replaced the standard job seeker visa with a skilled job seeker visa in October 2025 under Law 61/2025, and consulates stopped accepting the old visa. An official VFS one pager still carries the older text, including a 60 day extension and an IEFP registration requirement for extension; that text predates the reform and was not used for the renewal field, which follows Article 57-A. One entry per the VFS one pager. The official text of Lei 61/2025 (new Article 57-A of Law 23/2007) confirms that the visa carries an appointment date with the residence permit services within the 120 days, that a holder who starts highly qualified work in that window can apply for a residence permit, and that a holder who does not start work must leave Portugal and can only file a new application for this visa one year after the previous visa expires.
Family reunification (D6): Summary level only. Waiting periods verified from the official text of Lei 61/2025 (Diario da Republica, October 22, 2025, in force October 23, 2025), which rewrote Article 98 of Law 23/2007: the sponsor must normally have held a valid residence permit for at least 2 years before family members can join. The wait is 15 months instead for a spouse or partner who lived with the sponsor for at least 18 months immediately before the sponsor entered Portugal. No wait applies to minor or dependent children, to a spouse or partner who is a parent together with the sponsor of a minor or dependent child in their care, or to family members of holders of residence permits granted under Articles 90, 90-A (investment) or 121-A of Law 23/2007. For 180 days after the law took effect, a transitional rule in Article 6 of Lei 61/2025 also let sponsors apply for family members already legally in Portugal. The EU Immigration Portal states that family members can obtain an autonomous residence permit after two years if family ties persist. Citizenship: under Lei Organica 1/2026 (Diario da Republica, May 18, 2026, in force May 19, 2026), naturalization requires 10 years of legal residence for nationals of countries that are neither Portuguese language countries nor EU member states, which covers US passport holders. Naturalization procedures already pending when the law took effect stay under the previous law.
Golden Visa (ARI, residence permit for investment activity): The ARI program remains active, but real estate no longer qualifies: the Mais Habitacao law (Law 56/2023) removed real estate investment in October 2023, and AIMA states that the investment cannot be destined, directly or indirectly, to real estate. The investment amounts, the 7 day and 14 day minimum presence figures, and the 2 year permit validity were verified on the official AIMA ARI page on 2026-10-15. Applicants must declare under oath that they will meet the minimum quantitative and time requirements of the investment activity (5 years). AIMA fees in the total cost field are from the official AIMA fee table in force from March 1, 2026, read on aima.gov.pt in the 2026-10-15 zero-unknowns pass. The route has no income test; it is assessed on the investment alone. See the research file. Family members of ARI holders are exempt from the family reunification waiting period under Article 98 of Law 23/2007 as rewritten by Lei 61/2025. Citizenship: under Lei Organica 1/2026 (Diario da Republica, May 18, 2026, in force May 19, 2026), naturalization requires 10 years of legal residence for nationals of countries that are neither Portuguese language countries nor EU member states, which covers US passport holders. Naturalization procedures already pending when the law took effect stay under the previous law.