Douglas A. Says:
What can you tell me about Portugal’s digital nomad visa?
Personal Finance Expert Jeff Opdyke Says:
Hi Douglas,
The D8 Digital Nomad visa is a new visa Portugal launched in fall 2022. It provides Portuguese residency for one or two years, depending on which version of the visa you pursue.
The D8 is aimed exclusively at digital nomads who can earn their income from anywhere in the world they want to be. As such, the D8 visa requires you prove you can work remotely and earn at least a certain amount of income.
For 2023, the minimum is set at €3,040 (about $3,300) per month. You must show three months of income at or exceeding that level through bank account statements
The one-year version of the visa is intended for nomads who simply want to spend up to a year living and working in Portugal before moving on. The two-year version is for those who want to settle in Portugal and ultimately pursue Portuguese citizenship and a local passport, which is a European Union passport.
The best way to begin the process is to contact a visa agency in Portugal.
I used Global Citizen Solutions in Lisbon to obtain my D8 Visa.
It can be challenging to get the visa on your own, because requirements like obtaining a local bank account and the Portuguese version of a Social Security number are very challenging to achieve outside of Portugal—particularly if you don’t speak Portuguese.
Don’t forget to check out the dedicated Portugal section of the IL website for more details about moving to this welcoming European expat haven.
Got a Question?
Send your thoughts to mailbag@internationalliving.com. We’ll post and respond to as many of your emails as we can right here in the e-letter.