Portugal's D7 Passive Income Visa is a residence visa for non-EU/EEA/Swiss nationals who can support themselves through passive income, including pensions, rental income, investment returns, dividends, or intellectual property royalties. It is one of Portugal's most popular residence pathways, targeting retirees, pensioners, and financially independent individuals who wish to reside in Portugal without relying on local employment. The visa provides a clear pathway to permanent residency after five years and, over the longer term, to Portuguese citizenship.
The residence visa is initially valid for 2 entries and 4 months, during which the holder must apply for a residence permit. The initial residence permit lasts 2 years and is renewable for successive 3-year periods. Renewal must be submitted up to 30 days before expiry, with applications accepted from 90 days prior. If the permit expires, there is a 6-month grace period to submit a renewal. Renewals can be submitted online through AIMA's Renewals Portal or via scheduled appointment at IRN (Instituto dos Registos e Notariado) locations. Continued compliance with income requirements, valid accommodation, and tax/social security obligations must be demonstrated at renewal.
Eligible family members include a legally married spouse or partner in a documented stable union (2+ years of cohabitation), minor children under 18, dependent adult children (over 18, unmarried, in full-time education or financially dependent), and dependent parents over 65 or those who are economically dependent. Each additional adult requires 50% of the minimum wage (EUR 460/month in 2026) and each child 30% (EUR 276/month). Family members may apply concurrently or join later through family reunification. Since October 2025 (Lei n.º 61/2025), family reunification for family members abroad requires the primary holder to have held a valid residence authorization for at least 2 years, with exceptions for minor/dependent family members and co-parent spouses; the period is reduced to 15 months for spouses with 18+ months of prior cohabitation. All dependants receive their own residence permits with the same validity as the primary applicant's.
Holders residing more than 183 days in Portugal become tax residents and are subject to progressive income tax (IRS) on worldwide income. Under the 2026 State Budget, tax brackets were updated by 3.51% with rates ranging from 12.5% to 48%, plus a solidarity surcharge of 2.5%-5% on income above EUR 80,000. Pension income has a EUR 4,104 annual exemption, with the remainder taxed at progressive rates. Investment income (dividends, interest, capital gains) is generally taxed at 28%, and rental income at 28% or at progressive rates at the taxpayer's election. The Non-Habitual Resident (NHR) tax regime ended for new applicants on 1 January 2024, and the replacement IFICI regime is restricted to scientific research and innovation roles -- it does not cover passive income holders, retirees, or rentiers.
The applicant applies in person at the Portuguese consulate or embassy in their country of nationality or legal residence. Some consulates route applications through VFS Global. The consulate has up to 60 days to process the application. Upon approval, the residence visa is issued with validity for 2 entries and 4 months. Within those 4 months, the holder must enter Portugal and schedule an appointment at an AIMA store to apply for the temporary residence permit, providing biometric data and documentation.
Fees: The consular visa fee is EUR 110 (increased from EUR 90 in March 2025 under Portaria n.º 91/2025/1). AIMA's updated Tabela de Taxas entered into force on 1 March 2026 with increases of up to 33% across most categories: granting or renewal of a temporary residence authorization (Article 75.º, n.º 1) -- the operational AIMA fee for D7 holders -- is now EUR 307.20 (up from EUR 170.40); permanent residence authorization is EUR 351.10; data alteration EUR 114.30. The new fees apply to applications submitted from 1 March 2026 onwards.
Despite being a passive income visa, holders are not prohibited from working in Portugal. However, work income cannot be used to meet the minimum income threshold at the application stage -- only passive income qualifies.
A temporary residence permit may be cancelled if the holder is absent from Portugal for more than 6 consecutive months or more than 8 non-consecutive months during the permit's validity period. In practice, this means spending a minimum of approximately 16 months in Portugal during the initial 2-year permit. Exemptions may be granted for justifiable professional, business, cultural, or social reasons.
After 5 years of continuous legal residence, holders may apply for permanent residence, subject to demonstrating means of subsistence, housing, and basic Portuguese language proficiency (A2 level).
Important -- the Nationality Law changed in 2026. The amendment to the Nationality Law (Lei n.º 37/81) was published as Lei Orgânica n.º 1/2026, de 18 de maio and entered into force on 19 May 2026. It raises the residency requirement for citizenship by naturalisation from a uniform 5 years to 10 years for third-country nationals and 7 years for nationals of EU member states and CPLP (Portuguese-speaking country) countries. Most D7 holders are third-country nationals and therefore now face the 10-year path to citizenship.
A transitional provision (Article 7.º, n.º 2) preserves the old rules for procedures already in progress: naturalisation applications that were pending on 19 May 2026 continue to be governed by the prior 5-year rule. Only applications filed on or after that date are subject to the longer 10-year (or 7-year for EU/CPLP) requirement.
The related Decree 49/XVII (Criminal Code amendment introducing loss of acquired nationality as an accessory penalty) was kept separate from this law and has since been definitively rejected: the Constitutional Court unanimously ruled it unconstitutional in May 2026, the President returned it to Parliament, and on 3 July 2026 Parliament rejected its confirmation. Loss of nationality as an accessory penalty does not become law, and D7 residency rights are unaffected.