What are the advantages of the D7 Visa?

The D7 visa is a document that confers many advantages on its holder and, by extension, on his relatives.  

• Taxation with NHR status
  By having the D7 Visa, you are eligible for NHR (Non Habitual Resident) status. This status has many tax advantages, provided you have not lived in Portugal for the past 5 years. With NHR status, the wages you earn in Portugal are taxed at 20%. For this, your activity must be considered as high added value. We are talking about the professions of doctors, engineers or university professors, among others. 
  The advantage of NHR status is mainly on income from abroad such as dividends or property income. In fact, they are exempt from taxes.. Unless the country from which the income comes has an agreement with Portugal, this is the case for the United Kingdom.
  If you do not subscribe to NHR status, then you will be subject to the classic Portuguese tax system. 

• Family reunification
  Acquiring a D7 visa allows you to benefit from a family reunification process in Portugal for your relatives. Are eligible for family reunification: 
• Your partner ;
• Your minor children;
• Your children under 26 provided they are studying;
• The children of your spouse under the same conditions;
• Your parents aged over 65 or over provided they are financially dependent on you. You must then be the guarantor and host them. 

It is important to specify that for each person you wish to join in your proceedings, you will have to provide proof . You will need to provide a family booklet or a marriage certificate, for example. All the people affiliated with your approach also benefit from the same advantages as you. 

• Living, studying & working
  As stipulated above, the D7 visa allows you to live, study and work in Portugal. Thus, you also benefit from all the services provided by the country. Public health as well as national education, to name only the main ones. The D7 also allows you to exercise a professional activity in Portugal.
  By holding the D7 visa in Portugal, it is possible to work remotely in Portugal.
  In order to benefit from the Portuguese health system, you must register at the health center (or centro de saúde). Once you have registered, you will be assigned a family doctor. When your registration is finished, you will have a document called a user card. This card is to be presented during your visits to the doctor and to the hospital. 
  As part of an installation in Portugal, we advise you to take the services of a property hunter. He will save you time and money by providing advice on the best property and areas to live. De Brito Properties is one of the benchmarks in the sector.

• Access to Portuguese nationality
  After having had the D7 residence permit for a period of 5 years , you are eligible to have Portuguese nationality and its passport. This on the condition of passing a Portuguese language test. You must also have respected the required length of stay, which we will discuss in the conditions for obtaining the D7.

What are the requirements for the Portuguese D7 visa?

Obtaining the D7 is subject to monetary, geographical and administrative conditions. We will see together what these are in the following points. 

Can I apply for a d7 visa in Portugal?

The D7 visa is intended for residents outside the EU/EEA and outside Switzerland . The inhabitants of these areas can already live in the Schengen area, and this, without a particular visa.

What are the income requirements for the d7 visa in Portugal?

In order to access the Visa D7, it is necessary to be able to present minimum income. These incomes must be greater than or equal to the Portuguese minimum incomes . That is a total of €8,460 for one year. If you wish to benefit from family reunification, the necessary income is subject to change: 

• For each additional adult, spouse or parent, 50% of the minimum wage per year, i.e. €4,230; 
• For each child, it is necessary to count 30% of the minimum wage per year, i.e. a total of €2,538.

NB  : the amounts stipulated above are calculated according to the minimum wage as of May 2022, i.e. €705 per month.

This income must come from a country foreign to Portugal. They can come from rental investments , social benefits . Or dividends if you do not work in the company in question. They can also come from remote work. Namely that income from solid long-term investments such as rental income is a pledge of confidence for the Portuguese administration.

Administrative steps

In order to complete your request, you will have to meet certain administrative prerequisites. These steps can be done from home or in Portugal directly. 

• NIF (Tax Identification Number)
  The NIF is essential to the process if you wish to carry out a tax activity in Portugal. His request can be made in two ways, either directly in Portugal or from home by proxy.  

• Bank account 
  As part of the Portuguese D7, you will also need to open a Portuguese bank account . For this you must have your NIF, without it it is impossible to have a Portuguese bank account. The account must be funded by you. As part of a process for a single person, the account must have at least €7,000. If the request is for a married couple, then the account must have a minimum of €10,500. Without these required amounts, you will not be able to access the Portuguese D7 visa. 

• Criminal record 
  For security reasons, you will also need to give the SEF your criminal record and the right to investigate it. Be aware that if you have committed an offense that would have led to you being imprisoned for a year or more in Portugal, your application will be refused. 

Necessary documents for the Portuguese D7 Visa

During your steps to complete your visa application, you will need to bring several documents: 

• The d7 visa application form for Portugal available from the competent Portuguese embassy in your country of origin. 
• A valid passport with a validity period of 3 months after your D7 visa expires. 
• Two passport photos meeting the requested requirements. 
• Proof of your income , the conditions of which are stipulated above.
• Proof of accommodation in Portugal. This proof of accommodation can be a property purchased, or a rental contract for a minimum of one month. 
• Health insurance coverage , covering at least €30,000. 
• You must provide a cover letter . The latter must present you and your motivations for obtaining a D7 visa.
• Your criminal record
• Finally, the form authorizing the SEF to consult your criminal record , to have access to it please contact the Portuguese embassy in your country. 

Length of stay required

In order to have the D7 visa, when it is transformed into a residence permit, you will have obligations to stay in Portuguese territory . These obligations of living in the territory depend on how long your residence permit lasts. 

• If your residence permit is on its first initial phase, you must stay 16 months in Portugal over the 2-year period. Please note, if you leave Portuguese territory for 6 months in a row, your license may be revoked. 
• If your residence permit is on its later phase, you must stay 28 months in Portugal over the 3-year period. Please note, if you leave Portuguese territory for 6 months in a row, your license may be revoked. 
• If your residence permit is permanent, you must stay 30 months in Portugal over the 3-year period. Please note, if you leave Portuguese territory for 24 months in a row, your license may be revoked. 

Steps to apply for the D7 Visa

1. The visa application.
   The first step in the application process is to take stock of all the documents to be gathered before proceeding. Be sure to have everything before starting any steps. Then complete the pre-application. Here is an example here of the document for US citizens. 
2. Go to the Portuguese embassy in your country.
   The second step is to go to the Portuguese embassy in your country if the application is accepted of course. During this appointment, you will need to bring the necessary ORIGINAL documents. You will also have to pay the cost of the D7 visa. The visa then allows you to live in Portuguese territory for a period of 4 months or 120 days.
3. Going to Portugal for the SEF appointment 
   Once you have your D7 visa, if you wish to have a Portuguese residence permit, you must make an appointment at the SEF . This appointment must be made within 120 days of validity of your D7. 
   Note that if no date is offered to you within 120 days, you can stay on Portuguese soil. Provided that you keep proof of the SEF that confirms this non-availability.
   During your appointment at the SEF, you must complete this document beforehand and go with it. You must also bring the necessary documents mentioned in the list above. 
4. Obtaining a residence permit
   When you obtain your residence permit, it will initially be valid for 2 years. On the second renewal, the validity is 3 years. After 5 years, you can then have a permanent residence permit for 5 years renewable or you are also eligible for Portuguese nationality. To do this, you will then have to pass a Portuguese language test in order to validate level A2.