This article gives a detailed review of The Portugal Digital Nomad Visa Requirements, Application Process & Costs Breakdown 2024.
The scenic beaches, friendly people, colorful culture, and of course the food! Portugal has urban cities that offer the best of the best in modern digital travel experiences.
The far-off rural towns offer a look into how times were before the 21st century. So, regardless of the kind of expectations, you might have from traveling or living in Portugal. It can offer you amazing experiences to live, explore, and work in the country.
For digital nomads, Portugal is the IT destination in Europe. Here is a guide to starting your digital nomad lifestyle if and don’t know where to begin.
Does Portugal Offer a Digital Nomad Visa?
Yes, Portugal has a digital nomad visa option for its visitors. It is relatively new for the country, being introduced in October of 2022.
Here is a basic layout of all things about Portugal’s digital nomad visa requirements:
Categories of Visa in Portugal:
Portugal has two kinds of visas for digital nomads; Temporary Visa and residency Permits. A temporary visa is a shorter stay visa that offers a stay for 1 year only. A residency permit, on the other hand, allows digital nomads to stay in Portugal for up to 5 years
Thinking about how long you want to stay, make the decision to opt for a longer digital nomad visa through residency or temporary visit for just 1 year
Earnings for a Visa:
When applying for a digital nomad visa, the government of Portugal also requires you to showcase your earnings. Are your earnings more than four times the national minimum wage?
If they are, then you are eligible. As of now, it means that your earnings must be more than 3000 euros in 2024
Non-Habitual Residency:
When you opt for a visa as a digital nomad, you are not a tourist or a visitor. You will get the title of NHR Resident i.e. Non-Habitual Resident. What an NHR title means is that as a resident of Portugal, you will have to pay taxes. The kinds of tax to pay are:
- Tax on foreign income
- Tax of earned income
- Individual taxes on foreign remittances
- Tax on individual transactions
- VAT on purchases
Why Should I Go For The Digital Nomad Visa?
Now you know that Portugal offers the digital nomad visa, but you are wondering if another option can be taken and why must one go for this visa.
Well, in simple terms, the digital nomad visa is for the digital nomad lifestyle. If you want to maintain your work in a foreign country, without facing issues of time in a limited period then you can for a digital visa.
The key benefits of Portugal’s digital nomad visa requirements are given as follows:
The Right To Reside:
At most, a tourist visa can allow you to stay in a country for 90 days.
For other types of visas, there are requirements for employment or business setup. It is only the digital nomad visa that allows you a greater amount of stay in Portugal
Less Effort, Less Cost
The removal of findings from an employer in the host country for non-tourist visas depletes the excessive costs of ensuring that you have a living space, insurance, etc.
For the digital nomad visa, you apply, get approved, and move.
You Are Open To Travel Europe
Portugal is part of the Schengen area. What this means is, that getting a digital nomad visa to Portugal also makes you eligible to other European Union states.
However, as a permanent residency, you might not be able to avail such an opportunity
Tax Redemptions
The NHR status in Portugal is enough to garner tax exemptions.
To do so, simply show your earnings to the Portuguese government and you can get 0% tax on global earnings and 20% flat tax on all earnings within Portugal. As a digital nomad, it means no tax on your income
The Chance To Become A European Citizen
If you stay in Portugal for a period greater than 5 years and meet the Portugal digital nomad visa requirements for earnings, then you can get citizenship of the country.
Now that you know if the Portugal digital nomad visa is for you or not, let’s look into the details of the requirements on how to manage the complex bureaucratic pathways to live in Portugal as a digital nomad
What Are The Portugal Digital Nomad Visa Requirements?
Meeting the requirements of a digital nomad visa is essential to being able to live the digital nomad lifestyle in Portugal.
Without showing the proper documentation, your identity, and any contractual evidence, the Portuguese government will not let you in.
So here is a checklist of prepared documents for Portugal Digital Nomad Visa Requirements:
| Items | Yes/No |
| A valid non-expired passport | |
| At least 1 year’s history of tax payments | |
| To show yourself in remote employment, a working contract, business setup or any other detail | |
| Banking records showing earnings greater than 3000 Euros | |
| Bank balance of at least 36,000 Euros | |
| NIF registration certificate given by the Portuguese consulate in your home country | |
| Health insurance | |
| At least 1 years history of tax payments | |
| Proof of no criminal record | |
| Proof of accommodation on arrival in Portugal | |
| Tickets |
If you have answered yes to all things, then avail of those tickets because you have met the Portugal digital nomad visa requirements
Breakdown of the Visa Application Process
To further clarify the visa requirements for Portugal, we have also broken down the major chunks of the visa acquisition process for you.
Here is what you can expect when applying for a digital nomad visa in Portugal:
- Sorting Through The Documents: Perhaps this step is the most intense for any traveler or tourist because there are a hundred different things to sort through, photocopies to be made and your birth certificate is probably under a pile of papers that takes hours to sort.
However, it is also the most important step, as having sorted documents and meeting these requirements means that only formalities are remaining - Filling Out An Application: The visa application has to be filled out before the visa process begins and is submitted with the documents. The application is available online on the official Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, where you can fill it in
- Paying A Visit To The Portuguese Consulate: Now that you have a visa application and your documents prepared, the next step is submitting them to the local consulate.
- Payment of The Visa Fee: Along with the consulate visitation, also make sure to get the fee voucher and meet the visa fee requirements. A visa fee is usually more than 75 euros and less than 90 euros, depending on which country you apply from
- Wait for Approval: After submission, all you have to do is wait. The response from the consulate will be gotten in a maximum of 2 weeks, after which you will meet with a consulate representative, Immigration and Borders Service of Portugal. They will also ask for the same documents and a further visa fee of 170 euros
- Buying A Ticket: After this stage, you will receive a residency card or basically a stamp of approval for traveling to Portugal. All you have to do now, is make the move
- Traveling To Portugal: Meeting all the Portugal digital nomad visa requirements must feel nice, safe travels!
What Are The Costs Of A Digital Nomad Visa For Portugal?
Another thing to note before beginning the visa process for Portugal is to make sure that you can meet the cost of moving and getting a visa.
Certain countries do not require any payments to be made and certain types of visas are also free of costs. However, when opting for the digital nomad visa for Portugal, you have to meet the expenses. The Portuguese government and the Portuguese consulate.
A cost breakdown includes:
- Temporary Stay Visa Fee: 75 Euros
- Temporary Residence Visa Fee: 90 Euros
- After Approval Fee: 170 Euros
So in total, you have to be mindful of spending at least 245 euros to 260 euros.
Conclusion
The Portuguese government offers a plethora of visas for travelers, which can include an entrepreneur visa a passive income visa, or a golden visa that has a higher income expectancy from visa applicants.
However, for a digital nomad traveling to Portugal. The digital nomad visa requirements establish the need for remote office jobs and an earnings limit of 3000 euros. If you are meeting these requirements, then the travel must be easy for you.
In conclusion, it can be stated that the cultural centers of Portugal are numerous. From art galleries to Roman history, the Iberian tribes, Celtic peoples, and even Muslim invasions to explore and learn from.
So, being a digital nomad, this country is the prime location to work and relax.
Also Read: The Ultimate Guide For Americans in Portugal
