How to obtain a Portugal passive income visa as American: Updated Guide

The Portugal D7 visa is also known as the Passive Income Visa. It is intended for financially independent foreigners, including pensioners and investors.

To obtain such a visa, a foreigner must prove a passive income of at least €920, or $1,085, per month and buy or rent residential property in Portugal.

The D7 visa is issued for four months. In this period, the foreigner needs to come to Portugal and apply for a residence permit, giving them the right to work there.

The initial term of the residence permit is two years. After that, it can be renewed for three years if the foreigner does not leave Portugal for more than 6 months in a row or 8 months in total during the PR validity period.

1. Right to live in Portugal. The D7 visa holders can live in one of the warmest and safest European countries with a lower cost of living than in the major cities in the United States and with a higher quality of life.

2. An easy way to become a Portugal resident. The D7 visa is a more affordable way of getting a residency permit in Portugal than other options, such as the Golden Visa program and the Digital Nomad Visa. 

While the D7 visa requires a passive income of at least €920, or $1,085, the Golden Visa candidates invest at least €250,000, or $295,000, and Digital Nomad visa applicants prove remote income of over €3,680, or $4,340. 

3. Moving to Portugal with the family. The spouse, children, and parents can be included in the application together with the main applicant.

4. Right to work and study in Portugal. The D7 visa holders can run businesses and open new companies in the country. The legal residents will have access to the educational system, with the yearly tuition fee at public universities varying between $3,200 and 5,300 for non-EU students — a lot cheaper than in the United States, where the average tuition fee is $26,000 per year.

5. Prospect of Portugal citizenship. A foreigner can apply for Portuguese citizenship by naturalization after five years of legally residing in the country. A US citizen will be able to obtain the nationality of the EU country without giving up their first passport.

Applicants. To get a D7 visa to Portugal, the main applicant should:

• be over 18 years old;
• have no criminal record;
• have a stable passive income of at least €920, or $1,085, outside Portugal;
• buy or rent property in Portugal;
• be ready to move to Portugal.

Family members. Close relatives of the passive income holder can be included in the D7 visa application. This applies to: 

• a spouse or a partner in a civil union with no criminal record;
• children under 18;
• children between 18 and 21 who are unmarried, study at a university, and are unemployed;
• disabled children of any age;
• parents who are financially dependent on the main applicant.

Passive income. The minimum passive income to obtain the D7 visa is tied to the minimum salary in Portugal. In 2026, it is €920, or $1,085, per month.

The sum must be increased by 50% if the foreigner includes a spouse or a parent in the application and by 30% for each child. That means that a married couple must earn from passive income sources at least €1,380, or $1,628, per month, or €1,656, or $1,953, per month if a child is included.

The following forms of income are eligible for the Portugal D7 visa:

• pensions;
• real estate rent;
• dividends if you don’t work for the company;
• interest from savings;
• royalties;
• intellectual property;
• earnings from long-term, fixed-rate financial investment;
• transferable equity.

Applicants also confirm savings of at least 12 Portuguese monthly wages. In 2026, the required sum is €11,040, or $13,023. When applying with the family, savings requirements increase by 50% for a spouse and 30% for each child. This means, the main applicant needs to add €5,520, or $6,393, for a spouse and €3,132, or $3,907, for each child.

Property in Portugal. Before applying for the visa, applicants secure accommodation in Portugal. There are no limits to the type, age, value, or location of the property the applicant buys or rents to obtain the D7 visa.

The average property price in the country is €2,526 ($2,620) per m². In Portugal’s capital, Lisbon, the prices could go as high as €5,333 ($5,531) per m².

The cost of the Portugal D7 visa depends only on two factors: the number of family members in the application and the value of the property they are buying or renting. 

If the applicant buys a property, they are also expected to pay stamp duty and property tax. If they choose to rent housing, the landlord will pay the taxes.

Apart from these expenses, the applicant must also buy or rent residential property without any value limits or requirements. For example, the average price of a one-bedroom apartment for sale in Lisbon is €370,000, or $384,000, while a monthly rent can cost around €900, or $933.

If the applicant chooses to buy housing, they also pay a 0.8% stamp duty, a 0 to 8% property transfer tax, and an annual tax of 0.3 to 0.8% of the property’s value.

The following documents are required along with the D7 visa application form:

• valid passport;
• two passport photos;
• proof of passive income of at least €920, or $1,085, per month;
• proof of accommodation — a 12-month lease agreement or an ownership certificate;
• proof of clean criminal record;
• valid travel insurance with health coverage;
• six months of bank statements.

The D7 visa is not the only way to obtain a residence permit in Portugal. For investors, there is a possibility of applying for a Portugal Golden Visa.

In this case, the applicant makes a minimum investment of €250,000, or $250,000, into the Portuguese economy, with several options available, such as purchasing investment fund units, investing in business and creating jobs, supporting arts and cultural heritage, or donating to scientific research.

Portugal D7 and Golden Visa differences

1. The Portugal D7 visa opens up an easy path to a residence permit for US citizens with any kind of passive income of at least €920 per month from outside of Portugal.
2. Pensions, real estate rent, royalties, dividends, and interest qualify as eligible forms of passive income to apply for the D7 visa.
3. The other key condition to get the visa is buying or renting residential property of any kind in the country.
4. The visa is issued for 4 months. Within this period, the applicant must travel to Portugal to obtain a two-year residence permit.