D7 Visa Process

As a D7 Visa applicant, you must apply in your country of residence – never in Portugal.

Viv Europe will assist you in gathering all of the documents required to file your D7 application at the Portuguese Consulate, Portuguese Embassy, or VFS Global nearest you.

According to Portuguese law, anyone earning passive income may apply for the D7 Visa.

Under article 24 of Decree 84-2007 passive income is defined as the result of “movable, immovable, intellectual property and financial investments”.

Passive income in Portugal includes but is not limited to:

• Pensions
• Rents
• Financial investments (interest)
• Dividends
• Intellectual Property
• Royalties
• Savings

It’s important to note that Portuguese government authorities hold the discretionary power to grant or deny visas based on the documents presented by the applicant.

The D7 application documents are listed below. Additional documents may apply depending on the applicant’s nationality and application place.

The mandatory documents to apply for the D7 Visa (according to Portugal’s official website) are:

• Official form, duly filled out.
• Passport or additional travel document valid for 3 months after the duration of the stay.
• Two passport-type photos, up-to-date and with high quality, to identify the applicant.
• Valid travel insurance, allowing medical coverage, including medical emergencies and repatriation.
• Proof of being in a regular situation when from a different nationality than that of the country where the visa is being applied for.
• Request for criminal record inquiry by the Immigration and Border Services (SEF).
• Criminal record certificate from country of origin or country where the applicant has been residing for over a year (children under 16 are exempt from the criminal record). Proof of accommodation in Portugal.
• Proof of means of subsistence as stipulated by law.
• Document certifying revenue related to movable and immovable property; intellectual or financial assets (also known as passive income), that should be, at least, 760€ per month.
• A letter of intent should be submitted in order to increase the chance of a positive outcome regarding Visa granting.
• Proof of accommodation in Portugal.

Missing documents and misleading information may lead to Visa applications getting denied.

It’s important to emphasize that passive income in Portugal can be related to pensions, rents, financial investments (interest), dividends, intellectual property, royalties, and in some cases, savings.

The Portuguese government authorities hold the discretionary power to grant or deny visas based on the documents presented by the applicant.

Viv Europe will assist you in gathering all of the documents required to file your D7 application at the Portuguese Consulate, Portuguese Embassy, or VFS Global.

Proof of accommodation is an extremely important document in the D7 Visa application process.

Before applying for the Visa, the applicant must rent a property in Portugal and prove it by providing a lease agreement.

For more information about renting a property in Portugal, please click here.

Viv Europe professional real estate agents will gladly help find the perfect property and handle all the negotiation, paperwork, and related activities hassle-free.

Time periods can vary greatly and depend not only on application location but also on the Portuguese authorities’ document processing duration for Visa analysis.

Once the Visa is approved, the applicant usually waits around 45 days to be granted the Visa.

According to Portuguese law, the Consulate has up to 60 days to respond to the applicant.

After Visa approval in the home country, the applicant must travel to Portugal for a later appointment at SEF in order to request and obtain the Temporary Residence Permit.

Nowadays it can take from 2 weeks to months on end for the applicant to have the SEF appointment in Portugal.

While it is impossible to predict exactly how long the application process will take from start to finish, it has been taking up to 5 months, provided there are no setbacks.

The applicant is responsible for the following expenses:

• Assistance fees
• Public fees (charged by government agencies)
• Process-related costs, such as issuing documents, translation, and notarization

As for assistance fees, each company or law firm can charge its own fees taking into account the expertise, knowledge, and structure of the business. It varies greatly.

Public fees also vary, depending on the home country where the application is carried out.

The cost of issuing the D7 Visa varies between €80 and €100. The Residence Permit card costs around €85.

Other process-related expenses may apply, such as issuing certificates, sending documents through a postal service, etc., and costs vary depending on the applicant’s situation and country of residence.

After the D7 Visa has been approved at the Consulate (or Embassy) of Portugal, the next step is to schedule and attend a meeting at SEF (in Portugal).

Depending on the Portuguese consulate in the country of origin, your SEF appointment is either scheduled for you or it must be scheduled later.

The Visa applicant must travel to Portugal to attend the meeting at SEF.

SEF has been backlogged for a while now and many applicants attempt to schedule their own meetings in vain. VIV Europe is committed to succeeding in getting you an appointment at SEF, nonetheless, it’s important to keep in mind that Portuguese authorities take their time in analyzing Visa processes.

It’s important to keep records of the effort to schedule this meeting so that there’s proof of compliance with the law in case it surpasses the 4-month Visa period.

Portuguese authorities verify that applicants have enough funds to reside in the country for at least one year.

Under Portuguese law: “means of subsistence are stable and regular resources that are sufficient for the essential needs of the foreign citizen and of his family, namely for food, accommodation and health and hygiene care”.

The applicant must prove enough funds (at least 9,120€) deposited in a Portuguese bank account.

If the applicant intends to bring family members along, the following amounts must be added:

• plus 4,560€ for the partner
• plus 2,740€ for each child

This amount must be deposited in a Portuguese bank account prior to the Visa application.

So, if an applicant plans to bring a spouse and two kids, the amount of 19,160€ must be deposited in a Portuguese bank account.

Viv Europe can assist you with opening a bank account remotely.

In addition to depositing a specific amount into a Portuguese bank account, proving the following passive income amount is recommended:

• Main applicant: 760€/month
• Partner: plus 380€/month
• For each child: add 228€/month

Depending on the applicant’s financial situation, savings may be used to prove income. Cryptocurrency is not accepted as proof of income in this case.

Yes, you can travel outside Portugal.

The only restriction is that during the period of the residence permit, you cannot be absent from Portugal for more than 6 consecutive months or 8 non-consecutive months.

Leaving the country for longer periods may be possible with prior approval from SEF.

The Temporary Resident Permit must be renewed 2 years after it is first issued and then, 3 years after this renewal – totaling a period of 5 years.

Yes, you will have access to public healthcare as soon as you receive your Utente number.

If you want more information about the health system in Portugal, we suggest reading Healthcare in Portugal: a guide to the Public Health System.

Although applying for the D7 Visa without professional assistance is possible, and there are costs involved in hiring this service, it is well worth it. Viv Europe expert staff is familiar with Visa processes and handles immigration procedures on a daily basis over several years. Not to mention that dealing with bureaucracy in a foreign country can be daunting.

An inexperienced applicant may feel lost amid the huge amount of information regarding Visa applications.

Several activities in the Visa application process need to be carried out in Portugal, such as opening a Portuguese bank account and applying for a tax number, among others.

Viv Europe is headquartered in Braga and has branches throughout the national territory to assist you in any corner of the country, including the islands.

Viv Europe aims to bring you some peace of mind by taking care of every detail of this sometimes complex process so that you can focus on planning your life in Portugal.

This one-time investment helps make your Visa application a hassle-free process toward your new life in Portugal. Reach out and allow Viv Europe to assist you in attaining your dream home in Portugal.