If you are considering moving to or basing yourself in Portugal, you may have come across two popular paths of doing so: The D7 visa and the Golden Visa.
Hi Hanna! Do you know if it’s possible to apply for the D7 getting outside your home country? Or can you apply virtually? I’m asking because I’m a US citizen, but am currently in the UK.
Hi Katie,
According to my understanding you should apply from the country, where you are an official resident. If you are a resident of the UK, it’s best to get in touch with the Portuguese Embassy in the UK. If you are officially still a resident of the US, you should get in touch with the Portuguese Embassy in there.
Hi Hanna. So i’m wondering, can a D7 visa obtainer apply for a Masters degree during their time in Portugal? That is, can I get a D7 visa, be living in Portugal and decide to do my Masters or there are educational restrictions? Also, do my kids get educational benefits while we’re awaiting citizenship?
Hi! Yes, you and your kids will have access to the Portuguese national education system with a D7 visa.
Hi Hanna; Are all the benefits listed on this website for the NHR legitimate? One of the benefits of NHR is titled “No minimum stay requirement”.
If this benefit is true, how does this benefit interact with the D7 visa? Especially if I apply for NHR as soon as my temporary resident card is approved?
EDIT: Nevermind; I got my hopes up; this doesn’t apply to US citizens.
Hi David,
Sorry for the late reply! Could you specify, what you meant by this not applying to US citizens? NHR regime is applicable for the citizens of the US.
You need to satisfy the minimum stay requirements for either Golden Visa (average 7 days per year) or D7 (6 consecutive or 8 non-consecutive months in Portugal per residency card validity period) to be able to register for NHR.
Hi,
I am a little confused on the residency time requirement for the d7. I have seen it two different conflicting ways on the internet. Actually now in this article. In the article it states " The D7 residence permit holder needs to spend most of their time in Portugal. Specifically, they are only allowed to leave for six consecutive or eight non-consecutive months within the validity of their residency permit. The first permit is issued for two years, and each following permit is issued for three years" and in your response to this thread you say “You need to satisfy the minimum stay requirements for either Golden Visa (average 7 days per year) or D7 (6 consecutive or 8 non-consecutive months in Portugal per year) to be able to register for NHR”. Can we plan on the d7 if you stay 6.1 consecutive months in portugal and be in the US for the remaining 5.9 months per year and qualify for d7 renewal and after 5years apply for citizenship?
Hi Art,
Thank you for pointing this out! According to law the D7 visa holders are allowed to be absent without reasonable reasons from Portugal for maximum six consecutive months or eight non-consecutive months within the validity of their residency permit (I have now edited my previous post as well). According to that, spending 6.1 months in Portugal per year would not be enough.
The law also states that the residence permit is not canceled for citizens who are absent for periods longer than those mentioned before, when they prove that, during their absence from the national territory, they carried out professional or business activities or activities of a cultural or social nature. I would recommend checking with a lawyer how this has played out in practice, if you could use it in your favor.
You can see the law here, article 85: https://dre.pt/dre/detalhe/lei/23-2007-635814
