D8 visa family income requirement: 460 or 1,840 euros per spouse?

The D8 visa family income requirement in 2026 is 3,680 euros a month for the applicant, plus 460 euros for a spouse and 276 euros per child, so a couple needs 4,140 euros a month. That is the reading that follows the text of Portugal's means of subsistence rules, and it is the one we think is right. Some advisers publish a much higher figure, 1,840 euros per spouse, and if you plan on the lower number you should know why.

No official page publishes a D8 household table. We built the figures below from the official rules, then set them against the stricter reading you will meet when you ask around.

What does the official D8 rule say about family members?

The official rule says nothing about family members. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MNE) document list for the remote work residency visa asks for an average monthly income over the last three months of at least four times the minimum monthly guaranteed remuneration. It names no amount for a spouse, a child or a household.

The Portuguese government set the minimum wage at 920 euros for 2026, up from 870 euros, in an announcement of 17 December 2025. Four times 920 gives the 3,680 euro applicant threshold that our Visa Check tool uses.

For the household, every figure you see comes from a second instrument: Portaria 1563/2007 of 11 December 2007, which fixes the means of subsistence that foreign nationals must hold to enter and live in Portugal. The disagreement is about how to combine that Portaria with the D8 multiplier.

How much does a spouse add to the D8 income requirement?

A spouse adds 460 euros a month under the Portaria's own wording. Article 2(2) measures means of subsistence by reference to the minimum monthly guaranteed remuneration, with a per capita weight for each member of the household:

1. First adult: 100 percent.
2. Second and further adults: 50 percent.
3. Children under 18 and dependent adult children: 30 percent.

The base for every percentage is the minimum wage itself, not the requirement of the main applicant. AIMA, the immigration agency, restates the same weights in its own guidance on means of subsistence. With a 920 euro minimum wage, that makes 460 euros for a spouse and 276 euros per child.

This is also how the D7 has always been counted. In July 2026 the D7 stands at 920 euros for one person, 1,380 for a couple and 1,656 for a couple with one child, the same 50 and 30 percent of the minimum wage. Apply that method to the D8 and you land on 4,140 euros for a couple. One published D8 guide does exactly that, yet prints the couple figure as 4,104 euros, a transposition of 4,140. Small errors like that one are part of why the topic feels unsettled.

Why do some advisers quote 1,840 euros per spouse?

The 1,840 euro figure comes from applying the D8 multiplier to the whole household. MSP Lawyer's 2026 guide is the clearest example: it lists 1,840 euros per spouse and 1,104 euros per child, giving 6,624 euros for a couple with one child and 7,728 with two.

The arithmetic is simple: 1,840 is 50 percent of 3,680, and 1,104 is 30 percent of it. Put another way, the family members are charged the same four times multiplier as the applicant.

We found no official text that supports this. The MNE sets the four times test for the applicant only, and the Portaria ties the family weights to the minimum wage. The stricter reading is an interpretation, not a published rule. We would still take it seriously for one reason: the consular officer decides your file, and the law gives that officer a judgment on whether the household can support itself.

How much income does a couple need for the D8 visa?

A couple needs 4,140 euros a month on the Portaria reading and 5,520 euros on the stricter one. The gap is 1,380 euros a month for a couple, and it grows with each child.

All figures use the 920 euro minimum wage for 2026. They move every 1 January with the minimum wage, because Article 13 of the Portaria updates its amounts automatically with it. If your income is paid in another currency, check the euro value with our currency check and leave a margin for exchange rate swings over the three month averaging window.

How much savings does a D8 family need?

Plan on 12 months of the household figure in savings: 11,040 euros for one person and 16,560 euros for a couple in 2026. Article 5(6) of the Portaria asks residency visa applicants for means of subsistence covering at least 12 months, and 12 times the 920 euro minimum wage is 11,040.

Each extra adult adds 5,520 euros. An applicant with a spouse and one child therefore needs 19,872 euros, which is 11,040 plus 5,520 plus 3,312. Watch the child figure when you read around: one guide dated 9 December 2025 gives it as 3,132 euros in one sentence, another transposition. MSP Lawyer publishes no D8 savings figure for the stricter reading, so ask your consulate for that number too.

Should your spouse apply as a dependant or on their own D8?

If your spouse also works remotely and earns at least 3,680 euros a month, two separate D8 applications remove the household question entirely. Each file then only has to meet the published applicant test, and no consulate can apply a family uplift to it. For a couple with two remote incomes, this is the route we would choose.

The cost is a second 110 euro national visa fee, the fee the MNE sets for every national visa application, and a second set of documents. Compare that with a possible refusal. An administrative appeal against a visa decision costs 75 euros on the same MNE fee schedule, and a fresh application means new apostilles and a new three month income window.

Insufficient or unclear income proof is commonly listed first among D8 refusal reasons. If your household clears the stricter figure, you remove that risk. If it sits between the two figures, the next steps matter most for you.

What should you do before you apply?

Get the answer from the consulate that will decide your file, in writing, before you commit money to the move.

1. Work out both figures for your household with the table above, using the minimum wage in force on the day you apply.
2. Email your consulate or its visa centre and ask what monthly amount and what savings they expect for your exact household.
3. Plan on the higher figure until that reply arrives.
4. If your spouse earns remotely too, compare one application with a dependant against two individual D8 applications.
5. If your income sits between the two figures, book an hour with a Portuguese immigration lawyer before you sign a 12 month lease.

For the wider move, our guide to becoming a digital nomad covers the steps before any visa, and our note on Portuguese permanent residence after five years explains where the D8 leads.

Updated on 26 September 2026. Rules and prices change: confirm with the official source linked above before you act.