Can a UK citizen move to Portugal after Brexit with the D7 or D8?

The uncomfortable part first: free movement is gone, and nothing in the withdrawal arrangements brings it back for someone arriving now. British citizens who were already legally resident before the end of the transition hold a separate status. Everyone moving in 2026 is a third country national.

The comfortable part is that the ordinary routes work perfectly well, and British applicants are among the largest groups using them.

What changes in practice

The consular fee is 110 euros for a national visa, the same as for any nationality, and an administrative appeal against a refusal costs 75 euros.

The two British specifics

First, the criminal record certificate. It has to be apostilled through the Legalisation Office and then translated, and the sequencing eats weeks. Order it so it is still fresh at your appointment, not so early that it has aged.

Second, the 90 day count is now something you have to manage during the scouting trip. Days spent viewing flats in Lisbon are days off the same allowance you would want for a holiday in Spain later, because the window is shared across the whole Schengen area.

Which one to file

If you live on a salary or on client invoices, it is the D8. If you live on a pension, rental income or dividends, it is the D7. Both end in the same AIMA residence permit, two years then three year renewals, with permanent residence available at five years and naturalisation now at ten for British nationals under the 2026 law.

Check your own case in Visa Check, and compare the routes in the Portugal visa guide.