D7 vs D8 visa: which one should a remote worker choose?

Both are national residence visas, both lead to a two year residence permit renewed for three year periods, both cost 110 EUR at the consulate, and both let you live and work in Portugal once AIMA issues the card. The difference is the kind of money you show.

What each visa is for

The official document list for residency visas splits them by income type. For the D8 the wording is remote professional activity with an average monthly income over the last three months of at least four times the monthly minimum guaranteed remuneration. For the D7 it is proof of regular, stable means of subsistence, the classic case being a pension or investment income.

The 2026 numbers

The Portuguese minimum wage rose to 920 EUR per month on 1 January 2026, and every visa threshold moves with it.

1. D8: 3,680 EUR gross per month, averaged over the last three months, plus savings in a Portuguese account of around 11,040 EUR (twelve times the minimum wage) for a single applicant.
2. D7: 920 EUR per month for the main applicant, plus 50 percent (460 EUR) for a spouse and 30 percent (276 EUR) per dependent child, with a bank balance of roughly twelve months of that household figure.

How to choose

Choose the D8 if your income is a remote salary, a contract with a foreign employer, or invoices to clients outside Portugal. It is the honest label, the consulate expects a work contract or service contracts, and the file goes through cleanly.

Choose the D7 if you genuinely live on pensions, dividends, rental income or royalties. Do not choose it just because the threshold is lower: consulates read employment income as active income and a mislabelled file is one of the most common refusal reasons.

Choose the D8 temporary stay track if you want a year in Portugal without becoming a resident. It is valid for the whole stay under one year, multiple entry, extendable once, and it does not lead to permanent residence or citizenship.

Expect six to nine months end to end in 2026, from consular appointment to the AIMA card. Run your profile through Visa Check and read the Portugal visa options guide.