Remote work
in Portugal.

Remote workers in Portugal have a variety of options to be able to live and work legally in the country, including the Portugal digital nomad visa (from October 2022).

Citizens of EU nations have the right to live and work in Portugal. If the EU citizen wants to live and work in Portugal longer than 3 months, they must apply for a residence permit and get a tax identification number.

For non-EU citizens, the path to live and work in Portugal was less clear before October 2022. For non-EU citizens who wanted to live and work remotely in Portugal the following options are possible:

• Portugal digital nomad visa. From October 30 2022, Portugal opened applications for its version of the digital nomad visa. Options for the Portugal digital nomad visa include a 1 year option or a renewable option for up to 5 years. The primary requirement for the Portugal digital nomad visa is making four times the national minimum wage (or about $2,750 per month). Other requirements include showing a Portuguese bank account funded with sufficient means of sustenance, proof of address in Portugal, and a NIF number. According to Portugalist’s guide to the NIF, this can be obtained online or in-person. 
  The Portugal digital nomad visa is a huge improvement on previous options for remote work in Portugal – largely because it’s a visa designed for working professionals. Compared to the D7 visa for example (where monthly earned income doesn’t count toward the €7,200 annual income requirement), the Portugal digital nomad opens the opportunity to live, work, and travel in Schengen Europe to thousands worldwide.
• D7 visa. The D7 visa is often mistaken for a digital nomad visa and is often used as such; however, the D7 visa was originally designed for those earning passive income who want to have residence in and pay taxes in Portugal. Some digital nomads may use the D7 visa for residency and tax compliancy purposes. The process of obtaining a D7 requires the applicant to establish tax residency; after tax residency is established, the remote worker in Portugal may then apply for a Non-habitual Resident (NHR) status, which greatly lowers the tax burden on foreign income for 10 years.
• Portugal Entrepreneur Visa. The Portugal entrepreneur visa is for applicants who have a business plan and intend to establish an enterprise in the country. If the business idea isn’t good/original enough, applicants may be rejected for this visa.
• Self-employment Visa. This option is for applicants who can prove that they will provide services and work to Portuguese companies.This visa is attractive as it grants to right to travel visa-free in Schengen countries.
• Working visa through EOR. Another option for those who want to work remotely in Portugal is to gain employment through a company looking to hire in the country using an international EOR employment model. In such cases, the hiring company will often provide visa support through their EOR partner. This option is both for candidates changing job, and for those who remain at the same company in a new location. Contact us if you want to hire remote workers in Portugal. Each mobility situation is different, so we would need to conduct a free consultation and assess each case individually.