Retirement visa in Portugal

• The route is for retirees and for people who live on their own income, such as income from movable or immovable property, intellectual property or financial investments; the same visa category also covers religious purposes. Retirees show a document certifying the pension amount, and people on other income show documents proving that income exists and how much it is.
• The portal pages and checklists we read state no minimum age and no euro amount for the pension or income, so the money test comes from the 12-month means rule shown under money. Ask your consulate how it applies.
• The portal also lists a temporary stay visa for retirees and people on their own income, but only in exceptional, duly justified cases for a stay of over 3 months. EU and EEA citizens do not need a visa to stay.

Sources: Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (visa portal), Embassy of Portugal in Washington, Consulate General of Portugal in Toronto. Checked 16 October 2026.

• Washington's checklist asks for proof of financial resources for at least 12 months under article 2(2) of Portaria 1563/2007, described as 12 minimum wages in savings for one adult, plus 50% for each further adult and 30% for each child. On the 2026 wage of €920 that is about €11,000 for one adult; to be safe, have more than €12,000. Toronto's checklist also asks for means for at least 12 months.
• If the planned 2027 wage of €970 (set out in the Government's announcement of the 2025 to 2028 wage agreement) becomes the base, the 12-month amount would be about €11,640 for one adult. To be safe, have more than €12,000, which covers both years.
• The portal's general means scale is 100% of the net minimum wage for the first adult, 50% for each further adult and 30% for each child, on the 2026 base of €920. Its duration rules on that page name work, investment and research visas, not retirement, so the scale is a guide only; about €920 to €1000 a month for one adult would be the 2026 to 2027 base, and to be safe, have more than €1,000 a month.

Sources: Embassy of Portugal in Washington, Consulate General of Portugal in Toronto, Directorate-General for Employment and Labour Relations (DGERT), Governo de Portugal (XXIV Governo Constitucional), Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (visa portal). Checked 17 October 2026.

• The visa application needs a signed national visa form, two recent passport photographs, a passport valid at least three months beyond the planned stay, valid travel insurance with repatriation cover, and a criminal record certificate with a Hague apostille or legalisation. Washington adds a signed personal statement and proof of permanent accommodation in Portugal for at least 12 months.
• The income documents are the pension certificate, or documents proving income from property, intellectual property or financial investments, together with proof that the pension or other income is available in Portugal, such as a Portuguese bank account.
• After arrival, AIMA's general permit request takes your passport, the valid residency visa, proof of means of subsistence, a declaration of your home address (with a land-registry certificate or the landlord's declaration), proof of family ties where relevant, and health insurance or proof of National Health Service cover.

Sources: Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (visa portal), Embassy of Portugal in Washington, Agency for Integration. Checked 16 October 2026.

• You apply at a Portuguese consular post, and the decision deadline for a residency visa is 60 days, except where the law says otherwise.
• A residency visa allows two entries and is valid for 4 months; within that time you must apply to AIMA for a residence permit, by appointment at an AIMA store.

Sources: Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (visa portal), Agency for Integration. Checked 16 October 2026.

• The national visa application fee is €110, with children under 6 exempt, and an appeal against a visa decision carries a separate fee of €75.
• AIMA's fee table lists €114.30 for the grant or renewal of a temporary residence permit under article 75(1), in person, and €85.80 in the digital or assisted column; urgent card issue within 2 working days adds €47.80. The table also lists a reception-and-analysis charge, but its wording does not clearly name retirement, so ask AIMA which applies.
• The table is indexed each 1 March under Portaria 307/2023; AIMA said the 2026 update used 2.2%, so the charge can differ slightly.

Sources: Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (visa portal), Agency for Integration. Checked 16 October 2026.

• AIMA's general rule is that a temporary residence permit is valid for two years from the date the card is issued and is renewable for successive periods of three years, unless the foreigners law sets different periods for a specific permit. A family member who joins you through family reunification receives a permit of the same duration as the resident's own.

Sources: Agency for Integration. Checked 16 October 2026.

• Permanent residence is open after 5 years on a temporary residence permit. AIMA asks for means of subsistence, a home address declaration, proof that tax and social security duties are met, basic Portuguese (a CAPLE test, a school certificate or an A2 course certificate) and no sentence above one year in the last 5 years. The permanent card is issued for five years with no limit of validity; AIMA's table lists €351.10 to grant it and €61.90 to renew it.
• Citizenship is a separate step: under Organic Law 1/2026, in force since 19 May 2026, nationals of countries other than EU states and Portuguese-speaking countries need 10 years of legal residence and a language and culture test.

Sources: Agency for Integration, Assembleia da República. Checked 16 October 2026.

• You are tax resident in Portugal if you stay more than 183 days in any 12-month period that starts or ends in the tax year, or keep a home there as your habitual residence. Residents are taxed on all income, including income earned abroad, at general rates from 12.50% up to 48.00%.
• The IFICI incentive's exemption for foreign-source income excludes pensions, and the older non-habitual resident regime still applies only to people who met its conditions before the 2023 and 2024 cut-offs.
• Under the US–Portugal convention, pensions for past employment are taxable only in the state where the recipient lives, while social security benefits and other public pensions may be taxed by the paying state.

Sources: Portuguese Tax and Customs Authority, Internal Revenue Service. Checked 16 October 2026.

• Digital nomad visa in Portugal
• Work permit in Portugal
• Family visa in Portugal
• Golden visa in Portugal

• Visas in Portugal
• Portugal

1. Residency visa for pensioners, religious purposes or people living on their own income (checklist file named d7), Embassy of Portugal in Washington, D.C.. Checked 16 October 2026. US applicants; checklist dated 10.11.2025 as printed; the code D7 appears in the file name only.
2. Status table: Apostille Convention of 5 October 1961, Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH). Checked 16 October 2026. In force: Portugal 4 February 1969, United States 15 October 1981, Australia 16 March 1995, New Zealand 22 November 2001, Canada 11 January 2024.
3. Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 (visa list), European Union (EUR-Lex). Checked 16 October 2026. Annex II lists Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States as exempt from the short-stay visa requirement; article 4(1): 90 days in any 180-day period.
4. US–Portugal income tax convention, Internal Revenue Service. Checked 15 October 2026. 1994 convention with protocol; general effective date 1 January 1996.
5. US citizens abroad: filing requirements, Internal Revenue Service. Checked 3 October 2026. US citizens living abroad.
6. US–Portugal totalization agreement, US Social Security Administration. Checked 3 October 2026.
7. Where should you lodge a visa application, Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (visa portal). Checked 16 October 2026. US: Washington embassy plus consulates in Boston, Newark, New York, San Francisco and New Bedford; Canada: Ottawa embassy plus consulates in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver; Australia: Sydney consulate general or Canberra embassy; New Zealand: Canberra embassy.
8. Residence visa for retirees, religious purposes and people living on income (checklist), Consulate General of Portugal in Toronto. Checked 16 October 2026. Canadian applicants; scanned checklist in Portuguese (file created 3 October 2025), read by text recognition.
9. Residence visa, Consulate General of Portugal in Toronto. Checked 16 October 2026. Applicants served by the Toronto consulate; page in Portuguese; the page gives no income or balance amount and no fee amounts.
10. Social security agreement, Government of Canada. Checked 4 October 2026. Agreement in force since 1 May 1981; CPP and OAS only.
11. Tax treaties in force, Department of Finance Canada. Checked 4 October 2026. Canada–Portugal convention signed 14 June 1999.
12. National police checks, Australian Federal Police. Checked 16 October 2026. Fees as shown on the page; the page does not mention apostilles.
13. Treaty signed, Australian Treasury. Checked 4 October 2026. Signed 30 November 2023.
14. Treaties in force, Australian Treasury. Checked 15 October 2026. Table last updated 24 March 2026; Portugal not listed.
15. Vetting process for visas, New Zealand Police. Checked 16 October 2026.
16. Criminal records, New Zealand Ministry of Justice. Checked 16 October 2026. Online service; the page states no fee and does not mention apostilles.
17. Tax treaty status, Inland Revenue (New Zealand). Checked 15 October 2026. Portugal listed as under negotiation, not in force.
18. Social security agreements, Work and Income (New Zealand). Checked 4 October 2026. Portugal not listed.
19. Residence visa documents, Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (visa portal). Checked 16 October 2026. Lists documents for each residency visa type; gives no euro figures except the highly qualified salary multiples.
20. Guaranteed monthly minimum wage 2026, Directorate-General for Employment and Labour Relations (DGERT). Checked 15 October 2026. €920 a month from 1 January 2026 (Decree-Law 139/2025).
21. Visa types and entries, Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (visa portal). Checked 16 October 2026.
22. Who needs a visa (national visas), Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (visa portal). Checked 16 October 2026.
23. Government and social partners sign a new agreement: minimum wage path to 2028, Governo de Portugal (XXIV Governo Constitucional), portugal.gov.pt. Checked 17 October 2026. Says the minimum wage rises progressively to EUR 920 in 2026, 970 in 2027 and 1,020 in 2028; a planned path, not a decree for 2027 and 2028.
24. Means of subsistence, Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (visa portal). Checked 16 October 2026. Scale based on the 2026 minimum wage of €920, net of social security.
25. Residence permit: general regime and requirements (art. 77(1)), Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA). Checked 16 October 2026. Page in Portuguese, footer 2026.
26. Decision deadlines, Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (visa portal). Checked 16 October 2026.
27. National visa fee, Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (visa portal). Checked 16 October 2026.
28. Table of fees and other charges for administrative procedures, Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA). Checked 16 October 2026. Undated table under Portaria 307/2023; two columns (in-person and digital or assisted service with the point XIV reductions); amounts are indexed each 1 March, so the charge can differ slightly.
29. Family reunification with a family member outside Portugal (art. 98(1)), Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA). Checked 16 October 2026. Page in Portuguese, footer 2026.
30. Permanent residence permit (art. 80), Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA). Checked 16 October 2026. Page in Portuguese, footer 2026.
31. Organic Law 1/2026 of 18 May (amends the Nationality Law, Law 37/81), Assembleia da República, Diário da República 1st series, no. 95. Checked 16 October 2026. Enters into force the day after publication; procedures pending at that date stay under the earlier wording.
32. Portuguese tax residence (article 16), Portuguese Tax and Customs Authority. Checked 15 October 2026. Includes the transitional note on the non-habitual resident regime (Law 82/2023, article 236).
33. Worldwide income for residents (article 15), Portuguese Tax and Customs Authority. Checked 15 October 2026.
34. General income tax rates (article 68), Portuguese Tax and Customs Authority. Checked 16 October 2026. Table as amended by Law 73-A/2025 of 30 December.
35. IFICI regime: frequently asked questions, Portuguese Tax and Customs Authority. Checked 15 October 2026.