Visa D7. Portugal
(passive income visa).
Updated for 2023

What is NIF
NIF is the local tax number in Portugal. You will need this document to open accounts, make a rental agreement, pay taxes and even buy a SIM card from the local service provider. To get it you need a passport (main spread) and proof of address in your country (a bank statement from the bank of your citizenship will do). If you are entering Portugal on a Schengen visa, obtaining a NIF from the tax office is essential within the first three days of entering the country. You can get it remotely.

How to get NIF
This will require a fiscal representative (any person with permanent residence or citizenship, not necessarily a lawyer or consultant) in Portugal.
If you already have a passport from another EU country, Iceland or Norway, a tax representative is not required.

• Make an appointment for NIF registration for a non-resident by a call through your personal account via the tax website portaldasfinancas.gov.pt
• Visit the finance (tax office) with your friend. Do not forget your passport, a copy of the passport just in case (all pages), and his/her residence.
• Print proof of registration address in your country. There are several ways: bring the original utility bill in your name, translate it into Portuguese and certify it in Portugal. Or just make a Bank Balance Certificate (which is an official document issued by a bank) in English. You can check it in your personal account by ordering an extract in English. Check the spelling of your name in NIF - it must be exactly as in the passport.
• Apply for the electronic receipt of letters in your personal account on the finance website
• In your personal account on the finance website apply for the electronic receipt of letters or order a NIF number using nifonline.pt

Being a recurring income visa, no property purchase is required – however, you will be required to have a residential address in Portugal. A 1-year rental agreement or letter from a sponsor authorizing you to live in their Portuguese property indefinitely is generally acceptable to meet this requirement.

The rental agreement must be executed for at least six months, and better for a year. Just please do not pay the property owner's rent advances before the contract is signed and without documents. Be careful!

This is actually the tricky part – how to sign a long-term lease months before actually moving to Portugal and before getting your visa approved! And yes, we know the hacks to do this in the most economical way.

Where to look for housing to rent:

• https://www.airbnb.ru/portugal/stays
• https://withportugal.com/immigration/alugar-quarto
• https://prian.ru/portugal/rent/
• https://withportugal.com/immigration-info/real-estate

And, of course, you can buy real estate, including mortgages.
On average, banks lend 50-70% at 2-4.5% (now the average is 3.31%). Property tax ranges from 0.3% to 0.8%, depending on the region.
The cost of renting a house depends on the region, but the most expensive city to live in – is Lisbon. Prices start at 600 euros, the average variant is 900-1200 euros.
The cost of utilities will depend on the consumption of water, gas and electricity (currently rising prices). On average, will be 150-200 euros, depending on the time of year.
Be sure to check the speed and cost of the Internet separately! Usually, telephone, internet and television are paid separately.
The average cost for internet is 30 euros a month.

To get a residence permit, you need to have funds in a Portuguese bank account only. The amount must exceed 705 € per month for 12 months. Hence, the yearly amount should be at least 8460 €, + 50% for a spouse and 30% for each child (according to experience, it is better to deposit more, it will increase the chance of a residence permit). Moreover, it is even better, if you put in two years at once, that's 16,920 €.
You can open an account remotely through a representative or in person without a supervisor.

You and your family will be required to have comprehensive health insurance coverage, without any holding periods or co-payments.

• This can be canceled once your visa is approved, however, you will again require this in order to renew your residency permit after 2 years.
• We recommend your insurance provide minimum coverage of €30,000 and be valid for your entire stay.

Complete health insurance for one year (about 400-500€/year) – health insurance must be taken out for each family member if you come with relatives.

You’ll need to procure a criminal record certificate from the country of origin or the country where you are currently residing (children under the age of 16 are exempt from producing a criminal record).

And when Portugues authorities write ''clean criminal record'', they actually mean ''absence of conviction for a crime that in Portugal is punishable by deprivation of liberty for more than one year''.