golden visa (ARI), D7 and D8 residence permits, and the ten-year route to naturalisation
For our clients, Portugal immigration rests on three residence permits: the golden visa (from €500,000, seven days a year in the country), the D7 passive-income visa (from €920 a month, you must live there) and the D8 digital nomad visa (from €3,680 a month). All three now lead to citizenship after ten years of residence, not five.
Figures verified 27 September 2026 · Licensed CICC consultant, Toronto
Amounts are 2026 government minimums before fees. Golden visa government fees run about €605 per applicant at filing and about €6,045 per applicant at issuance; D7 and D8 consular and AIMA fees are a few hundred euros per person.
€500,000
See the golden visa page. Other routes: €500,000 research, €250,000 cultural donation (€200,000 low-density), €500,000 company capital creating five jobs, or ten jobs.
€920 a month
See the D7 page.
€3,680 a month + €11,040 savings
See the D8 page.
Real estate has not qualified for the golden visa since 7 October 2023. Any adviser still quoting a property route is working from superseded rules.
Jane Katkova has advised on citizenship and residence by investment since 1998. We confirm eligibility, the complete fee schedule and the realistic processing time before you pay anything, and we advise against a programme when it does not fit your circumstances.
The Portugal golden visa gives residence for €500,000 in a CMVM-registered fund (or a €250,000 cultural donation), with seven days a year in the country and your spouse, children and parents on the same file. Real estate has not qualified since October 2023, AIMA takes 18–24 months, and since 19 May 2026 citizenship comes after ten years of residence, not five.
How much is the Portugal golden visa in 2026? €500,000 in a CMVM-registered fund, or €250,000 as a cultural donation, plus government fees of about €605 at filing and about €6,045 at card issuance for each family member, plus legal, fund and bank costs. A single applicant on the fund route needs about €506,650 before professional fees; a family of four about €526,600.
The Portugal D7 passive income visa is the most affordable residence permit in Western Europe for applicants who intend to relocate: passive income of at least €920 a month (the 2026 minimum wage), a place to live, and a commitment to spend 16 months of every 24 in the country. Tax residence follows the move, and citizenship takes ten years from the first card.
The Portugal digital nomad visa (D8) gives remote employees and freelancers residence for remote income of at least €3,680 a month, four times the 2026 minimum wage, plus about €11,040 in savings. Choose the two-year residence-permit route if you want residence to count toward the ten-year naturalisation requirement; tax residence follows the move.
Portugal citizenship now takes ten years of legal residence, seven for EU and CPLP nationals, counted from the first residence card, under the Nationality Law in force since 19 May 2026. There is no Portugal citizenship by investment: the golden visa, D7 and D8 all lead to the same ten-year residence requirement, and a €500,000 fund does not shorten it.
Portugal is the golden visa American investors choose most, and our Canadian clients follow the same reasoning: €500,000 in a fund, seven days a year, an EU base for the family without leaving home. The conditions to plan for: US tax and FBAR obligations continue, Canadians who move pay departure tax, NHR has closed to new residents, and citizenship is ten years from the first card.
Read more about Portugal residency for Americans and Canadians
The golden visa route, with the D7 and D8 differences noted. Full detail on each permit's page.
We compare the three against your income, your intention to move and your passport goal, in writing.
Tax number and an account for the investment or the income proof. Both can be done remotely through a representative.
Golden visa: subscribe the CMVM-registered fund or make the donation. D7: bank statements and pension or dividend proof. D8: employment contract or client invoices and the savings balance.
Golden visa: online with AIMA. D7 and D8: at the Portuguese consulate serving your US state or Canadian province, with a four-month entry visa on approval.
AIMA appointment in Portugal. Golden visa: 18–24 months after filing. D7 and D8: within the entry visa's validity, then a two-year card. Residence for naturalisation is counted from this card's date.
Two-year cards, renewed while the investment or income continues. Citizenship at ten years from the first card with A2 Portuguese and a clean record.
A residence permit is not citizenship. Below is what it changes for each applicant profile, and what it does not.
| Your situation | What Portugal adds | What it does not change |
|---|---|---|
| US citizen | A second home base in the EU; Schengen without ETIAS; a family route to an EU passport after ten years; distance from US political risk | US worldwide taxation, FBAR and FATCA; the US–Portugal treaty prevents double tax, not filing |
| Canadian citizen | The same, plus winters; the Canada–Portugal treaty decides which country taxes what once you move | Canadian tax while you keep residential ties; departure tax on deemed dispositions if you sever them |
| US or Canadian resident on another passport | Schengen travel without visas; a contingency residence if your North American status ends; schooling in the EU | Your US or Canadian immigration status; entry rules for the UK, US and Canada; the ten-year (seven for CPLP) naturalisation period |
Photo: Nick Karvounis / Unsplash
Photo: Liam McKay / Unsplash
Photo: Jeroen den Otter / Unsplash
Photo: Ferhat Deniz Fors / UnsplashTemporary residence cards run for two years and renew while the conditions hold. After five years of legal residence you may apply for a permanent residence permit, which removes the investment or income condition but still requires A2 Portuguese. Citizenship is a separate application, now after ten years of legal residence under the Nationality Law in force since 19 May 2026, counted from the first residence card. Our citizenship timeline page sets out both dates year by year.
The golden visa's seven-day rule keeps the permit valid; it is not the same as living in Portugal for tax purposes, and it is enough for naturalisation only because the law counts legal residence, not days present. Confirm that position with us before you rely on it, because the 2026 law is new and its guidance is still settling.
US and Canadian citizens account for most of our Portugal residence files. The golden visa (ARI) suits clients who want a European base they may use only occasionally: seven days a year keeps it alive, and it does not make you tax resident. The D7 and D8 are for people who intend to move. Tax follows where you live: 183 days in Portugal, or making it your centre of vital interests, makes you Portuguese tax resident. If you are American you keep filing US returns, FBAR and FATCA wherever you live; the US–Portugal treaty and foreign tax credits stop most double taxation but not the filing. If you are Canadian and you sever residential ties, the CRA treats you as having sold most of your assets the day you leave and taxes the gain: plan the departure tax before the move, not after.
A Portuguese residence card gives you Schengen travel without visas and a contingency residence if your US or Canadian status ends. It changes nothing about that status, and it does not let you enter the UK, US or Canada. Naturalisation takes ten years of legal residence (seven if you hold a CPLP passport, such as Brazil, Cape Verde or Angola) plus A2 Portuguese. Nationals of some countries face extra source-of-funds scrutiny; tell us your nationality on the first call.
Thirty minutes with Jane Katkova, licensed CICC consultant, in Toronto. Bring your income, your passport and how many days a year you would actually spend in Portugal. You leave with a written recommendation and the full cost, including the tax planning you need before you move.
Video coming: golden visa versus D7 versus D8, the ten-year residence requirement for citizenship and what AIMA processing delays mean for your application.
The D7 visa, if you have passive income of at least €920 a month (the 2026 minimum wage) and will live in Portugal at least 16 months in any 24. The D8 needs €3,680 a month of remote income plus about €11,040 in savings. The golden visa needs €500,000 in a fund (or a €250,000 cultural donation) but only seven days a year in the country.
No. Real estate and real-estate funds were removed on 7 October 2023. The routes in 2026 are a €500,000 CMVM-registered fund, €500,000 in research, a €250,000 cultural donation (€200,000 in low-density areas) and company or job-creation routes. You may buy a home in Portugal, but it will not count.
Ten years of legal residence, counted from your first residence card, under the Nationality Law in force since 19 May 2026; seven years for EU and CPLP nationals. You also need A2 Portuguese and a clean record. Applications lodged before 19 May 2026 follow the old five-year rule.
Not by itself. Spending 183 days or more in Portugal in a year, or making it your centre of vital interests, does. Golden visa holders who spend seven days a year stay tax resident where they live. D7 and D8 holders, who must live in Portugal, become tax resident there. US citizens keep filing US returns either way.
Golden visa decisions have been taking 18–24 months and are improving slowly. D7 and D8 applications are decided by the consulate in a few months, then AIMA issues the card after biometrics in Portugal. We quote current AIMA processing times.
Yes. Dependent parents qualify on the golden visa, D7 and D8 alongside your spouse and dependent children. Each family member pays their own government fees and receives their own card, on the same timeline as yours.
Compare them side by side: residence by investment programmes and European golden visas still open. Looking for a passport rather than a permit? See citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda by donation or Grenada citizenship by investment.
This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Programme rules change; we confirm every figure before you commit.
A confidential consultation with a licensed CICC consultant. We assess eligibility and total cost before you commit to any programme.