D8- Investment program (Guide to Portugal’s DN/D8 Digital Nomad Visa)

The D8 Digital Nomad Visa is perfect for a range of professionals seeking to live and work in Portugal. It caters to remote employees working for companies based outside the country, freelancers providing services to international clients, and business owners or digital entrepreneurs managing remote-friendly ventures that can be operated from anywhere.

Key Requirements Financial Documentation

  • Proof of monthly income: 4x the Portuguese minimum wage, currently at €3,480 net per month over the last three months for 2024.
  • If employed, you will need to show payslips with matching bank statements.
  • Freelancers must present consolidated income documentation from multiple clients, with invoices & bank statements to match.
  • Savings: Recommended €10,440 per adult (additional amounts required for dependents) but this is not a strict requirement of the DN visa.
    Employment Proof
  • Employment contract with explicit approval to work remotely, or a supporting letter from your employer outlining this.
  • Freelancers must prove their income can be generated remotely, which is usually clearly implicit by the type of services offered.
    Additional Essentials
  • Criminal Record Certificate: Clean and recent record from all countries of residence, translated and notarized in Portuguese.
  • Valid Passport: At least six months’ validity beyond the application date.
  • Accommodation: A rental agreement valid for at least six months
  • Health Insurance: 4-6 months travel insurance (€30,000 coverage) for the visa application, plus Portuguese health insurance for residency.

Step-by-Step Process

Step-1

  1. Proof of Income: Collect detailed records like bank statements, invoices, payslips and tax returns.
  2. Savings: Prepare bank statements showing at least €10,440 in savings (recommended).
  3. Criminal Record Certificate: Obtain, translate, and notarize the certificate in Portuguese.
  4. Accommodation Contract: Secure a valid rental agreement.
  5. Health Insurance: Purchase travel insurance for the visa duration.
  6. Motivation Letter: This isn’t mandatory, but a cover letter explaining a little about yourself and your reasons for moving to Portugal always helps.

Step 2

  • Online Registration: Apply through the local Portuguese consulate or VFS Global depending on your origin country.
  • DIY: Application forms will be available online in Portuguese.
  • With Yon: we will submit your application.

1. Document Submission:

  • Prepare and print all documents needed. Some of which may need to be notarized and translated.
  • DIY: we’d at the very least reccomend cross checking your final documents with someone who has been through this process before,as VFS or your consulate likely won’t be available to offer any assistance. Your first encounter with them will be at your appointment.
  • With Yon: we will be managing the document collection process and checking ahead of time whether they are sufficient and will be accepted at your appointment.

2. Schedule Appointment:

  • Book an in-person appointment.
  • DIY: These can be tricky to get, particularly if using the VFS system as it, quite frankly, hardly even works. We would advise checking daily for new appointments, on multiple browsers and often with multiple VPN settings.
  • With Yon: We will ask for your general availability and book these for you.

3. Attend Appointment

  • Attend your consulate or VFS appointment, with all the necessary documentation.
  • DIY: Pay consulate/VFS fee either online or in-person depending on the country of origin

4. Receive temporary visa

  • After reviewing and accepting your application, you will receive a 120-day visa allowing entry to Portugal for residency processing.
  • If anything is missing or deemed invalid, you will need to submit an appeal.
  • DIY: you will be notified of one or multiple rejection reasons, and have to liaise with the consulate or VFS to appeal this decision with new documents.
  • With Yon: we will be communicating on your behalf and submitting any appeals behind the scenes.

Step 3

1. Travel to Portugal

  • The 120-day visa allows entry to Portugal for residency processing. You will either already have, or be waiting for, an AIMA appointment.

2. AIMA Appointment:

  •  Prepare updated documents.
  • DIY: You will need to prepare a similar round of documents, but they will need to be updated. Please be aware your documents will be checked in a deeper way with AIMA so, for example, they will now be checking that a lease agreement is legitimately registered with the tax authority
  • With Yon: Once again we would handle the document collection & checking process for you, so that when you turn up at the appointment you know everything will be valid and accepted. We will also handle any appeals if needs be.
  • Complete biometric requirements.
  •  Pay the AIMA appointment fee of €170 in person.

3. Receive your residence Card

  •  Initial validity: Two years (renewable for three additional years.
  • This will be posted to your registered address in Portugal, and usually takes a couple of weeks to arrive.