Portugal D8 Visa: Meet Your European Dream Through Nomad Life

Portugal, a southwestern European country, consists of beautiful landscapes and provides a welcoming atmosphere, rich culture, pleasant climate, and a peaceful environment for people, which encourages a healthy work-life balance. Hence, apart from being a popular tourist destination, Portugal is also well known among remote workers as a dream destination for their work life due to its attractive Digital Nomad visa or Portugal D8 Visa that provides significant benefits, including a high quality of life, a vibrant tech community, excellent internet connectivity, and growing co-working spaces. 

Portugal D8 Visa – A Digital Nomad’s Gateway to Europe

Due to the rise in remote culture in Europe after the COVID-19 era, Portugal launched its digital nomad visa in 2022 to provide digital nomads who are non-EU/EEA/Swiss citizens with the privilege of living and working in Portugal for at least one year. Portugal D8 visa also allows the applicants to live with their family members in Europe, as it allows family reunification. Moreover, the Digital Nomad visa also provides them with visa-free access to the EU Schengen area, including 29 states, making it the perfect gateway to Europe. 

Why Choose Portugal for Your Digital Nomad Journey?

According to the Global Digital Nomad Report 2025 by Global Intelligence Unit, Portugal ranks in sixth position with a score of 90.12 out of 100. This score was calculated based on high quality of life, travel mobility, tax benefits, application process, possible citizenship, and tech and innovation in Portugal. These are the important factors every remote worker considers before choosing a country for their digital nomad life. Portugal also provides the following significant benefits:

Affordable Cost of Living

If we look at the costs of living in Western European countries, compared to them, Portugal stands out as the country that offers the most affordable living costs to its people. Although prices of homes in some areas of Portugal, such as Lisbon and Porto, are high, they are still less than property prices in other countries, including the U.S. In the majority of areas of Portugal, such as Aveiro, Braga, and Viseu, the prices are lower and reasonable for people. 

Schengen Visa-Free Access

Portugal D8 visa allows digital nomads to travel visa-free to Europe’s Schengen area, including 29 countries, which provides them with travel freedom and a chance to explore and understand European business markets. The remote workers, especially entrepreneurs and businessmen, significantly benefit from this advantage as it helps them in building international partnerships, connections, and attending foreign meetings where they can represent their brands globally.  

Strong Expat Community

The unique appeal of the D8 visa for remote workers is Portugal’s expat community, which provides a welcoming environment for digital nomads and connects them with people who share similar lifestyles, goals, experiences, and interests.  

Tax Benefits Under NHR

Remote workers need to manage their expenses efficiently. Portugal D8 visa provides them this ability as they can benefit from the low tax policies in Portugal, including its newly launched Non-Habitual Resident Scheme (NHR 2.0), which includes zero or no tax on income earned outside Portugal and a flat 20% tax rate on foreigners’ driving income from employment or self-employment in Portugal.

Gateway to Portuguese Citizenship

Portugal D8 visa holders can apply for Portuguese citizenship through naturalization. The citizenship will allow them to live in the country legally for a lifetime, providing them with long-term stability. 

Portugal D8 Visa Requirements for Remote Workers

D8 Visa Income Requirements

To qualify for the Portugal D8 visa, applicants must have an income 4x the minimum wage in Portugal, i.e,  €870*4, which means the main applicant must earn €3480 monthly. For family inclusion, the following are key requirements. 

• Nomads have to show 50% extra income to include the spouse in the application, i.e, €3480 + €1740, which makes up €5220. 
• Nomads have to show 30% extra income to include a minor child (aged below 16) in the application, i.e, €5220 + €1044, which makes up €6264. 

D8 Visa Eligibility Requirements 

The applicants must meet the following requirements to be eligible for the Portugal Digital Nomad Visa:

• Signed Contract of Remote Job.
• Meet income requirements for a D8 visa.
• Must be an adult aged 18 or above.
• The Passport must be valid.
• Must have good health.
• Clean criminal record. 

Living the Digital Nomad Life in Portugal with a D8 Visa

Portugal offers a high-quality life to remote workers, including its rich infrastructure, excellent healthcare, and the best educational institutions, including the top universities in the world, such as the University of Lisbon and the University of Porto. Digital nomads, after qualifying for the Portugal D8 Visa, can benefit from living in the highly innovative cities of Portugal, such as Lisbon and Porto, which are the major business-centric hubs in the world. According to Rankings by Instant Office, Lisbon is the worldwide winner among the top cities for digital nomads. The accessible Wifi and excellent air links of Lisbon provide digital nomads with connectivity to the outside world. Moreover, the well-established coworking spaces in Lisbon and Porto, including EDIT.WORK, Heden, and CRU Cowork provide the best work environment for Portugal D8 visa holders. 

Conclusion: Is the Portugal D8 Visa Right For You?

Portugal Digital Nomad Visa is the prime choice for remote workers, including freelancers, IT professionals, and online business owners. It opens doors to Europe, which is a dream of every professional, as the visa-free access provides them the opportunity to explore Europe while based in Portugal. Furthermore, the high-quality life and rich infrastructure help remote workers manage their professional life efficiently.