Digital nomad visa Portugal: income and how to apply
The digital nomad visa for Portugal lets you work remotely for employers or clients outside the country. The visa website lists it both as a temporary stay visa and as a residence visa (source).
The income and contracts you have to prove
With the minimum wage at €920 in 2026 (source), four wages make €3,680 of average monthly income over the three months before you apply (source).
Employees attach the work contract or a letter from the employer; self-employed applicants, a company or service contract, or a document proving the services provided. In both cases, a document showing tax residence (source).
| Temporary stay | Residence | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | Up to one year, multiple entries | Four months, two entries, then AIMA |
| Decision time | 30 days | 60 days |
| Fee | €110 | €110 |
Length and entries: source; processing times: source; fee: source.
Where to apply in the U.S.
| Office | How visas are filed |
|---|---|
| Washington (and Palm Coast) | VFS Global: Chicago, Houston, Miami or Washington DC (source) |
| New York | VFS Global, 128 East 32nd Street, New York (source) |
| San Francisco | VFS Global, booked on the VFS website (source) |
| Boston | Online booking with the consulate itself (source) |
| Newark | By prior appointment only (source) |
| New Bedford | Appointment requested by email, also for Rhode Island (source) |
| Providence | Does not process visas (source) |
- Work contract, employer letter or service contracts
- Average income of €3,680 over the last three months (2026)
- Proof of tax residence
- A €110 fee
- The visa form, filled out and signed
- Two recent passport-type photos
- A passport valid three months beyond the planned return, and a copy
- Travel insurance covering medical costs and repatriation
- A criminal record certificate from your country of nationality or of residence for over a year, apostilled
- Proof of means of subsistence
The general list comes from the foreign ministry’s visa website (source); applicants who are not nationals of the country where they apply also prove their legal residence.
Timing and warnings from the U.S. offices
New York gives a minimum processing time of 4 to 8 weeks for national visas (source). San Francisco advises applying three months ahead and warns that VFS appointments are only booked on VFS’s official website, because of fraud (source).
New Bedford takes visa applications from residents of its five Massachusetts counties and of Rhode Island, and the first step is an email asking for an appointment (source).
Means of subsistence, in numbers
| Household | Monthly minimum (2026) |
|---|---|
| One adult | €920 |
| Two adults | €1,380 |
| Two adults and one child | €1,656 |
The percentages are those of the means-of-subsistence page: 100% of the minimum wage for the first adult, 50% for each additional adult and 30% per minor (source).
The digital nomad threshold is four minimum wages on average over the last three months: €3,680 in 2026.Questions people ask
The real questions people search about this procedure, with the short answer:
What is the Portugal digital nomad visa?
It is the visa for working remotely from Portugal, issued as a temporary stay or a residence visa (source).
How much income do I need?
A monthly average over the last three months of at least four minimum wages: €3,680 in 2026 (source).