Moving to Portugal
Visas and residency, citizenship, tax, company and banking, cost of living and the places to live in Portugal, in one place.
Southern Europe
Navid lived hereThinking about moving to Portugal?
I lived in Portugal.
Here's how long you can stay, the ways to live there for good, what you'd pay in tax and what everyday life costs, each figure from an official source.
In this guide, I'll show you:
- How long you can stay, by passport
- The visas and residency routes that let you live there
- How long citizenship takes
- How tax works, with the rates
- What it costs, and the internet and safety
- The best places to live
- The basics: capital, currency and languages
Pick your passport at the top of the page, and the stay rule shows for you.
TL;DRKey takeaways
Portugal at a glance
How long can you stay in Portugal?
It depends on the passport you hold.
Here's the rule for the most common ones:
US passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 90 days
UK passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 90 days
EU passport (German)- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- –
Canadian passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 90 days
Australian passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 90 days
Indian passport- Rule
- Visa needed
- Stay
- –
For any other passport, pick yours at the top, or see every country on the visa-free countries map.
Portugal is in the Schengen area.
Days here count toward your 90 in any 180 across all of Schengen; count them with the Schengen calculator.
Visas and residency in Portugal
Portugal has a visa for people who work remotely:
- Residence visa for remote work (D8) – an income of €3,680 a month
Compare them with every other country in the digital nomad visa finder.
These routes don't need a local job either:
- Residence permit for investment activity (ARI, golden visa) (golden visa (residency by investment)) – Units in Portuguese non-real-estate investment funds (maturity of at least 5 years, at least 60% invested in Portuguese companies), and it can lead to permanent residency
- Residence visa for retirees and people living on their own income (D7) (passive income visa) – €920 a month
See the investor routes side by side in the golden visa finder, and the ones for retirees in the retirement visa finder.
Citizenship in Portugal
Naturalization takes about 10 years of residence.
Dual citizenship is allowed, so you can keep your passport.
Work out your own timeline with the second passport calculator.
Tax in Portugal
Portugal taxes its tax residents on their income from anywhere.
See where it sits among every country on the territorial tax map.
The main rates:
- Lowest income tax band – 13%
- Top income tax rate – 56%
- Corporate tax – 20%
- VAT or sales tax – 23%
- Capital gains tax – 28%
New residents can use IFICI, the tax incentive for research and innovation.
See how it works in tax breaks for new residents.
Where you're a tax resident usually comes down to days.
Count yours with the 183-day rule calculator.
Company and banking
Compare the banks and cards that work for people abroad in the bank account finder.
Move money for less with the money transfer comparison.
Setting up a company here?
See the fees and yearly costs in company formation compared.
Many people who live abroad run a US LLC instead; check yours with the US LLC for non-residents checker.
Cost of living in Portugal
Everyday prices in Portugal are about 60% of US prices.
That's the World Bank's price level for 2025: its purchasing power conversion factor divided by the exchange rate.
It's cheaper than the US, though rent in the big cities can close the gap.
A night's stay in a whole place, by Inside Airbnb's median:
- Lisbon – $176
- Porto – $140
Convert what things cost with the currency converter.
Is Portugal safe?
The US State Department rates Portugal Level 1 ("Exercise normal precautions", updated 2025-12-23), the same level it gives Austria, Japan, Australia and Canada. Level 1 is normal travel. Some advisories are stricter for parts of a country, so read the full advisory before you go.
For a second view, the UK has no warning against travel.
See every country's level on the travel advisory map.
Internet in Portugal
In M-Lab's open speed tests across Portugal over the last 12 months, half came in above 71 Mbps download.
The fastest quarter of lines came in above 240 Mbps, closer to a good fiber connection (5,895,845 tests).
By place:
- Lisbon – 60 Mbps typical
- Funchal – 91 Mbps typical
- Porto – 89 Mbps typical
- Lagos – 85 Mbps typical
- Ericeira – 94 Mbps typical
Test your own line when you arrive with my internet speed test.
The best places to live in Portugal
Compare them with places everywhere in digital nomad locations.
Portugal: the basics
| What | Portugal |
|---|---|
| Capital | Lisbon |
| Currency | euro (EUR) |
| Languages | Portuguese, Mirandese |
| Population | about 10.3 million |
From GeoNames' country data (CC BY 4.0).
More tools for Portugal
- Passport index and compare passports
- Time zone overlap calculator for calls with home
- eSIM finder for data when you land
- Card fees abroad calculator before you spend
Portugal FAQs
Visa-free, for 90 days.
Pick another passport at the top of the page to see its rule.
It depends on your passport.
Pick yours at the top of the page to see the days, and whether you need a visa first.
Yes: Residence visa for remote work (D8).
It asks for an income of €3,680 a month.
Yes: Residence permit for investment activity (ARI, golden visa).
Units in Portuguese non-real-estate investment funds (maturity of at least 5 years, at least 60% invested in Portuguese companies)
Yes, with Residence visa for retirees and people living on their own income (D7).
Each asks for a steady income; the section above lists the amounts.
About 10 years of residence.
Yes.
Check that your own country allows it too.
Portugal taxes its tax residents on their income from anywhere.
Check the details with a tax adviser before you move.
Everyday prices are about 60% of US prices, by the World Bank's price level for 2025.
Rent in the biggest cities can be higher than that suggests.
The US State Department rates it Level 1.
Levels 1 and 2 are everyday travel; read the full advisory for any regions it warns about.
Half of M-Lab's tests there came in above 71 Mbps download over the last 12 months.
The fastest quarter of lines passed 240 Mbps.
The places I cover there are Lisbon, Funchal, Porto, Lagos and Ericeira.
Each has its own guide with the weather by month, internet and costs.
The euro (EUR).
The main languages are Portuguese and Mirandese.
Navid Moazzez
AI business strategist & AI OS builder
Navid Moazzez helps creators and founders master AI and build their own AI Operating System (AI OS) to automate their business and life.
Navid.me is reader-supported. When you buy through links on this site, I may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.
Places to live in Portugal
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