Can my family come with me on Portugal's digital nomad visa?

Checked on 2026-10-25

Yes. Portugal's immigration law lets family members get a residence visa to accompany someone applying for a residence visa, and both applications can be filed at the same time. You must show resources for the whole family. If they come later instead, family reunification generally needs a residence permit held for two years, with exceptions such as dependent minor children.

Key facts

What	The law says	Source
Family accompanying a residence visa applicant	The residence visa can also be issued to family members to accompany the applicant; applications can be filed together	Lei 23/2007, art. 58.5
Who counts as family	Spouse; minor or incapacitated dependent children; adopted minors; dependent unmarried adult children studying in Portugal; dependent first-degree ascendants; minor siblings under your guardianship	Lei 23/2007, art. 99.1
De facto partner	The ministry’s checklist also lists a de facto partner, and that partner’s unmarried minor or incapacitated children legally entrusted to them	MNE, Documentação instrutória, Residência
Documents for family	Proof of family ties; proof of stable and regular resources for you and the family for the requested stay or 12 months, whichever is shorter	MNE, Documentação instrutória, Residência
Means-of-subsistence scale	Based on the €920 minimum wage (2026): first adult 100%, each further adult 50%, each child under 18 or dependent adult child 30%	MNE, Meios de subsistência
Temporary-stay version	A temporary-stay visa can be issued to accompany a family member holding a temporary-stay visa (not for seasonal work)	Lei 23/2007, art. 54.1(h)
Family reunification later	Your residence permit must have been valid for at least 2 years (15 months for a spouse who lived with you for 18 months before you came)	Lei 23/2007, art. 98.1–2
Exceptions to the 2-year wait	Dependent minors or incapacitated persons; a spouse or partner who is the parent of such a child	Lei 23/2007, art. 98.3

Applying together

The immigration law says the residence visa also serves “to accompany the family members of the applicant for a residence visa”, with family as defined in article 99.1, and that the applications can be made at the same time (art. 58.5). This covers the remote work residence visa, which is a residence visa under article 61-B.

The Foreign Ministry’s checklist for this accompanying visa asks for proof of family ties and proof of stable and regular resources sufficient for you and the family members coming with you, for the requested stay or for 12 months, whichever is shorter.

How much more money for each family member

The Foreign Ministry’s page on means of subsistence gives the general per-person scale, based on the guaranteed minimum monthly wage of €920 in 2026: 100% for the first adult, 50% for each further adult, and 30% for each child under 18 or dependent adult child. Neither the ministry nor the regulation says how this scale combines with the remote worker’s own four-minimum-wage income rule.

If your family comes later

If your family does not apply with you, they use family reunification once you hold a residence permit. The law, as amended by Lei n.º 61/2025, requires your residence permit to have been valid for at least two years. For a spouse or equivalent who lived with you for at least 18 months immediately before you entered Portugal, the period is 15 months. The waiting period does not apply to dependent minor or incapacitated children, or to a spouse or partner who is the parent or adoptive parent of such a child (art. 98.1–3).

The ministry says the family reunification visa is not for family members who apply at the same time as you in your home country; they use the accompanying residence visa instead (MNE, Documentação instrutória, Residência).

Sources

Change history

2026-10-25: Page created

This is general information, not legal advice, and Lumen is not a law firm. Rules change and offices differ: check the official sources above before you act. Found something wrong or out of date? Write to support@lumen.observer.