LumenHow long does Portugal take to decide a digital nomad visa, and what is the fee?
Checked on
Under Portugal's immigration law, the consulate has 60 days to decide a residence visa, including the remote work residence visa, and 30 days to decide a temporary-stay visa, counted from when the application is complete. The Foreign Ministry says the fee for processing a national visa application is €110, with some exemptions, such as children up to six.
Key facts
| What | The law says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Residence visa (incl. remote work) | Decision within 60 days, unless the law sets a shorter deadline | Lei 23/2007, art. 58.4; MNE, Prazos |
| Temporary-stay visa (incl. remote work) | Decision within 30 days, counted from when the application is complete | Lei 23/2007, art. 54.3; MNE, Prazos |
| Checks by AIMA and the UCFE | Mandatory prior opinion for residence and temporary-stay visas; negative opinions are binding | Lei 23/2007, art. 53.1(a) and 53.9 |
| Deadline for those opinions | 20 days; no opinion by then counts as favourable | Lei 23/2007, art. 53.9 |
| Visa fee | €110 for processing a national visa application | MNE, Emolumentos |
| Fee exemptions | Children up to 6; descendants of residence permit holders under family reunification; Portuguese state scholarship holders; highly qualified research activity; patients under health cooperation agreements and their companions | MNE, Emolumentos |
The decision deadlines
The immigration law sets the deadlines. For a residence visa, which includes the remote work residence visa, article 58.4 says the decision deadline is 60 days, unless the law sets a shorter one. For a temporary-stay visa, which includes the remote work temporary-stay visa, article 54.3 sets a maximum of 30 days counted from the “instrução do pedido”, meaning from when the application file is complete.
The Foreign Ministry’s visa portal repeats both deadlines and says applications should be submitted early enough for the authorities to analyse them.
Why the consulate waits for other agencies
Before a residence or temporary-stay visa is granted, the law requires a prior opinion from AIMA (the migration agency) and the UCFE (the border and foreigners coordination unit). AIMA analyses migration risk; the UCFE runs security checks. A negative opinion binds the consulate. The opinions must be issued within 20 days; if none arrives in time, the law treats it as favourable (art. 53.9).
The fee
The Foreign Ministry’s guidance says the fee for the administrative processing of a national visa application is €110. Remote work is not among the exemptions it lists.
Related questions
- After you arrive on a residence visa, AIMA has 90 days to decide the residence permit application, extendable once by 30 days in exceptional cases (Lei 23/2007, art. 82.5).
- If the visa is refused, the ministry charges €75 for each administrative challenge, except for family reunification cases (MNE, Emolumentos).
Sources
- Lei n.º 23/2007, de 4 de julho (immigration law), arts. 53, 54, 58 and 82 (consolidated text as amended up to Lei n.º 62/2026, PGDL Lisboa) checked 2026-10-25
- Ministério dos Negócios Estrangeiros, Vistos: Prazos (national visas) checked 2026-10-25
- Ministério dos Negócios Estrangeiros, Vistos: Emolumentos (national visas) checked 2026-10-25
Change history
- : 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.