Who can apply for Portugal's digital nomad visa: employees, freelancers or both?

Checked on 2026-10-25

Both. Portugal's immigration law grants the remote work visa to employees and to self-employed professionals who work remotely for people or companies domiciled or based outside Portugal. Employees prove the job with an employment contract or employer declaration; freelancers with a company contract, a services contract or proof of services provided. Income must reach four minimum wages.

Key facts

What	The law says	Source
Who can get the residence visa	Employees (trabalhadores subordinados) and self-employed professionals (profissionais independentes)	Lei 23/2007, art. 61-B
What the work must be	Professional activity done remotely for people or companies domiciled or based outside Portugal	Lei 23/2007, art. 61-B
Temporary-stay version	The same remote work, employed or self-employed, for a stay of less than a year	Lei 23/2007, art. 54.1(i) and 54.4
Proof for employees	Employment contract, or employer declaration confirming the employment relationship	Decreto Regulamentar 84/2007, art. 31-A.1(a)
Proof for freelancers	Company contract (contrato de sociedade), services contract, or a document showing services provided to one or more entities	Decreto Regulamentar 84/2007, art. 31-A.1(b)
Income	Average monthly income over the last 3 months of at least 4 guaranteed minimum monthly wages	Decreto Regulamentar 84/2007, art. 31-A.1(c)
Tax residence	A document attesting your tax residence	Decreto Regulamentar 84/2007, art. 31-A.1(d)

Employees and freelancers both qualify

Article 61-B of the immigration law, added by Lei n.º 18/2022, says the residence visa for remote work is granted “to employed workers and self-employed professionals” whose work is done remotely for people or companies “with domicile or seat outside national territory”. The applicant must show the employment relationship or the provision of services, as the case may be.

The temporary-stay visa (for stays under a year) has the same scope in article 54.1(i): employed or self-employed work done remotely for a person or company domiciled or based outside Portugal.

How each group proves the work

The regulation, Decreto Regulamentar 84/2007, lists the documents. For the residence visa (art. 31-A.1):

Employees: an employment contract, or a declaration from the employer confirming the employment relationship.
Freelancers: a company contract, a services contract, or a document showing services provided to one or more entities.

For the temporary-stay visa (art. 18-B), the lists are a little wider: employees can also use a promise of an employment contract, and freelancers a written proposal for a services contract.

The Foreign Ministry’s visa portal gives the same lists and says the consulate may ask for more documents.

Other conditions

The general conditions for any residence or temporary-stay visa in article 52 also apply, including means of subsistence, a valid travel document and travel insurance, and no entry ban or Schengen alert.

Income: four times the guaranteed minimum monthly wage, which is €920 in 2026 (Decreto Regulamentar 84/2007, art. 31-A.1(c)).

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.