D7 or D8 visa in 2026: the deadlines Portuguese law sets

Published 21 October 2026 · Law 23/2007 read in the Diário da República on 14 October 2026

Search for the D7 or the D8 and you'll find every timeline imaginable: weeks, months, "it depends." Here are the deadlines Portuguese law actually sets, article by article, read in the consolidated Law 23/2007 in the Diário da República, Portugal's official gazette, on 14 October 2026, including the amendments made by Law 62/2026. A legal deadline isn't a promise of an answer. It's the yardstick everything else gets measured against.

What are the D7 and D8 visas?

Both are residence visas. The D7 is the route for people who live on their own income; the D8 is the route for people who work remotely. Because both are residence visas, the deadline for deciding the application sits in Article 58 of Law 23/2007. The specific conditions of each come from other provisions and from a ministerial order.

We didn't re-read those specific conditions, such as the minimum means of subsistence, in this round of checks, so we don't state them here. On Via Solo, every requirement shows its source and the date it was checked; on Via Total, a partner lawyer confirms them with you.

How long does Portugal have to decide a D7 or D8 visa?

60 days. Article 58(4) of Law 23/2007 says, in our translation: "Without prejudice to shorter deadlines set out in this law, the deadline for deciding on a residence visa application is 60 days." That's the decision deadline the law sets. It isn't a promise that the answer arrives within it.

Read that sentence closely. The law sets a deadline for the decision, not for the whole process, and it says nothing about how long it takes to get an appointment to file. Plan your move treating those 60 days as a reasonable minimum after filing, not as a fixed date.

What does the visa let you do once it's granted?

A residence visa is granted for two entries and allows a stay in Portugal of four months (Article 58(2)). The next step is applying to AIMA, Portugal's agency for integration, migration and asylum, for a residence permit (Article 81(1)). The visa gets you in; the residence permit is what lets you live here.

The agency is AIMA. If a guide tells you to go to SEF, it was written before the change, and the rest of it deserves a second look too.

How long does the residence permit take?

The law gives 90 days to decide a residence permit application, extendable by 30 (Article 82(5)). Once granted, a temporary residence permit is valid for two years and renews for periods of three (Article 75(1)). A renewal application is decided within 60 days (Article 82(6)).

Notice there are two different "60 days" in the same law: the visa decision (Article 58(4)) and the permit renewal decision (Article 82(6)). A lot of the confusion online comes from mixing them up.

When can you apply for permanent residence?

After five years as the holder of a temporary residence permit, provided you meet the cumulative requirements in Article 80(1): no conviction with a sentence of more than one year in the last five years, means of subsistence, housing, and basic knowledge of Portuguese.

A permanent residence permit has no expiry date, and the card is renewed every five years (Article 76(1) and (2)). The summary of requirements above is ours: before you count on it, read the article or check it with a lawyer.

Do the D7 or D8 lead to Portuguese citizenship?

Not directly. Neither visa grants citizenship, but legal residence counts toward the naturalization period: seven years for nationals of Portuguese-speaking countries and EU citizens, ten years for everyone else (Nationality Act, Article 6(1)(b), as amended by Organic Law 1/2026, in force since 19 May 2026).

Naturalization has other requirements, including proof of Portuguese language and culture through a test or certificate (Article 6(1)(c)). The five years for permanent residence and the seven or ten for citizenship are separate clocks, under separate laws.

Did Law 62/2026 change these deadlines?

Not in Articles 58, 75 or 80. Law 62/2026 of 10 September, in force since 11 September 2026, amended several articles of Law 23/2007, including Articles 78, 81 and 82. The deadlines in this article were read in the consolidated version that already includes those amendments.

Article 4 of Law 62/2026 lists the articles it amends, and we checked that in the law itself, not just in the notes to the consolidated version. That's why Article 82, which Law 62/2026 did amend, appears here in its current wording rather than an old one.

How should you prepare a D7 or D8 application?

Start with the free check, to see whether your answers match the published requirements. Then choose your track, confirm the document list on the Via Solo service page or with a lawyer, sort out apostilles and translations early, and plan around the legal deadlines above without treating them as fixed dates.

1. Free check at app.viaportugal.agency. No card, and you get a result even when it's "not yet."
2. Choose your track. On Via Solo you drive, with guides and human support, and you file the application yourself. On Via Total, a partner lawyer runs the case and Via Portugal stays with you on administrative support.
3. Confirm the document list before ordering certificates. We don't reproduce it here, because it isn't in the articles we read in this round.
4. Apostilles and translations. Foreign documents may need an apostille to be valid in Portugal (Decree-Law 86/2009, Article 2(1)). It's the step people most often discover too late.
5. A realistic calendar. 60 days for the visa decision, a four-month stay on the visa, 90 days extendable by 30 for the residence permit decision.
6. Keep everything, with dates. Filing receipts, payment receipts and correspondence. When the law sets deadlines, dates are evidence.

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Frequently asked questions

Is the 60-day visa decision a fixed date?

No. It's the decision deadline the law sets for residence visas (Law 23/2007, Article 58(4)), without prejudice to shorter deadlines. The decision belongs to a public authority, and neither Via Portugal nor a lawyer controls it.

What's the minimum income for a D7 or D8?

We don't state a figure in this article. The means of subsistence are set by a ministerial order that we didn't re-read in this round of checks. Confirm the applicable amount on the Via Solo service page, where every requirement shows its source and date, or with the partner lawyer on Via Total.

How long until permanent residence?

At least five years as the holder of a temporary residence permit, with the cumulative requirements of Article 80(1) of Law 23/2007: no conviction with a sentence over one year in the last five years, means of subsistence, housing, and basic Portuguese.

With a D7 or D8, when can I apply for citizenship?

The visa doesn't grant citizenship. Naturalization requires seven years of legal residence for nationals of Portuguese-speaking countries and EU citizens, and ten for everyone else (Nationality Act, Article 6(1)(b)), plus other requirements.

General information, not advice about your specific case.

Via Portugal. We check first.