Portugal launches the Digital Nomad Visa to Remote Workers, Paying $2,750 per Month

• Portugal has just published the requirements for its “digital nomad visa”, which will be available Oct 30.
• Remote workers can apply if they earn at least four times the minimum wage in their area. It amounts to around $2,750 per monthly.
• You can stay and work in Portugal for a year or apply to residency for a longer period.

Portugal released recently the requirements for its anticipated “digital nomadic visa” which will allow remote workers earning four times the national average wage to live and work within the charming European nation. This amounts to approximately $2,750 per month.

Remote workers can apply from October 30 to either a one-year temporary stay visa or a five-year residency permit.

You can apply at a Portuguese Consulate in your home country, or at Portugal’s immigration agency, Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras. In addition to proving income for the past three months, applicants will need to submit tax residency documents as well as a contract of employment (or proof that they are self-employed).

One of the most appealing features of the program is that the recipients can travel visa-free in the Schengen Area. This area contains 26 European Union member states where travelers can freely move without any border control.

Portugal has seen an influx in foreign residents since then. Many have used the D7 visa or “passive Income visa” to establish businesses here.

One of the most affordable programs of its kind, the D7 visa requires applicants make only €7,200 — or about $7,011 — per year to qualify. However, unlike the digital nomad visa income, it must be derived from passive investment streams such as equity in a company or real estate. It is not possible to earn a monthly salary. 

The popularity of Portugal among remote workers is due to a number of reasons, including the low cost of living, mild weather, an abundance of co-working spaces, connections to major European cities, and the country’s fluency in English, Joana Mendonça, the head of legal at Global Citizen Solutions, an investment migration firm with a strong presence in the Portuguese market, told Insider. 

Ezzedeen Soleiman, a managing partner at Latitude Residency & Citizenship, told Insider in May that Portugal is one of the most in-demand For wealthy American investors, there are programs called “golden Visa”. 

He said, “Portugal will be the next California.” “You have tremendous talent there, tremendous wealth there.”

Here’s how Visa compares to other European digital nomad programmes

Several European countries, such as Spain and Italy, are in the process of setting up similar digital nomad visa schemes with income requirements between €2,500 and €3,000 per month, Mendonça told Insider. This amounts to approximately $2,434-to just over $2,900

Hungary’s digital nomad visa, formally called a “white card,” has a slightly lower monthly income threshold of €2,000 and also allows for visa-free travel through the Schengen area.

Malta is at the top of the scale. Visa for remote work requires applicants to make a minimum monthly income of €2,700, or $2,630. It is one of the most tax-friendly digital nomadic visas, as participants are not subject to any local income taxes.

The Netherlands “self-employed person residence permit” is one of the more difficult European visas to get your hands on, as it’s only open to freelancers whose work is considered “of essential interest to the Dutch economy” and make at least €2,634.30 in gross profit per month.

Digital nomad visas are supported by proponents who argue that they can be used to travel internationally. Local economies can be boostedCritics worry that the influx foreign remote workers could cause an increase in housing prices in areas already suffering from inflation. 

Mendonça said she doesn’t believe digital nomad visas are “a cause for alarm” because “digital nomads are not necessarily looking to work in large cities,” as exemplified by Portugal’s popular “digital nomad village” Madeira. 

She said that remote workers don’t necessarily seek out large urban centers with high rental prices. “Most are interested in exploring other areas of the country.