Portugal D7 Income Requirements 2026: What Income Qualifies?

For 2026, the base Portuguese subsistence reference is €920 per month for the first adult.

For a D7 household, the general scale is:

• first adult: 100%;
• each additional adult: 50%;
• each child or dependent adult child: 30%.

That gives the following arithmetic:

But this table is only the beginning.

A D7 application is not approved just because the bank balance is above €11,040. D7 is designed for people who can prove a real, regular source of their own income, together with resources available to support themselves in Portugal for at least 12 months.

The documents matter just as much as the numbers.

What the D7 route is designed for

The route commonly called D7 is the Portuguese residence visa for:

• retirees;
• recognised religious applicants;
• people who live from their own income.

For an own-income applicant, the rules specifically recognise income from:

• movable or immovable property;
• intellectual property;
• financial investments.

So owning assets is not enough on its own.

Your application needs to show how much income those assets actually generate and that the money is available to support you in Portugal.

Why €920 matters in 2026

Portugal's means-of-subsistence rules use the Portuguese minimum monthly remuneration as the reference.

Portugal's minimum monthly wage for 2026 is €920.

The household scale then applies:

First adult

100% = €920 per month

Each additional adult

50% = €460 per month

Each child or dependent adult child

30% = €276 per month

These percentages are applied per household.

Family examples

Single applicant

€920 per month

12-month reference:

€11,040

Couple

€920 + €460 = €1,380 per month

12-month reference:

€16,560

Couple with one child

€920 + €460 + €276 = €1,656 per month

12-month reference:

€19,872

Couple with two children

€920 + €460 + €276 + €276 = €1,932 per month

12-month reference:

€23,184

The arithmetic should be recalculated whenever the family composition changes.

The 12-month rule

For retirees and applicants living from their own income, the means must be secured for a period of at least 12 months.

That is why a strong D7 application usually answers two separate questions:

Question 1

Does the household have enough resources?

Question 2

Are those resources supported by a lawful, stable and regular income structure that can be evidenced for the required period?

Reaching the first number without answering the second question can leave the application weak.

Pension income

Pension income is one of the clearest D7 cases.

The evidence should normally make it possible to verify:

• who pays the pension;
• the amount;
• the payment frequency;
• that the applicant is entitled to receive it;
• the actual payment history;
• the amount available to the household.

Useful evidence can include official pension statements and bank records showing the recurring payments.

Stronger file

Weaker file

An unexplained balance with no evidence of recurring pension payments.

Rental income

Rental income can fit the D7 own-income rules because the law recognises income from immovable property.

But the property itself is not the income.

The application should show the income actually generated by it.

Depending on the case, that can require evidence of:

• ownership;
• the lease or rental arrangement;
• the amount payable;
• actual rental receipts;
• bank movements;
• relevant tax or accounting evidence where useful.

Example

You own an apartment in France worth €500,000.

The value of the apartment shows wealth.

It does not by itself prove the amount of rental income.

If the D7 application relies on rent, the rental stream itself needs to be evidenced.

Dividends and investment income

Income generated by financial investments can be relevant to D7.

The important distinction is between:

the value of an investment portfolio

and

the income produced by that portfolio.

A portfolio worth €300,000 can strengthen the overall financial picture.

But if the route is being built around dividends, interest or another investment return, the application should document the amount and payment pattern of that income.

Useful evidence can include:

• broker or financial-institution statements;
• dividend statements;
• account statements showing payment;
• tax records where they clarify the source;
• documentation identifying the underlying investment.

Intellectual-property income

The rules also recognise income from intellectual property.

That can be relevant where the applicant receives recurring income from rights they own rather than from active professional work.

The evidence should distinguish:

• ownership of the right;
• the income stream generated by it;
• active services still being performed.

This distinction matters because an applicant who is actively providing services remotely may need D8 analysed instead.

Can you combine several income sources?

Yes, a D7 case can involve more than one source.

For example:

If you use several income sources, show each one clearly and then add them together for the household calculation.

Do not send a pile of statements and expect the reviewer to work out the story.

A clear application should show:

Do savings count?

Savings are useful, but savings and income are not the same thing.

A large cash balance can:

• strengthen liquidity;
• show financial resilience;
• help demonstrate that resources are available in Portugal.

But savings alone do not automatically prove that an applicant "lives from own income".

Example

Applicant A has €100,000 in the bank but no documented recurring income.

Applicant B has €20,000 in savings plus a clearly evidenced pension and rental stream above the household reference.

The second file may tell a much clearer D7 story even though the cash balance is lower.

The correct assessment depends on the complete evidence.

Can a one-off property sale be used as D7 income?

A one-off sale shows that you received capital.

It does not automatically prove a recurring own-income source.

The proceeds may be relevant as savings or liquidity, but if the route depends on regular income, the application should separately establish that income basis.

Can salary count as D7 income?

Do not put remote-work salary into a D7 application without checking D8 first.

Portugal has a separate residence visa for people who work remotely for employers or clients outside Portugal.

If you actually earn the money through active remote employment or freelance work, check D8 before treating that income as D7 income.

D7 vs D8 Portugal

What about a business owner?

If you own a business, separate:

• company turnover;
• company profit;
• personal salary;
• dividends;
• other distributions;
• investment income;
• active professional work performed by the owner.

Company revenue is not automatically the applicant's personal D7 income.

If the applicant is actively working through the company, D8 or D2 may also need to be analysed.

How much money should be in a Portuguese bank account?

A Portuguese bank account is not a universal statutory prerequisite of the D7 visa.

What matters is whether you can prove the required resources and income are available to support you in Portugal.

A Portuguese account can sometimes make that availability easier to evidence, but it should not be confused with the legal definition of the D7 route.

Do you need a NIF before the D7 application?

A pre-existing Portuguese NIF is not a universal statutory condition of the D7 visa.

It may still be useful for other Portuguese steps, including banking, property and contracts.

If you need one, see:

Portugal NIF Guide

What evidence makes a D7 income documents stronger?

The exact documents depend on the income source.

The application should normally allow the reviewer to understand:

1. Where the income comes from

Pension, rent, investment, IP or another qualifying own-income source.

2. Why you are legally entitled to it

Ownership, pension entitlement, contract or account ownership.

3. How much is paid

The actual amount, not only an estimate.

4. How regularly it is paid

Monthly, quarterly or another documented pattern.

5. Whether it reaches you

Bank or financial statements should reconcile with the claimed income.

6. Whether it covers the family

Apply the correct household percentages.

7. Whether the resources are available for the required period

Build the 12-month calculation.

Foreign documents and income evidence

D7 paperwork becomes more complicated when:

• pension evidence is issued abroad;
• a property is in another country;
• tax records are foreign;
• civil documents come from several jurisdictions;
• family members have different nationalities.

Do not automatically apostille or translate every document before checking what the competent recipient actually requires.

Where foreign documents need to be prepared for Portugal, THE-Ö can coordinate the relevant authentication, translation and certification steps.

Related:

• Foreign Documents for Use in Portugal
• Certified Translations
• Apostille & Legalisation

Common D7 income-file mistakes

Treating the threshold as the whole test

€920 is a reference amount, not a complete legal analysis.

Relying on assets without documenting income

Property and investments can be valuable but still fail to show the claimed recurring income.

Mixing business revenue with personal income

The applicant must show what resources are actually available personally.

Using active remote-work income without checking D8

Choosing the wrong visa can undermine the whole application.

Forgetting the family calculation

The household amount rises with accompanying family members.

Submitting documents that do not reconcile

If tax documents, bank statements and contracts tell different stories, the application becomes harder to assess.

Before you submit your D7 income documents

Before filing, confirm:

• [ ] the main income source fits the D7 own-income rules;
• [ ] every income source is clearly identified;
• [ ] the payment history is documented;
• [ ] the current amounts are clear;
• [ ] the family calculation is correct;
• [ ] the 12-month resources are evidenced;
• [ ] savings are treated as liquidity, not disguised as recurring income;
• [ ] income from active remote work has been checked against D8;
• [ ] foreign documents are properly prepared for the consulate or visa centre handling the application.

If you want us to handle it

Our D7 service includes checking whether the route fits, calculating the household amount, planning how to prove the income, reviewing the documents, preparing the consular application and supporting the later residence stage in Portugal.

If your income is mixed or unusual, we can review it before you spend time obtaining or legalising documents that do not solve the real issue.

Want to know whether your D7 income evidence is strong enough?

Send us:

• your income sources;
• approximate monthly amounts;
• who is moving with you;
• the countries where the income and documents originate.

You may also need

• Portugal D7 Visa Guide
• D7 vs D8 Portugal
• Portugal D7 Visa Legal Support
• Portugal NIF Guide
• Foreign Documents for Use in Portugal