D7 visa Portugal requirements 2026: the order that matters

The D7 is Portugal's income-based residency route, built for people living on passive or remote income rather than a Portuguese employment contract. It suits retirees drawing a pension, remote workers billing overseas clients, and anyone with steady non-Portuguese income they can document. It is not a work visa, and it does not require a Portuguese employer.

US and UK applicants file through their local Portuguese consulate before travel, then complete a second stage with AIMA after arrival. If you are weighing whether the D7 fits your situation, the retiring in Portugal guide covers the retiree angle, and the moving to Portugal from the US guide walks through the wider relocation picture for Americans.

The D7 file is built around four categories, and consulates want each documented rather than asserted. Proof of means shows steady passive or remote income, without the file needing to disclose exact figures on this page. Accommodation evidence shows a place to live in Portugal, whether a lease or a purchase deed. A NIF, the Portuguese tax number, has to exist before other paperwork can be filed. Health insurance is the fourth category, and consulates check it against Schengen standards.

Each category has its own quirks depending on your consulate, so treat this as the checklist skeleton rather than the finished file. The D7 insurance explained guide goes deeper on the insurance category specifically, and the checklist lets you track each item as you gather it.

Sequence matters here as much as the documents themselves. Start with the NIF, since banks, landlords, and insurers in Portugal often ask for it before they will deal with you at all. Gather proof of means and accommodation evidence next, then arrange health insurance last among the four, timed close to your appointment date rather than arranged early and left to go stale.

Book the consulate appointment once the file is complete, not before, since an incomplete file gets bounced back. After the appointment and arrival in Portugal, the sequence continues with an AIMA appointment, where insurance is checked again under different rules. The moving to Portugal from the UK guide sets out how UK applicants typically stage these steps alongside visa timing.

At the consulate stage, insurance needs to cover urgent care and repatriation, and consulates commonly apply the Schengen standard of €30,000 in cover. Some US visa centres also ask for a full year of validity on the certificate, so check your specific consulate's current wording before you buy anything. The written rule shown on this page reflects that standard, but consulates do update their own guidance, so treat the published wording at your consulate as the source of truth.

This is not travel insurance, and pre-existing conditions are not covered, including conditions you did not know about at the time you applied. Cover is worldwide but excludes treatment in the United States. The visa insurance certificate wording guide explains what the certificate itself needs to state, and the health insurance in Portugal for Americans page covers the US consulate angle in more detail.

After you arrive on the D7 visa, AIMA reviews the file again at your residence-permit appointment, and health insurance is one of the items that consistently catches people out at this stage. Full health insurance valid in Portugal, or SNS registration, is what AIMA wants at this point, not a travel-grade policy that was fine for the consulate but was never designed for ongoing residence. The written rule shown on this page reflects that AIMA-stage requirement, and it is worth checking against current AIMA guidance before your appointment.

SNS eligibility can come later once your residence status is settled, but AIMA does not wait for that to happen before checking your cover at the appointment itself. The D7 insurance explained guide walks through why travel-grade cover fails this stage, and the health insurance in Portugal for UK citizens page covers the UK angle on ongoing cover.

The one part of this file you can lock in before anything else is the cost of the insurance itself. On the 2026 rate card, Essential cover starts from $392 per adult per year, and children age 0 to 17 sit at a flat $308 per year. Prices are per person per year on annual billing from the 2026 rate card, and your exact rate depends on age. Remember the systems you are leaving: US Medicare does not cover routine treatment outside the United States, and NHS access is residency-based, so the policy in your file is what you rely on once you move.

Covered Abroad is an introducer, not the insurer, so a partner insurer underwrites the policy and our team calls you with a quote and no obligation attached. Use the pricing page to see the full rate card, or start a quote if you are ready to move. If you want the whole D7 document set mapped out first, the checklist keeps every item, including the insurance certificate, in one place as you gather it.