The D7 is Portugal's residency route for people who live on income that arrives whether or not they work: pensions, dividends, interest, rents, royalties. It is older and less glamorous than the golden visa, dramatically cheaper — and for genuinely relocating families, often the better instrument.
The income bar is lower than you think — and stricter than it looks
The reference is the Portuguese minimum wage: roughly one minimum wage of passive income per month for the main applicant, commonly assessed with +50% for a spouse and +30% per child. The euro numbers are modest for a HNW household — the scrutiny is on character and stability of the income. Regular, documented, recurring flows read well; a large brokerage balance with no income stream reads worse than many applicants expect.
The part the brochures skip: you must actually live there
Unlike the golden visa's token stay requirement, the D7 assumes real relocation, and permits can be questioned at renewal if Portugal clearly isn't your centre of life. The D7 is a poor "backup residency" — that's what investment routes are for. Choose the D7 because you intend to be there.
The tax consequence arrives with the residency
Living in Portugal most of the year makes you Portuguese tax resident, and with NHR gone and its successor aimed at active professionals, passive income generally lands in the ordinary Portuguese system, moderated by treaties. Sometimes the numbers still work beautifully; sometimes they surprise. The analysis belongs before the application — run it as part of a structured assessment, not after the boxes are shipped.
Written September 2026. Rules, thresholds, and fees change; always confirm the current position before acting. This note is general information, not legal or tax advice.