Portugal D7 visa requirements 2026 for UAE residents

• Income: €920 a month for the main applicant, plus €460 for each additional adult and €276 for each child.
• Savings: 12 months of your household's monthly threshold, held in a Portuguese bank.
• Accommodation: usually a 12-month lease in Portugal.
• Insurance: travel medical insurance covering urgent care and repatriation.
• Criminal record: police certificates from your country of nationality and from the UAE.
• Timeline: about 4–7 months to the visa, and about 6–14+ months to the residence card.
• Government fees: €110 for the visa and about €186 for the first residence permit, per person.

The D7 is Portugal's residence visa for people who live on regular income that doesn't come from a job. Income that usually qualifies:

• a state or private pension
• rent from property you own, in the UAE, your home country or anywhere else
• dividends, interest or other investment income
• royalties from intellectual property

The embassy looks for income that is regular, documented and likely to continue. A one-off lump sum, such as an end-of-service gratuity, is a weaker case on its own. Savings support your income, but they rarely replace it.

The D7 suits retirees and people approaching retirement, landlords and investors. It is a residence visa: you move to Portugal and make it your home, and long absences can put your permit at risk.

If your income comes from remote work, look at the D8 visa instead. Our D7 vs D8 guide compares the two.

The D7 threshold is tied to Portugal's national minimum wage, which is €920 a month in 2026. The main applicant needs the full minimum wage. Each additional adult, such as a spouse or a dependent parent, adds 50% of it. Each child under 18, or dependent adult child, adds 30%.

Add the rows for your household, or let the eligibility calculator do the sum in AED.

• The minimum wage usually rises each January, and the thresholds rise with it. Check the figures again if you apply in a new year.
• AED amounts are approximate. The euro figure is the one that counts.
• Figures verified on 4 November 2026.

You also need savings equal to 12 months of your household's threshold, in a Portuguese bank account. The embassy's checklist asks for proof of means for at least 12 months. For one person in 2026, that is €11,040 (≈ AED 45,710).

The usual order is:

1. Get your NIF, the Portuguese tax number.
2. Open a Portuguese bank account.
3. Move 12 months of the threshold into it and get a statement showing the balance.

These steps can usually be done remotely, without a trip to Portugal.

You need a home in Portugal before you apply. For the D7, this is usually a 12-month lease. The embassy's D7 checklist asks for a lease signed on the last page and initialled on every page by you and the landlord. A property deed or a host declaration can also work.

Short-term holiday bookings are a common weak point. You will show proof of address again at your AIMA appointment.

For the visa, you need travel medical insurance covering urgent care and repatriation. For the residence permit, AIMA asks for health insurance or proof that you are covered by Portugal's National Health Service (SNS). Most people buy a private Portuguese policy, or international cover valid in Portugal, for at least the first year.

You need a police certificate from your country of nationality and from any country where you have lived for more than a year. For most applicants, that includes the UAE. Children under 16 don't need one.

The UAE is not part of the Apostille system, so the UAE certificate goes through two steps:

1. Attestation by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).
2. Legalisation by the Portuguese embassy in Abu Dhabi.

The embassy's checklists say a UAE police certificate without the MOFA stamp will not be accepted. Your home-country certificate follows that country's rules. India, Pakistan, the Philippines and the UK use the apostille. Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan don't, so their documents need consular legalisation. Police certificates usually take longest, so start them first. Our guide to UAE documents for Portugal covers each step.

A D7 file from the UAE usually includes:

• a passport valid for at least 3 months beyond your planned return, with copies
• your UAE residence visa and Emirates ID, valid beyond the end of the visa you're requesting
• proof of regular passive income, such as a pension certificate, tenancy contracts with matching bank credits, or dividend or interest statements
• a Portuguese bank statement showing 12 months of the threshold
• police certificates, attested, legalised or apostilled as required
• a form requesting a check of your Portuguese criminal record
• proof of accommodation in Portugal
• travel medical insurance
• your NIF
• the national visa application form, completed online and signed, plus two passport photos

Documents in Portuguese, English or French are accepted. Documents in other languages, including Arabic, need a certified translation stamped by the UAE MOFA.

The embassy can ask for more documents. A complete file makes a refusal less likely, but approval is never automatic. For a list built around your passport, use the document checklist.

• About 4–7 months from the start to the visa in your passport.
• Police certificates, attestation and legalisation take about 3–8 weeks. Your NIF, bank account, lease and insurance run in parallel.
• Plan on about 2–3 months from your VFS appointment to the embassy's decision. The embassy may ask for more documents or invite you to an interview.
• The visa is valid for 4 months, with 2 entries. In that time you travel to Portugal and attend your AIMA appointment for the residence permit.
• About 6–14+ months from the start to your residence card, depending on AIMA.
• The first residence permit lasts 2 years, then renews for 3 years at a time. Renewals are not automatic.
• Citizenship requires 10 years of legal residence for most non-EU nationals.

You apply through VFS Global in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, and the Embassy of Portugal in Abu Dhabi decides. Read how to apply from the UAE, or see every step in how it works.

• Visa fee: €110 per person. Children under 6 are exempt.
• First AIMA residence permit: about €186 per person.

You'll also pay the VFS Global service charge, MOFA attestation and embassy legalisation, any translations and insurance. The authorities don't refund the visa fee if an application is refused.

Your spouse, dependent adults such as a parent, and your children can apply with you. Each person raises the income and savings you need to show.

Since October 2025, bringing family over later can mean a wait of up to 2 years. Applying together is usually the better choice.

• Irregular income. A gratuity, a one-off sale or savings alone don't show steady income.
• Rent without a paper trail. Tenancy contracts should match the credits on your bank statements.
• Household sums. Every family member raises both the income and the savings figure, so count everyone.
• An unattested UAE police certificate.
• Short-term accommodation in place of a proper lease.
• Mismatches. Names, dates and figures must match on every page. Small differences are a common cause of delays.
• UAE residence that ends too soon. Your UAE visa and Emirates ID must be valid beyond the end of the visa you request.
• Missing translations for documents that aren't in Portuguese, English or French.

Portugal taxes its residents on their worldwide income. The old NHR regime is closed to new applicants, and pensions and other passive income may be taxed in Portugal. Speak to a qualified adviser about your own position before you move.

Run your numbers through the eligibility calculator. It takes about 2 minutes and shows your household's thresholds in AED, with an indicative result. Then book a free 15-minute call to go through your income, documents and timing. You can also read our full D7 visa page or the FAQ.

VisaHelm is an independent private consultancy. We are not affiliated with any government, embassy, VFS Global or AIMA. Decisions are made only by the Portuguese embassy and AIMA.