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– for CNN Travel’s weekly , Unlock the World. Destinations to open, inspiration for future adventures, plus the latest news on aviation, food and drink, where to stay and other travel developments.
— Instead of “living to work” as an informal lifestyle mantra, it’s quite appealing to “work to live,” with more than 1,100 miles of coastline to explore and delicious pastéis de nata everywhere to take root in Portugal.
And for anyone who dreams of packing their life for sunnier shores , flying around to live in Portugal may be more of a possibility than you think.
The country has long been one of Europe’s most accessible options for obtaining a residence permit, thanks to a variety of visa programs offered to non-EU citizens . And with a new temporary stay visa for digital nomads, remote workers are welcome in the country more than ever.
Some Americans who have made the leap say they are looking for more affordable health care and protection from gun violence, in addition to the lifestyle benefits of the southern European country, including a slower pace, mild weather and attractive travel options across Europe.
The city of Coimbra and its surroundings receive transplants from other countries. rh2010/Adobe Stock
One way: D7 visa
Grace Veach, who teaches virtually at a Florida university in her new home outside the riverside city of Coimbra in central Portugal, says this is the first time she has gotten serious about leaving the United States since the Sandy Hook in 2012.
“I knew I wanted to live in a place where gun violence wasn’t a day-to-day threat,” Veach, 59, said.
However, due to life circumstances, this move took some time to take place. Veach moved to Portugal in 2021 with his wife, now 27-year-old son and family dog.
Since their planned expedition was cancelled during the pandemic, she says no one in the family has set foot in the country before arriving.
Veach says the family applied for Portugal’s D7 visa together. It is a popular visa option among retirees as sources of passive income can be used to cover the necessary earnings – 705 euros per month for first adult applicants plus lower amounts for additional family members. Applicants can also benefit from the same health services as residents and citizens of Portugal through the country’s National Health Service.
The D7 visa requires visa holders to spend 182 days of the year in Portugal and gives them the right to work in the country. After five years, they can also apply for Portuguese citizenship. The D7 visa application process usually takes about six months.
Grace Veach and her family moved to the village of Sao Martinho de Árvore, outside Coimbra. Grace Veach
Other ways to live in Portugal
The D7 is currently just one of several visa options that can make it easier to move to Portugal.
Since its launch in 2012, Portugal’s investment visa program, the Golden Visa, has offered a path to residency in Portugal through investments in the country, which can be obtained through the purchase of real estate for more than €500,000 , among other investment options.
For people who don’t actually want to spend a lot of time in Portugal, the Golden Visa only requires holders to spend seven to 14 days a year in Portugal, while also offering access to National Health Service benefits and a path to citizenship. five years later. But the restrictions, which came into effect in 2022, have limited where real estate investments can be made in Portugal, making the prospect less attractive to some.
And Portugal’s latest temporary stay visa, launched on Oct. 30 and also called the “digital nomad” visa, makes it easier for remote workers to temporarily relocate to Portugal. As long as they prove that they have earned at least €2,820 per month at a company outside Portugal, it entitles them to stay for one year/12 months.
“There’s a lot of excitement in the nomad community about this visa,” says Danish Soomro, founder of Visadb, a visa database that indexes more than 800 residence visas worldwide.
Central Portugal offers beautiful countryside away from the hustle and bustle of some coastal cities. Michal/Adobe Stock
Soomro, who is also the founder of a private digital nomad community at Facebook, which has more than 155,000 members, says Portugal is one of the most popular countries for remote workers thanks to factors like “temperature” . weather, good internet connection and community.”
Since the D7 visa is primarily aimed at retirees who are sources of passive income, “Previously, other Portuguese visas were used by digital nomads as a temporary solution,” he says.
The D7 also requires applicants to register for a Portuguese tax identification number, while the digital nomad visa does not require it.
But digital nomad visa holders cannot take a
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