The Portuguese Government made a lot of changes on the Immigration Law recently. One of the changes was the regulation of the new type of visa for Digital Nomads. In this article we'll explore more about this subject.

Remote work model is already a reality all over the world. With the last pandemic, this work model grew and the digital nomads that were once rare, grew in number of adepts. According to website survey FlexJobs, 76% of North American workers said they prefer to perform their tasks outside the office. In addition, 86% of workers interviewed by the SurePayRoll said they achieve "maximum productivity" when working alone. Most of the managers ensure that their employees who are working remotely increase their productivity.

Digital nomads can choose the place they want to live because working remotely also brings territorial freedom. At the time to decide where to live, Portugal emerge as a great attraction for the digital nomads. The warm climate and an average low cost of living make Portugal a hot spot for a change. But to have the right to work, which type of visa could the digital nomad choose?

New Digital Nomads Visa:

A good visa choice for digital nomads in Portugal was the Passive Income Visa, as known as D7 visa. This type of visa is traditionally used by people who are retired, but it can also be applied for who have guaranteed monthly income (such as real estate rental or financial investments), and many expats took that route.

But now, because of the recent change in the law, there's a specific visa for the Digital Nomads (remote workers). To apply for this visa, as the main document proving your right for the request, you need to present one of the following:

• The Articles of Association (if you have a registered company);
• Contract for the provision of services;
• Document demonstrating services provided to one or more entities.

Additionally, the applicant needs to present:

• Proof of average monthly income earned in the exercise of professional activity subordinated or independent in the last three months of a minimum value equivalent to four minimum wage (4x705€).
• Document that proofs the fiscal residence.

Other documents can be required by the Consulates as proof of accommodation, health insurance, etc. However, it will only be possible to see the detail list of documents after the date of the Decree entry into force (October 31, 2022).

If you don't have the monthly income required your chances to get a visa are not over!

In addition to the D7 visa option, which we have already talked about here, other option for the Digital Nomads is the Entrepreneur Visa. This type of visa will require you to have a company, or at least an idea of a company in Portugal. At the first moment, the idea of opening a new company might be scary, however, open a company in Portugal is not so complicated (if you have a good legal advisor) and not so expensive if compared to other countries. Moreover, Portugal has a constantly growing consumer market (given the number of immigrants and visitants arriving in the country every day) and can be also a good entry opportunity for others EU countries. You can learn more regarding the Entrepreneur Visa on this link.

Regardless of the choice, Portugal is a great option for digital nomads. To learn more about the types of visa available for Digital Nomads, to know which type of visa is the most suitable for your investor profile and to make your visa process smoothly, Change Consulting's experts can help you and your family in this journey. You can contact us here.