Portugal D2 Entrepreneur / Self-Employed Visa

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Your passport must be valid for at least 3 months beyond your planned stay and have at least 2 blank pages for visa stamps.

Two recent passport-style photos meeting Schengen biometric requirements (35×45 mm, white background, neutral expression).

Complete and sign Portugal's National Visa Application form. Same form is used for all national visas.

A signed letter explaining why you want to relocate to Portugal, your business or freelance plans, your ties to your current country, and the structure of your planned activity in Portugal.

Get your Número de Identificação Fiscal — required to constitute a company via Empresa na Hora, open a Portuguese bank account, and register as trabalhador independente. Can be obtained remotely via a tax representative before consular submission.

If you're founding a Portuguese company: either constitute the company in advance via Empresa na Hora (same-day registration) and provide the certidão de registo comercial, OR provide a detailed business plan plus proof of access to capital in Portugal (Portuguese bank receipt is the working norm). For freelancer applicants, this task is replaced by task 8.

If you're applying as a liberal professional / freelancer with Portuguese clients: a signed service contract or a written service-provider proposal for liberal-profession work in Portugal. Preferably 6–12 months at or above the means-of-subsistence floor.

If your profession is regulated in Portugal (Engineers, Architects, Doctors, Lawyers, etc.), obtain a declaration from the relevant Portuguese ordem profissional certifying your competence to practice in Portugal. Skip this task if your activity is not regulated.

Open your activity (início de atividade) at Portal das Finanças, choosing the appropriate CAE code and the simplified regime if applicable. For founder applicants this is replaced by company-level registrations.

Register with Segurança Social as an independent worker — required for D2 holders to make monthly contributions starting the second year of activity.

Open a Portuguese bank account (Millennium BCP, Santander, ActivoBank, etc.) and deposit the operating capital. Founder applicants are expected to show a Portuguese-bank receipt for the projected operating capital.

Bank statements covering at least 12 months plus, where applicable, evidence of periodic income (existing freelance invoices, dividend statements, projected company income) at or above the household threshold per Portaria 1563/2007.

A Portuguese-bank balance of at least €11,040 (12× 2026 minimum wage) for a sole applicant, or the household-adjusted threshold for family applicants. The MNE means-of-subsistence guidance explicitly references funds in Portugal for the entrepreneur path.

Most recent tax return or equivalent proof of tax residence in your current country of residence.

Police clearance certificate from your country of citizenship and from every country where you've resided more than 1 year in the past 5 years. Each must be apostilled per the Hague Convention.

Each apostilled criminal record must be translated into Portuguese by a sworn translator.

Schengen-compliant private health insurance covering your entry-visa period, with no co-pay and no waiting period.

Lease agreement, property deed (certidão de registo predial), or notarized hosting declaration (declaração de hospedagem) for your accommodation in Portugal.

A signed authorization allowing AIMA to query your Portuguese criminal record. Signed at the consulate during the visa appointment.

Pay the consular visa fee at the time of your appointment. Standard rate is €90 but can vary by consulate.

Book and attend your appointment at the Portuguese consulate (or VFS Global centre) covering your country of residence. Submit all originals plus biometrics.

Once approved, the consulate stamps a 4-month, 2-entry residence visa in your passport. Book your flight to Portugal.

Within the 4-month validity of your entry visa, schedule your AIMA appointment online to convert it into a 2-year residence permit.

Attend your AIMA appointment with originals of every consular document, your entry visa, and an updated activity declaration (status of company / freelance registration / clients). Complete biometrics.

Pay the AIMA residence-permit fee at the appointment.

AIMA issues your 2-year residence permit card and mails it to your Portuguese address. You can now operate as a self-employed person or company director in Portugal under Portuguese tax and social-security rules.