Key figures — as of 2026-09-28: D8 Digital Nomad Visa minimum income now €3,680/month — four times the 2026 national minimum wage of €920 — up from €3,480 in 2025; required savings €11,040; spousal supplement +50%, per-child supplement +30%; income must average three months and originate entirely outside Portugal.
Why the number moved
Portugal's minimum wage rose to €920 a month from 1 January 2026, and because the D8 visa income floor is fixed by law at four times that wage, the threshold for remote workers climbed in lockstep. The government approved a €50 increase to the national minimum wage in 2026, from 870 to 920 euros, as announced by the Minister of the Presidency after the Council of Ministers meeting in Sintra. Official wage records confirm the mechanics: the minimum wage rose from €870 in 2025 to €920 in 2026, a 5.7% increase, under Decreto-Lei n.º 139/2025.
For anyone tracking Portugal's remote-work visa, the knock-on effect is direct. Portugal's minimum wage increased to €920.00, which increased the Portugal Remote Work Visa minimum income requirement to €3,680 per month. That's not a one-off adjustment — the €3,680 threshold is four times the Portuguese minimum wage, and it rises every January when the minimum wage does.
What applicants actually need to show
The figure isn't a single payslip snapshot. Applicants need average monthly income over the last three months of at least four times the Portuguese guaranteed minimum monthly wage — in 2026, €3,680 a month. Consular checklists are unusually consistent on the wording, translating roughly to "proof of average monthly income earned in the last three months with a minimum value equivalent to four times the Portuguese monthly minimum wage."
Beyond income, applicants must clear a savings bar too. The baseline savings requirement equals 12 times the Portuguese minimum wage, which totals €11,040 for 2026. Add a family, and both numbers move. The primary applicant must demonstrate a minimum monthly income of €3,680, plus 50% more for a spouse (€5,520 total) and 30% more (€1,104) per child or dependent parent, along with savings thresholds that increase accordingly.
GrowIN's calculation: what a family of four actually needs
Run the maths on a typical household — one applicant, a spouse and two children — and the combined income bar looks steeper than the headline €3,680 suggests. Under the fact pattern above, that's €3,680 for the applicant, plus €1,840 for a spouse (bringing the couple to €5,520), plus €1,104 per child — €2,208 for two kids. Total: €7,728 a month, or roughly €92,700 a year, just to clear the income test for a family of four. That's more than eight times the 2026 minimum wage, before rent, health insurance or savings requirements enter the picture.
"A €50 rise in the minimum wage doesn't move the D8 bar by €50 — it moves it by €200, because the threshold is a multiple, not a fixed sum," notes GrowIN Portugal Editorial. That amplification effect is worth flagging to anyone budgeting a move a year or two out: minimum-wage negotiations in Lisbon now double as visa-eligibility negotiations for foreign remote workers.
Who this squeezes
Mid-income remote employees and freelancers earning somewhere between €2,500 and €3,500 a month — comfortable in many home markets but now short of Portugal's floor — are the group most affected by this year's rise. The visa remains open to non-EU/EEA nationals only; it requires clients or an employer based outside Portugal and a minimum monthly income equivalent to four times the Portuguese minimum wage. Crucially, all income must be from remote work or freelancing for non-Portuguese entities — a domestic client contract doesn't count toward the threshold.
Processing has also slowed. Due to AIMA's backlog, processing time for the D8 visa can now take between 6 and 9 months as of mid-2026. Applicants already close to the line should budget for the wage index moving again before their AIMA appointment lands, since AIMA uses the indexed minimum monthly wage at the time of the appointment, not the wage at the date of initial filing.
One route some applicants use as a fallback is not interchangeable: the D7 passive-income visa. The D7 is designed for retirees and individuals with passive income such as pensions, dividends, royalties, or rental income, and is not intended for active remote work or freelance income. Confusing the two is a common and costly mistake documented across the D8 applicant community — including building the family budget on the wrong scale when spousal and child supplements are miscalculated.
What to watch next
The government's income policy already points toward further wage rises: the tripartite income agreement signed in October 2024 has the minimum wage climbing another €50 in 2027 and 2028, to €970 and €1,020 respectively. If that schedule holds, the D8 income floor would rise again — to roughly €3,880 in 2027 and €4,080 in 2028 on current formula logic, though the government could adjust the multiplier itself. Anyone weighing the move should check the current figure directly with AIMA (aima.gov.pt) or the Portuguese Visa Portal before submitting documents, since the threshold updates without much fanfare each January.
For a full walkthrough of eligibility, documents and timelines across Portugal's residency routes, see our visas hub — and get in touch via services if you'd like help assessing which visa actually fits your income profile before you commit to a lease or a consulate appointment.