There are a number of benefits of having a Portugal retirement visa for those who dream of spending a luxurious life in Portugal after retirement. If you are one of those, then you must read this guide till the end because it explains the complete procedure of getting a Portugal retirement visa.
Portugal is one of the most desired destinations for retirement for a large number of people from all over the world due to the attractive facilities it provides. Life in Portugal is comparatively easier than the other states of Europe due to the attractive facilities it provides to its residents.
There, you will get a relatively low price of living, medical and healthcare facilities of high quality, pleasant weather with sunlight, and current alterations in tax law. However, if you desire to retire in Portugal but do not have a passport to Europe, you might need to apply for a Portugal retirement visa.
Fortunately, Portugal has few of the most flexible visa requirements compared to other countries in Europe and is commonly known as the way to enter Europe. If you want to retire in Europe, then obviously, your gateway will be a Portugal retirement visa.
How to Retire in Portugal?
If you are not a citizen of Europe, then you will have to pass through an application process to get a Portugal retirement visa. There are many routes that you may opt to get a visa for Portugal. Of these routes, two are the most popular, and you can live in Portugal and enjoy many subsidies as a retired person.
Portugal Retirement Visa
The retirement visa is a national visa of residency that is granted to those who are not citizens of Europe and want to live in Portugal without doing a job. For this, you must have a regular and steady source of income like savings, pensions, etc.
Portugal Golden Visa
You can apply for a golden visa if you buy a property in Portugal that has a minimum worth of €500,000. The rules and regulations of living in Portugal are generally not very strict in the case of the Golden Visa as compared to that for a regular Portugal retirement visa.
Portugal Retirement Visa Requirements
You are supposed to bring the following documents for applying to get a Portugal retirement visa.
- Your passport must be valid for at least six months.
- Your current passport-size photos are in accordance with Schengen’s demands.
- Application form for Portugal national (residence) visa for which you can download the application form from the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Portugal.
- Proof of income: You have to give proof that you can financially survive independently. You must have a solid and reliable source of income either through a pension, savings, or other legitimate sources.
- Proof of accommodation: You must show that you don’t have a problem with accommodation and will have a place to live in when you move to Portugal, such as an apartment rental, purchased property, etc.
- Health insurance: There is a requirement to have a travel health insurance or international health insurance plan before you move to Portugal. After getting a Portugal retirement visa, when you settle in Portugal you can either continue with an international insurance policy or subscribe to health insurance from a local company.
- Birth certificate or marriage certificate.
- Clearance of criminal background: It is necessary that you have not been accused of a crime that has a minimum sentence of one year in jail or confinement.
- Whatever further paperwork that the SEF or the Embassy requests.
Document guidelines
Your submissions must be made in either Portuguese or English. If not, you ought to have them notarized and translated by a qualified translator.
Certain documents, such as civil documents, might also require legalization by the Portuguese Embassy or with the use of an Apostille Stamp.
Applying for a Portugal Retirement Visa
The process for submitting an application for a Portugal retirement visa is given in the following:
- Speak with the Portuguese Consulate or Embassy in charge of your region. Check the location where you must submit your visa application, depending on your residence.
- Schedule a time to turn in your application.
- Gather the necessary paperwork.
- Cover the cost of your visa application. In certain cases, the application fee must be paid on the application day itself, not ahead of time.
- Please turn in the paperwork on the scheduled appointment day. If you live in a nation other than the Embassy or Consulate, you might be able to apply by mail. The appropriate visa officials will let you know.
- Wait for the application to be processed.
- The employees of the Embassy or Consulate will attach your retirement visa to your passport if the results are favorable. Portugal is accessible to you with a visa.
- Schedule a meeting with the Portuguese Immigration and Borders Service (SEF) as soon as you get to Portugal to submit your application for a residency permit.
- When you acquire your visa, the Embassy or Consulate may automatically schedule an appointment for you; this means they will ask you when you plan to visit Portugal.
Portugal Retirement Visa Fee
You will need to pay multiple fees in order to apply for a retirement visa for Portugal.
- Pay €90 at the Embassy or Consulate for a national visa.
- The SEF will charge €83 to handle the application for a resident permit.
- Cost of a residence permit: €72
Portugal Golden Visa for Retirement
The Golden Visa is a quicker and easier way to retire and live in Portugal, but also a more expensive one. To get a Golden Visa, you’d have to make one of the following investments:
- Purchase property worth at least €500,000
- Invest at least €350,000 in a property in a Portuguese urban regeneration area as part of a project qualified by the SEF.
- Make a capital transfer of at least €1 million.
- Invest or purchase shares amounting to at least €1 million in a Portuguese company.
- Create at least ten new jobs.
- Give the minimum amount of €350,000 to carry out research activities in the field of science or technology in Portuguese research institutions.
- Give at least €250,000 to aid the reconstruction of national heritage or arts.
The application process for a Golden Visa for Portugal varies from that for a regular Portugal retirement visa because there is a distinct application portal set by the SEF.
Duration of a Portugal Retirement Visa
When you receive your residence permit in the form of Portugal retirement visa, you can use it in the initial one year. You have a chance to renew your Portugal retirement visa two times and each time, it would be valid for two years.
You can increase the time limit of Portugal’s retirement visa up to a maximum of five years. If you meet all the necessary requirements and the five years are completed, you are allowed to apply for permanent residency in Portugal.
Living Cost in Portugal
| Restaurants | Range | |
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant | 10.00 € | 7.00-15.00 |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course | 40.00 € | 30.00-70.00 |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) | 8.00 € | 7.00-9.00 |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter draught) | 2.50 € | 1.30-4.00 |
| Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle) | 3.00 € | 2.00-5.00 |
| Cappuccino (regular) | 1.76 € | 0.75-3.00 |
| Coke/Pepsi (0.33 liter bottle) | 1.56 € | 1.00-2.50 |
| Water (0.33 liter bottle) | 1.10 € | 1.00-2.00 |
| Markets | ||
| Milk (regular), (1 liter) | 0.92 € | 0.80-1.10 |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (500g) | 1.37 € | 0.81-2.53 |
| Rice (white), (1kg) | 1.35 € | 0.99-2.00 |
| Eggs (regular) (12) | 2.75 € | 1.80-3.60 |
| Local Cheese (1kg) | 9.85 € | 6.00-20.00 |
| Chicken Fillets (1kg) | 6.80 € | 3.00-9.00 |
| Beef Round (1kg) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) | 11.72 € | 7.50-16.99 |
| Apples (1kg) | 1.97 € | 1.00-3.00 |
| Banana (1kg) | 1.26 € | 1.00-2.50 |
| Oranges (1kg) | 1.59 € | 1.00-3.00 |
| Tomato (1kg) | 2.21 € | 0.99-3.00 |
| Potato (1kg) | 1.45 € | 0.70-2.50 |
| Onion (1kg) | 1.71 € | 1.00-2.82 |
| Lettuce (1 head) | 1.38 € | 0.75-2.29 |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) | 0.68 € | 0.28-1.68 |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) | 4.90 € | 3.00-8.00 |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) | 1.10 € | 0.70-2.00 |
| Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle) | 2.05 € | 0.90-4.00 |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) | 5.30 € | 5.00-6.00 |
| Transportation | ||
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) | 2.00 € | 1.35-2.60 |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) | 40.00 € | 30.00-40.00 |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) | 3.50 € | 3.00-5.00 |
| Taxi 1km (Normal Tariff) | 0.80 € | 0.50-1.09 |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) | 15.00 € | 14.80-25.00 |
| Gasoline (1 liter) | 1.79 € | 1.63-2.03 |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) | 29,776.00 € | 26,000.00-30,000.00 |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) | 33,736.10 € | 32,908.95-34,070.00 |
| Utilities (Monthly) | ||
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 85m2 Apartment | 111.21 € | 80.00-200.00 |
| Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data | 19.17 € | 12.00-30.00 |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | 36.83 € | 29.00-50.00 |
| Sports And Leisure | ||
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | 36.33 € | 22.00-55.00 |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) | 12.71 € | 7.00-20.00 |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat | 7.50 € | 6.00-10.00 |
| Childcare | ||
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child | 391.84 € | 280.00-600.00 |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child | 9,251.14 € | 5,285.00-19,420.00 |
| Clothing And Shoes | ||
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) | 73.52 € | 25.00-120.00 |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, …) | 31.46 € | 15.00-50.00 |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) | 72.32 € | 47.00-120.00 |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes | 82.26 € | 45.00-150.00 |
| Rent Per Month | ||
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre | 935.23 € | 650.00-1,500.00 |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre | 724.31 € | 500.00-1,090.00 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre | 1,700.81 € | 1,000.00-3,000.00 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre | 1,215.28 € | 800.00-2,000.00 |
| Buy Apartment Price | ||
| The price per Square Meter to Buy an Apartment in the City Centre | 3,220.73 € | 2,000.00-6,000.00 |
| Price per Square Meter to Buy an Apartment Outside of Centre | 2,130.31 € | 1,250.00-4,000.00 |
| Salaries And Financing | ||
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) | 1,047.37 € | |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 4.48 | 1.46-5.43 |
To wrap up, Portugal is an attractive country for people from all over the world and a number of retirees aspire to get a Portugal retirement visa to enjoy the luxuries of Portuguese life. It is a not a complicated process to get a Portugal retirement visa. However, you have to fullfill some legal requirements that have been explained in the article.
