Start with the NIF — nothing happens without it
The NIF (Número de Identificação Fiscal) is your Portuguese tax number, and it is the prerequisite for everything: buying property, opening a bank account, signing utility contracts, even a long-term phone plan. Get it first, before you make an offer on anything.
- EU citizens: can apply directly at a Finanças office with passport and proof of address.
- Non-EU citizens: must appoint a fiscal representative — a Portuguese resident (usually an accountant or lawyer) who receives your tax correspondence.
You can get the NIF remotely — your representative applies on your behalf at the Autoridade Tributária, so you never need to fly in just for this step.
Open a Portuguese bank account next
Strongly recommended before completion. Portuguese notaries prefer payment from a Portuguese IBAN; foreign SEPA transfers work but slow the process. Millennium BCP, Caixa Geral de Depósitos and Novo Banco all open non-resident accounts with NIF + passport + proof of address.
The Golden Visa real-estate route is closed
This is the single biggest misconception still circulating. Since October 2023, buying property no longer qualifies you for the Golden Visa. The visa still exists, but only through €500k investment funds, €500k research grants, or job-creation routes — not real estate.
D7 vs D8 — the visas property buyers actually use
Two pathways dominate for buyers who want to live in Portugal:
- D7 (passive income): requires roughly €870+/month of stable passive income (pension, rent, dividends) and that you spend a minimum of ~8 months per year in Portugal. Built for retirees and the financially independent.
- D8 (digital nomad): requires roughly €3,480+/month of active remote income. Built for employees and freelancers working for non-Portuguese clients.
IFICI — what replaced NHR
The famous NHR (Non-Habitual Resident) regime closed to new entrants. Its 2024 replacement, IFICI (Incentivo Fiscal à Investigação Científica e Inovação), offers a 20% flat tax on professional income for 10 years — but only to high-skill workers in approved sectors (R&D, IT, engineering, university teaching).
Critically, IFICI does NOT cover pensioners and passive-income holders — exactly the group that benefited most from NHR. If you are retiring to Portugal on a pension, do not budget around an NHR-style tax break; it is gone for you.
How the pieces fit together
The sequence for a non-EU buyer who wants to live in Portugal: NIF → bank account → property purchase → D7/D8 visa at your home consulate → AIMA residency permit in Portugal. Expect 4–9 months end to end for the visa and residency card.
On the property itself, mind the holding rules that catch foreign owners — see our guide to the Lisbon Alojamento Local licence if you plan short-term rental, and the wider non-resident tax breakdown for IMI and AIMI.
Before you commit to a specific property, run it through Outpost — the dossier covers comparable sales, the all-in cost (IMT, stamp duty, notary), and the local licensing picture. See the sample dossier for the full format, and compare Portugal against its neighbours in our country comparisons.