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How To Obtain A Portuguese D7 Visa For Your Family: Everything You Need To Know

How To Obtain A Portuguese D7 Visa For Your Family: Everything You Need To Know

Last updated: October 26, 2026. This update identifies the family’s D7 application steps as their 2021 experience; it does not confirm present-day eligibility or requirements. Date information added October 28, 2026.

Historical account, originally published October 7, 2021: This post recounts one U.S. family’s application experience in 2021. It is not a current visa checklist or legal advice. Portugal’s official migrant guide says procedures may be outdated following SEF’s abolition and directs readers to AIMA and the Portuguese consular representation for updated information and requirements.

Given the flood of questions about our relocation to Portugal and being American expats, I’ve taken the plunge and launched a second blog titled ‘American Family in Portugal’. Join us as we share our journey and insights into expat life in this beautiful country!

Dreaming of the tiled city buildings, the kind people, and the beautiful coastal views of Portugal?  Us too!

The above list is just a few reasons we decided to move our family to Portugal. You can read all about our decision to move here.

If you are considering a move to Portugal, you’ve probably been introduced to several types of visas. After looking at our options, our family went with the D7 Visa.

It’s been a long and confusing journey at best, but we now have visas! We are on to the next step of converting those to permits. (More on that below!)

This is a record of what our family learned during our 2021 application, not a guide to current D7 requirements.

This account reflects our U.S. citizen application. Current consular requirements depend on the applicant and responsible consular post; verify them directly.

Why Our Family Applied for a Portuguese Visa From the USA

We made the decision to move to Portugal in the midst of our full-time travels. At the time, we were working with an estimated 12-week application process, and frankly, we did not want to stop traveling that long!

When we researched our options in 2021, we considered applying from Portugal, a Golden Visa, and what we then called a contractor visa. Those routes did not seem to fit our situation, so our family pursued the D7 application from the United States. This describes our decision then; visa categories and rules can change.

For our family, the choices we considered were staying in the United States while our application was processed or obtaining a second passport. We chose second passports so we could keep traveling. We were told some requested documents had to be supplied within 48 hours. That was our 2021 experience, not a current service rule. For more about second passports, read (Learn how to obtain a second passport here).

Why Our Family Chose to Hire a Lawyer

Hiring a lawyer is a personal choice. In our case, I was initially opposed because of the cost, but working with a good lawyer was worth it to me.

We hired Vasco to help us at the recommendation of a client.  That client had obtained a Golden Visa. At the time, we understood that Vasco was helping clients with different visa matters.  

During our application, our lawyer guided us through the process and helped us handle surprises. That was our experience; it is not a guarantee that every applicant needs or will benefit from legal representation.

Vasco and his team helped us obtain a NIF. I found the process difficult to arrange from the United States without help. Our family needed NIFs for school enrollment; other uses and requirements depend on the situation.

Another reason why I was glad to have a lawyer: this last summer, our entire application, documents, passports, and all of our luggage was stolen in California directly following our visa appointment.  Vasco and his team were amazing at helping us recover a year’s worth of lost documents. On our own, this could have completely derailed our plans.

*Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. Opinions shared are my own, and I only endorse products I support. By clicking on any of the links below, I may get a small commission if you purchase at absolutely no additional charge to you. I appreciate your support.*

What Our Lawyer Cost in 2021

In 2021, our family of seven paid about $3,000 USD for our legal arrangement. It covered the initial visas and renewals planned for years two and four, and included a possible later conversion as we understood the process then. This is our historical cost and arrangement, not a current quote or outcome guarantee.

When We Applied in 2021

The instructions we were using in 2021 described a 90-day application window before intended arrival and estimated processing at 4–12 weeks. Those were the timeframes we planned around then; check current instructions and timing with the responsible consular post.

Which Consulate Handled Our Application

For our family, the San Francisco consular office handled our Colorado and Utah applications. The correct office can depend on current consular jurisdiction; use the current official locator and confirm with the responsible post.

Find out which consulate you will need to work with here.

We found the instructions we received could differ by office, and the lawyer we hired was familiar with our application route. Confirm the current requirements with the consular post responsible for your application.

How VFS Fit into Our Application at the Time

For our San Francisco application, VFS was the intake service when we applied. We cannot confirm that the same arrangement remains in place; check the current process with the responsible consular post.

During the Covid lockdown, VFS closed.  We were told at that time to apply directly through the consulate itself.  Personally, I think it is easier to go directly to the consulate; they seemed easier to work with.  

However, we were missing a few documents, and then Lucy had her accident, so we put off our application at that time.  Once we were ready again, VFS was back open, and we resumed the process with them.

At the time, we found VFS’s hotline helpful. For further information, see the linked VFS page.

Documents Our Family Prepared for the 2021 Application

For us, gathering the documents requested during our 2021 D7 application was the most overwhelming part.

The list below records the documents and instructions our family worked with during our 2021 application. It is a historical example, not a current D7 checklist: requirements, forms, fees, intake services and appointment steps can change. Confirm current requirements with the Portuguese consular representation responsible for your residence and consult AIMA about the residence-permit stage.

• Visa Application Form.
  • This can be difficult to understand, as it is in Portuguese.  
  • For our 2021 application, we were asked for a personal reference in Portugal. We first tried asking a friend we had met in Porto, but found the request difficult: we understood we needed the person’s Portuguese ID number, a letter of recommendation and an address. It felt too personal to ask someone we barely knew, so we used our lawyer.
• A passport photo of the applicant.
• Certified copy of your passport.
  • For our 2021 application, the instructions we received described two options: VFS could verify the copy in person against the passport, or the copy could be notarized. Confirm the method accepted by your current consular process.
• Motivation Letter.
  • For our application, we wrote to the consulate about why we wanted to live in Portugal and our plans there. This reflects the guidance we were given then, not a current list of what a motivation letter must contain.
  • Vasco modified this letter for us a bit to make it extra clear that we make our money independently. It was important to note that we will be financially self-sufficient and plan to add value to Portugal.
• Proof of Accommodation in Portugal.
  • In our 2021 notes, I understood that the accommodation requirement had recently changed and that we needed to show a lease of at least six months. That was our understanding then, not current guidance.
  • We found it difficult to search for a rental property online during our 2021 move.
  • Vasco warned us in 2021 about rental scams involving nonexistent properties and large advance payments. That was advice we received at the time; verify a rental and payment request carefully with current, trusted sources.
  • We leveraged Vasco’s relationships to get this portion done.
• NIF number.
  • For our 2021 application, we found it difficult to obtain NIF numbers without help, and our lawyer’s office obtained them for us. When we tried to apply on our own the year before, a NIF had not been part of the requirements as we understood them. This is our history, not a current universal requirement or process description.
  • Vasco and his office obtained this for us.  You can read more here if you are doing it on your own.
• Portuguese Bank Account.
  • For our application, we understood that a Portuguese bank account was not formally required, though our lawyer thought it could help. We were told at that time that around €30,000 would be a suitable amount for our family to transfer. That was advice we received in 2021, not a current threshold or recommendation.
  • Opening the account felt scary because we sent personal information such as Social Security numbers and birth dates. I told Chris, “Either we will get a Portuguese bank account out of this, or we will lose our identity.” Sadly, that information was later stolen in California, and we took extra steps to protect it.
  • The account papers were mailed to us from Lisbon with an account number for the transfer. I signed and mailed the papers back to Lisbon to complete our account setup.
  • For our family, we were told in 2021 to wire around €30,000. That was the amount suggested to us then, not a current financial threshold or general income estimate.
• Financial Supporting Documentation.
  • For our application, we submitted the following documents as evidence of our financial situation:
  • For us, we provided the following:
    • 3 months of bank statements from our business.  Highlighted are the payments to ourselves.
    • 3 months of personal bank statements
    • Ownership proof of our business
    • Personal savings account statements
  • In our 2021 notes, we understood that employment evidence could include paystubs, proof of employment, length of service, or contracts. Current evidence depends on the applicable route; confirm it with the consular post.
  • At the time, we understood that a move to work in Portugal could involve a different visa route. Current visa categories and eligibility should be checked with the official Portuguese consular sources. here.

• Children’s Birth Certificates Apostille.
  • For our children’s 2021 applications, we started with the original birth certificates issued by their states. The steps below describe what we did then; confirm current requirements with the relevant authorities.
  • We then obtained apostilles from the states that issued the originals.
  • As I understood it at the time, the apostille added a state authentication to the birth certificate for use abroad.
  • I had to work with both Colorado and Utah, and each had its own form and fee then. We used the states’ instructions for our applications; check each current state authority for today’s process.
  • For our application, we made copies of both each original birth certificate and its apostille.
  • We were not asked for the original at submission, though we understood it could be requested later.
  • We included copies in each child’s application. We also asked about apostilles for the adults; our VFS agent did not want those for our case, so we included them only with the children’s applications.
• Marriage License Apostilled.
  • Our 2021 notes described the original marriage license as one option and a certified copy as another. We understood then that a certified copy would have a notary, official stamp or seal; this records our understanding at the time.
  • We mailed the marriage license to its issuing state for an apostille and combined documents from the same state where possible.
  • For our family, we included a copy of the marriage license and apostille in each of our seven applications, based on the instructions we received then.
• FBI Background Check: SEALED.
  • For our 2021 application, we were told this applied to adults.
  • The sealed FBI report was especially important for our 2021 submission.
  • I made many mistakes with this before I understood what “sealed” truly meant. For our application, I was told to keep the UPS or FedEx envelope sealed. VFS opened the envelope when we submitted our documents.
  • For our first attempt, we used a background-check center in Denver.
    • We applied for the background check and used our passports as identification.
    • At the center we used, our fingerprints were taken for the FBI background check.
    • We were told our report would be available in a day or two.
    • For our application, we requested a mailed sealed copy and paid the fee. VFS told us an online printout would not work for our submission; check current instructions before ordering a report.
    • Another option is to use Accurate Biometrics.  This is what we did the second time.
      • For this, we simply filled out the application online and paid the fees.
      • We then went to a local UPS store with a kiosk and did our fingerprints.
• Criminal Background Consent Form.
  • For our 2021 application, we were asked for an additional background-check consent form. Age rules, signing requirements and forms may have changed; confirm them with the office handling your case.
  • Our notes from 2021 said this form applied to adults, possibly over 16; the age rule should be confirmed with the current office.
  • For our in-person VFS submission, we signed the form in front of the official.
  • Our notes said that a mailed application required notarization; confirm current signing instructions with the handling office.
• Health Insurance in Portugal.
  • During our 2021 application, we struggled to identify what insurance documentation would be accepted. We were still working on Portuguese health insurance for the next stage and used a six-month travel policy while applying. The policy and about $1,700 cost described here were specific to our family then, not current requirements, coverage guidance, or a recommendation.
  • At the time of this 2021 update, we were still trying to arrange Portuguese health insurance for the next stage. We had not yet completed that step.
  • At that time, we had a six-month travel insurance plan that cost our family about $1,700. We believed it served our situation while we worked on the next step; this does not establish current visa acceptance, coverage, or a recommendation. We used World Nomads then. You can get a quote here.
  • In our motivation letter, we said we planned to obtain Portuguese health insurance after arrival.
• Appropriate Fees.
  • For our 2021 application, we were instructed to use cashier’s checks for the consulate and VFS, including processing and shipping fees. Payment methods and fees may change.
  • Our 2021 instructions called for a check payable to the Consulate of Portugal.
  • Our 2021 instructions also called for a VFS check.
    • Our application included processing and shipping fees.
  • The fee schedule we were given changed frequently, and we were told that a cashier’s check with an incorrect amount would not be processed. The amounts we paid are recorded below as part of our 2021 experience.
  • See the fee page we consulted for our application.
    • For our family of seven, we paid just over $500 to the consulate and about the same amount to VFS. Those were our 2021 costs, not current fees. 
• Your Passports.
  • For our application, we chose to send our passports with the materials because we hoped to keep the process moving. Whether and when to submit a passport depends on the instructions for an application.
  • Since we still wanted to travel while we waited for our visas to process, we obtained second passports for all members of our family.  This is another financial investment that you may not want to make, but for us it was well worth it.  You can read more about that process here.

How We Submitted Our Application

VFS told us to ship our documents to its San Francisco office. We chose the carrier and speed and used tracking for our package.

Our lawyer told us they would obtain shipping labels from the consulate. I did not know exactly what that meant, but trusted their process.

TIP: Scan copies of ALL documentation before sending it in.  This was so helpful when all of our documents were stolen.  I was able to head straight to a FedEx Print Center and get it all printed again.  All I had to replace were the original live documents, the apostilles, and the passports.

What Happened After Our 2021 Application

The visa and residence-permit stages were confusing to us during our 2021 process. The document we received from the consulate allowed two entries, and after arriving we expected to complete another step in Portugal. The names and procedures have changed since; check current information with AIMA and the responsible consular post.

After arriving in Portugal in 2021, we expected to attend an appointment with the then-SEF. SEF has since been replaced in some functions, so this is not a current instruction; consult AIMA for present procedures.

Our first visit to the then-SEF office was to schedule an appointment. We arrived in Portugal in August and our family of seven had appointments in December; coordinating all of us at once was difficult, so we had two appointments. That wait is our historical experience, not a current estimate. Other families told us of longer waits at the time, but those reports are not a guide to today’s timing.

Before our appointment, we had been told to expect an all-day process. That was what we were told then, not a current timing estimate.

Before our post-arrival appointment, we had been told a later document might take a few weeks. Separately, our initial visas and passports arrived by mail two days before our flight to Lisbon, as described in the 2021 update below.

Our 2021 Update:

Originally linked 7Wayfinders film: 2 Years Of Living The Dream In Portugal!

When I first wrote this post, we were still in the process of applying to Portugal. Our visas and passports arrived by mail two days before our flight to Lisbon. Wow! It was close.

Before traveling, check the U.S. Department of State’s current entry, exit, and visa information for Portugal. Requirements can change, and the rules for a short visit differ from those for moving to Portugal.

At the time of this 2021 update, we were in Portugal and still waiting for our then-SEF appointments in December.

At that point in our move, people had asked me for a “citizen number.” We understood that we would not receive the number we were expecting until a later stage, and it had not caused a problem for us at the time. This was our understanding then, not current guidance about Portuguese identification numbers.

Numbers we were trying to understand during our move (our 2021 notes):

• NIF, or fiscal number
• Citizen number
• Health Number. This relates to the public health system. At that point in our move, we expected to pay for private services and carry private insurance.

We are SO glad to be in Portugal! It is just as beautiful, friendly, and lovely as we remembered it. We’ve had zero regrets and are excited to get our new life rolling here.

Good Luck!

At the time of writing, this was all the information I had about our process. I planned to share another update after our permit steps.

P.S: If you are feeling a bit overwhelmed about missing important details when moving abroad, no worries! There’s this awesome company called Moviinn that can be your personal moving hero. They’ll help you tackle all the tricky stuff like:

• Visas (because nobody likes paperwork)
• Taxes (ugh, am I right?)
• Real estate (finding your perfect new place)
• Essential services (getting you hooked up with all the basics)
• Business incorporation (for you entrepreneurial types)
• Investment advice (making your money work for you)
• Citizenship (if you’re planning to stay for the long haul)
• Employment (because we all need to pay the bills)

Just fill out this super easy form . You’ll get personalized guidance and assistance tailored just for your move. Feel free to email me at leslie@americanfamilyinportugal.com if you have any questions.

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Additional Reading

My Experience Learning European Portuguese: Portuguese Connections School in Lisbon, Portugal

Moving Your Family to Portugal from the United States: What to Know

First Anniversary Of Living In Portugal: How Are We Doing?

Obtaining a Portuguese Health Number, SNS Number, or Número de Utente de Saúde, As An American Expat

Planning to Move to Portugal? Moviinn Can Be Your Trusted Ally for All Your Relocation Needs!