Beautiful, inexpensive, and culturally wealthy, Portugal is commonly ranked as the best choice for Americans who want to move abroad. And whereas its golden and digital nomad visas are a well-liked residency pathway for worldwide buyers and distant employees, in case you’re a retiree dreaming of spending your golden years between the Algarve’s sun-soaked seashores and Lisbon’s mosaic-lined streets, Portugal’s D7 visa—also referred to as the “Passive Income Visa”—may be a better fit.
The southwestern European country was named Global Citizen Solutions’ (GCS) best destination for retirees in 2025, in part because of the D7 visa. The program serves as a residency gateway for foreigners with steady passive income: After five years, visa holders can apply for permanent residency; and after 10 years, they can pursue Portuguese citizenship, according to GCS.
Thanks to Portugal’s European Union membership, D7 visa holders can also travel freely across the 28 other Schengen Area countries. But travel benefits aside, the visa is popular, in part, for its relative affordability. To qualify, your passive income must be equivalent to Portugal’s minimum monthly salary, which is currently 920 euros (about $1,055 per month), according to the government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. That threshold increases by an extra 50% for additional adult applicants and 30% for every child or dependent.
As for what qualifies as “passive income”, consider avenues like pension, rental earnings, and funding dividends—however not a standard 9-to-5 wage or freelancing gigs. In addition, you’ll additionally want at the least €11,040 (about $12,659) in financial savings in a Portuguese financial institution. If you need to deliver one other grownup, you’ll want €16,560 (about $18,939); add a child, and it’ll be €19,872 (about $22,728).
By comparability, Portugal’s golden visa requires at the least 250,000 euros (about $286,573) in investments, whereas its digital nomad visa requires a month-to-month earnings that’s at the least 4 occasions Portugal’s month-to-month minimal wage, or about $4,218.
Interested candidates can start the D7 software course of by acquiring a short lived four-month visa at a neighborhood Portuguese embassy or consulate. From there, D7 visa holders can then enter Portugal and apply for a two-year residency allow at the Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA), a course of that may require documents equivalent to proof of passive earnings (you’ll be able to view the full software kind here). The allow lasts for 2 years however might be renewed for a further three. And after the 5 years have handed, you’ll be eligible to apply for everlasting residency.
Not leaning in direction of the Med on your golden years? Consider Costa Rica’s Pensioner Visa, which requires a month-to-month pension of $1,000. Prefer the French countryside? Retirees usually go for the nation’s long-stay visa, a one-year pathway to a residence card with an annual earnings requirement of €17,317.39 (about $19,856).