Visas in Cascais

Good to Know

• The 90-day allowance is shared across the whole Schengen Area — time spent in Spain, France, or elsewhere before arriving in Cascais counts against the same 90/180 total, so track your days carefully if hopping between European countries.
• Visa-free entry is meant for tourism/business visits, not remote work in a strict legal sense — most long-term digital nomads in Cascais eventually move to a D8 Digital Nomad Visa or D7 visa rather than repeatedly re-entering on the visa-free allowance.
• From late 2026, visa-exempt travelers (US, UK, Canada, Australia, etc.) will need to complete an online ETIAS authorization (a small one-time fee) before flying to Portugal — this does not extend your stay, it's just a pre-travel security check.
• Passport rules trip up travelers often: it generally needs to be valid at least 3 months beyond your departure from Schengen and issued within the last 10 years — double check both before booking flights.
• Many typical D8 digital nomads (freelancers billing foreign clients, remote employees of non-Portuguese companies) will NOT qualify for the new IFICI/'NHR 2.0' tax regime, since it's now restricted to highly qualified professionals working for Portugal-based qualifying companies — most nomads will simply pay standard progressive Portuguese income tax once they cross the 183-day tax residency threshold.
• Income and savings thresholds are pegged to Portugal's minimum wage and are revised every January, so double-check the current figures with your consulate before applying — don't rely solely on a guide published in a prior year.
• AIMA applies the financial thresholds in force on the date of your residence-permit appointment in Portugal, not the date you originally filed, so a rising minimum wage could mean you need to show a slightly higher income than when you first applied.
• Being a legal resident (visa holder) and being a tax resident are separate concepts in Portugal — you can hold a D8 residence permit without yet triggering tax residency if you stay under 183 days and don't establish a habitual home, though most long-term nomads will eventually cross that line.
• The Temporary Stay Visa (up to 1 year) is simpler but does not count toward permanent residency or citizenship — only the Residency Visa route does.