D2 Visa

Residence Permit for Entrepreneurs

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Who can apply for a D2 Visa?

The D2 is a residency visa that allows entrepreneurs, freelancers, and independent service providers from outside of the EU/EEA/Switzerland to immigrate to Portugal. It is suitable for those that want to start a business in Portugal, move an existing business here, or, alternatively, invest in an existing business in Portugal.

  • There’s no restriction on what that business could be. (So if you have plans to open a shop, cafe, or modelling agency, or work as an independent contractor, this could be your ticket to a new life in Portugal.
  • There’s no job creation requirement.
  • There’s no minimum investment requirement, although you should have sufficient capital for the business you’re starting.
  • There’s no need to get approved by a business incubator (although your business plan will need to be approved).

What do you need to set up a company?

In Portugal, setting up a limited liability company is not a complicated process.

 

You just have to follow a few steps:

  1. Choose the name of your company, checking that this name is not already in use.
  2. Make an appointment at the Commercial Registry services.
  3. Appoint a legal representative for your company in Portugal.
  4. Prepare the Social Agreement.
  5. Open a bank account to deposit the minimum share capital of €1.00.
  6. Request the licenses required for the company’s activities.
  7. Register with the Portuguese tax (FINANCE) and social (SOCIAL SECURITY) authorities.

Necessary documents

  • Proof of address;
  • Passport valid beyond 6 months from the planned departure date;
  • Criminal Record Certificate, issued less than three months from the time of submission (from the country of origin or where the applicant lives or has lived for more than a year), with an apostille or authenticated by the respective Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
  • Completed Data Protection Form (self-printed).

 

Note: Original documents must be presented in Portuguese or English, upon delivery of translated and authenticated copies (by certification or apostille, depending on the type of document).

D2 Visa Application Process

1

Contract Signature; Payment of service fee; Submission of initial documents:
  • Proof of address (translated into English/Portuguese by a certified translator)
  • Passport valid for more than 6 months, beyond your intended departure date..
  • Certificate of Criminal Record, valid for less than 3 months from the date of submission of the visa application, authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the respective issuing country (the certificate is issued in your country of origin or in the one where you live or have lived for more than one year).
 
If you are unable to visit Portugal, we can with a power of attorney, register your company and start the process, which takes, on average, about a week.

2

Obtaining a tax number (NIF);

Opening a personal bank account;

Creation of a virtual office (if required).

3

Registration of the company name;
Registration of the Articles of Incorporation (Social Pact);

Opening of the Minutes Book and Registration of the initial activity;

Opening of activity;

Opening of the company’s bank account;

Registration with Social Security;

Handling of miscellaneous licenses.

4

Wait for a response from the official services (AIMA and others) regarding the documents submitted.

Note: This waiting period can take up to 15 days, is subject to service processing times, and is not under our jurisdiction.

5

Our services open the process with AIMA and take care of the sending of the required files. After this stage, you should already be in Portugal and stay here until the conclusion of the process. We offer relocation services that can ease your transition, including help with searching for properties to buy or rent.

6

AIMA confirms an appointment with a date and time of visit to the services to proceed with the collection of biometric data and completion of the process. On this visit you will be accompanied by our technicians, if this has been agreed.

7

Please allow 30 days to receive your Residence Permit by mail at your Portuguese home address. Time may vary, subject to the processing time of the administrative services.

Family Reunification

The holder of a residence visa in Portugal can request family reunification, which is a separeted process, but to do so they will have to provide proof of sufficient funds to support this request, as well as the existence of accommodation that allows the family to live together.

When you decide to carry out family reunification, we can help you secure residence permits for your family.

Our company can help you set up a business and get all your residency matters in order

Our goal is to provide you with a smooth process of coming to Portugal, based on your request for needs, giving you guidance, information and assistance to investors and those looking to move to Portugal, successfully acquiring visas for families and individuals.

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FAQ's
Frequently Asked Questions

Once we take your passport copy, proof of address, criminal records and Power of Attorney signed and legalised, usually it takes no more than 24 hours to have the company and the VAT approved.

This visa falls under the residence category, and is considered as a long-term visa, or for more than 90 days.

This visa is intended for new business start-ups, independent professionals, immigrant entrepreneurs, company managers, shareholders, partners, and board members. They will apply for a Portuguese D-2 Visa, also known as a long-term residency visa.

You must request to Portuguese Consulate at your home country or residency country.

You can open a company in Portugal with a power of attorney to a portuguese representative (lawyer / consultant or any natural person residing in Portugal). This power of attorney must be certified at a Portuguese consulate, in your home country.

There is no minimum amount required for the incorporation of a limited liability company or a sole proprietorship company, it is sufficient to define the shares of each partner, the value of which may not be less than 1 Euro. However, We strongly advise to have a business and financial plan very detailed and must not be incompatible with the nature of the business activity.

No, it is not an obligation to invested in Portugal before obtaining a successful visa. Still, it is essential to demonstrate your plan and budget of investment to the embassy / consulate while applying.

There is no prescribed investment amount by the Portuguese authorities for a D-2 visa, and it always depends on your plan/project in Portugal.

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The minimum requirement for the maintenance (necessary living expenses) are the equivalent to the one year of Portuguese minimal salary (820€/month in 2024)  apart from the investment budget.

After establishing appropriate documents, a company formation is possible on the spot or online. It will take one working day.

It is not obligatory. If you have independent profession skills like IT specialisation, doctors, plumber, carpenter, technicians, or other freelancer credibility and certifications along with substantial experience in your independent activities, you  may request without opening a company for D-2 visa.

After requested a D-2 visa at the Portuguese consulate expected time 60-90 days. Still depend on the duration of time confirmation by AIMA.

The validity of the D-2 visa, so-called long-term visa, is 120 days. Further on landing, you should present your access at AIMA for biometric concerning obtaining a residence card under article 89 paragraph 1, which will be valid for two years.

No. D-2 Visa is primary for business owners or partner shareholders. A family application is considered under family re-unification, entirely a different visa category, which is possible only after the successful residency card of the D-2 visa holder.

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Yes, under the present status,  you can have multiple works in Portugal.

The employee category is entirely different from the D-2 visa. In this case, you need to take prior permission from a competent Portuguese authority.

The tax obligations based on the company activities in general VAT in Portugal are between 4% and 23%. Also, corporate tax in Portugal paid yearly, i.e., between 20%-25%

The social security obligation only for the active employee, manager, shareholder partner and board of director is 11% (from employee salary) and 23.75% (from the company contribution).

After obtaining a D-2 visa/residence card from Portugal, you have free business movement in the Schengen zone for up to 90 days.

Visa applicant must stay in Portugal for six consecutive months or un-sequential eight months. It is necessary to inform AIMA before leaving Portuguese territory.

Yes, you can own a 100% share of the company without any local representative or physical person in Portugal.

Yes, you can own a 100% share of the company without any local representative or physical person in Portugal.

You have appeal/review rights on your application subject to the justification of refusal on your application.

Yes, if you are doing business or work in Portugal for more than 90 days, you will have social benefits as a legal resident of Portugal.

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