Moving to Portugal from the US with your family

Visas for a US family

Portuguese residence visas are issued by the consulate for the area where you live. In the US, applications for several consulate areas, including Washington and San Francisco, go through VFS Global offices. The visa is valid for four months with two entries, and during that time you apply to AIMA in Portugal for a residence permit.

The D7 is for people living on income they don't work for: pensions, rental income, dividends, interest and similar. Portugal's means-of-subsistence rules use the minimum wage as the reference: 100% for the first adult, 50% for each extra adult and 30% for each child. In 2026 that's €920 a month for the main applicant, €460 for a spouse and €276 per child, so €1,932 a month for a family of four. Portugalist, which tracks consulate practice closely, reports that consulates also expect around a year's worth of that amount as savings in a Portuguese bank account.

The D8 is for remote workers. You need average income over the last three months of at least four times the minimum wage, which is €3,680 a month in 2026. According to Portugalist, a couple needs €5,520 and each child adds €1,104, so a family of four would show around €7,728 a month. There are two versions: a one-year temporary stay visa, and a residence visa that leads to a two-year permit and allows family reunification. If you're bringing children, the residence version is usually the one to look at.

For both visas you'll need a Portuguese tax number (NIF), usually arranged remotely, plus proof of accommodation, insurance covering medical expenses, and a criminal record certificate with a Hague apostille. For Americans that means an FBI check, requested with an apostille, for each applicant older than 15 according to the VFS checklist for US applicants. Portugalist reports that it should be issued within 90 days of applying, so time it carefully.

This isn't legal advice. Amounts and document lists change, and consulates apply them differently, so check with your consulate or a qualified immigration lawyer before you apply.

Cost of living compared with the US

These are our own estimates for a family of four, in US dollars per month, from the cost-of-living calculator. They're useful for comparing places, not for setting a budget.

Leaving out school fees and childcare, we estimate about $2,980 a month in Lisbon and $2,420 in Porto. The same costs come to roughly $4,630 in Austin, $4,590 in Denver and $7,000 in New York. Rent is the biggest difference: a three-bed in Porto is about $1,200 against $2,200 in Austin and $4,000 in New York. Lisbon is the most expensive of the three Portuguese areas we track.

With one international school place and childcare added, Porto comes to about $3,870 against $7,730 in Austin. Portuguese salaries are low by US standards, so the saving mostly helps families who bring a US income or pension.

Schools

School is compulsory from 6 to 18 in Portugal, two years longer than in Spain. Children who live in Portugal must be enrolled in a recognised school regardless of nationality, and the government guide says enrolling in a foreign online school doesn't on its own meet that obligation. You enrol online through the Portal das Matrículas or at the office of a school near your home.

Public schools offer Portuguese as a non-native language (PLNM) in place of the regular Portuguese class, after a short language test. International school fees make a big difference to the totals above, roughly $1,000 to $1,200 a month per child in our Lisbon, Porto and Algarve estimates. If your teenagers may go to college in the US, check how a Portuguese or international diploma will be read by US admissions before you pick a school.

Healthcare

For the visa you need insurance that covers medical expenses in Portugal, so plan on arriving with a private policy rather than relying on your US plan.

Once you hold a valid residence permit, you can get a national health service (SNS) user number. It's issued the first time you visit a public health centre or hospital, and you'll need ID, your NIF, your full Portuguese address and the residence permit. Some families keep private insurance alongside it.

Banking and moving dollars

You'll need a Portuguese bank account early, often before the visa appointment, to hold the savings the consulate wants to see. Portugalist notes that consulates usually don't accept online money apps for this, so it has to be a bank.

Portugal has a FATCA agreement with the US, which means Portuguese banks report accounts held by US citizens. A 2019 report from the US Government Accountability Office found that some foreign banks closed Americans' accounts or turned them away because of FATCA costs and risks. Be ready to try a second bank. Keep a US account and address open for cards and statements.

Taxes on both sides

The US taxes its citizens wherever they live, so you keep filing a US return every year, with an automatic extension to June 15 while you live abroad. The foreign earned income exclusion covers up to $132,900 of earned income in 2026 if you pass the bona fide residence test or the physical presence test (330 full days abroad in 12 months). It doesn't cover pensions, dividends or rent, which matters for D7 families, and it doesn't reduce self-employment tax. The foreign tax credit, which offsets US tax with tax paid in Portugal, is the other main tool.

You'll also report your Portuguese accounts. An FBAR (FinCEN Form 114) is needed if your foreign accounts together go over $10,000 at any point in the year. Form 8938 applies to people living abroad with foreign assets over $200,000 at year end (or $300,000 at any time) if single, or $400,000 (or $600,000) if married filing jointly.

In Portugal you're tax resident if you spend more than 183 days there in any 12-month period, or if you have a home there that you clearly intend to keep as your habitual residence. You then have 60 days to update your status with the tax authority. The US and Portugal have a tax treaty dating from 1994 that decides which country taxes which income.

The old non-habitual resident (NHR) regime closed to new people at the end of 2023. Its replacement, IFICI, gives a 20% flat rate on qualifying income for ten years, but only for work in a set of eligible research and innovation categories, and only if you weren't Portuguese tax resident in the previous five years. Registration closes on 15 January and the rules are spread across several documents, so check with an adviser whether your work fits before you count on it.

This isn't tax advice. Talk to an adviser who knows both US and Portuguese tax before you move.

A realistic timeline

1. 9 to 12 months before

   Decide between D7 and D8, find your consulate or VFS office, and check your income against the 2026 figures.

2. 6 to 9 months before

   Get a NIF and open a Portuguese bank account. Order birth and marriage certificates and have the issuing states apostille them.

3. 4 to 6 months before

   Arrange accommodation and health insurance. Talk to a cross-border tax adviser.

4. 3 to 4 months before

   Request FBI checks with apostilles so they're inside the 90-day window, then submit your visa applications.

5. On arrival

   Attend your AIMA appointment for residence permits within the four-month visa window.

6. First few months

   Enrol the children through the Portal das Matrículas, get SNS user numbers, and update your tax residence within 60 days.