How Long Does a Portugal Visa Take? D7 / D8 / Golden Visa / Family Reunification Timelines
From starting prep to holding a residence card — the D7 takes ~6–9 months, the D8 ~4–6 months, the Golden Visa ~12–18 months and family reunification ~9 months. This guide breaks each route down by phase and explains what makes it faster or slower.
"How long will it take?" is almost every client's second question. The honest answer: it varies a lot by case, and the biggest variable is usually not how fast you prepare, but AIMA's scheduling. Here's a realistic reference, phase by phase.
This is general information; the durations are directional ranges at time of writing, and the actual time depends on your case and on official Portuguese scheduling.
Total time across the four routes
| Route | Typical total | Main bottleneck |
|---|---|---|
| D7 (passive income) | ~6–9 months | Tidying the funds file + consulate scheduling |
| D8 (digital nomad) | ~4–6 months | Contract structure + income evidence |
| Golden Visa (ARI) | ~12–18 months | Fund due diligence + cross-border funds + AIMA scheduling |
| Family reunification | ~9 months | Proving dependency (parents especially) |
These come from common ranges across cases we've handled — not a promise for your case.
The shared phases of the D-visas (D7 / D8)
The D7 and D8 both run "get an entry visa at the consulate at home, then swap it for a residence card in Portugal," with broadly the same phases:
- Assessment + plan confirmation (weeks 0–2)
- Document prep: NIF, bank account, income/funds proof, apostilles + translation, lease (weeks 2–10 — the most time-consuming)
- Consulate filing + interview (subject to the consulate's calendar; may need booking 1–3 months ahead)
- Entry visa: once approved, usually valid for 4 months
- Enter Portugal + AIMA appointment: biometrics
- Residence card arrives: valid 2 years, renewable
The D8 is usually faster than the D7, because the D8 client's income is a clean salary record, whereas the D7 often takes time to turn scattered pension/rent/dividend income into "stable income you can see in the bank statements."
Why the Golden Visa is the slowest
The Golden Visa has no consulate interview, but the upfront investment steps are heavy, and the AIMA queue is long:
- Fund due diligence and selection (weeks)
- A €500,000 cross-border transfer (AML review on both ends)
- Fund subscription and proof of investment
- Online ARI filing → waiting for the AIMA appointment notice (currently a long step)
- Biometrics → residence card
So the Golden Visa's "slowness" is mostly investment compliance + AIMA scheduling — not something you can fix by paying to rush.
The family-reunification timeline
After the main applicant lands, the spouse / children / parents apply through reunification. The spouse is relatively quick; parent reunification is the slowest — it requires proving "financial and practical dependency," and that statement of reasons is the crux. See the family-reunification case.
What makes it faster / slower
Faster:
- Get every document ready in one push (NIF/NISS/bank/apostilles in parallel)
- Income/funds proof that's "visible in the bank statements and consistently clears the bar"
- A lease already in force at the time of application (not "rent it once the visa is granted")
Slower:
- A non-compliant translation stamp that has to be redone
- An unclear source-of-funds explanation (lethal for the Golden Visa especially)
- A single month below the threshold, or a contract structure that's hard to read
- Missing an AIMA slot release / incomplete add-on documents like a medical certificate
Don't sacrifice "right" for "fast"
We've seen far too many clients rush incomplete documents to save time, get rejected, and end up losing months instead. The genuinely time-saving approach is to do each step right and minimise the odds of a wasted trip or a rejection.
Want to know roughly how long your route takes?
- Free online assessment — see which route fits + the rough pace
- Talk to an adviser — a realistic time expectation based on the state of your documents; the first consultation is free
- First step: get your NIF online with FastNIF
Further reading: D7 vs D8 vs Golden Visa — how to choose · the real cost of moving to Portugal
Turn this article into action
Run our free online assessment, talk to an advisor for case-specific advice, or get your NIF online via FastNIF.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Documents, thresholds and outcomes follow the latest official Portuguese rules; Shijia Portugal Service Group makes no guarantees on outcomes.
