Side-by-side comparison · Last verified October 8, 2026
Portugal vs Greece digital nomad visa
Portugal and Greece are the two most similar visas on this list — and that makes the choice genuinely difficult. The income bars are nearly identical: Portugal's D8 at roughly €3,680 a month, Greece at roughly €3,500 net. Both offer Mediterranean living, Schengen mobility, and a plausible long-term EU base. The differences are structural. Portugal gives you a two-year residence permit with a five-year horizon, but funnels you through AIMA, whose backlogs are the worst in this guide. Greece issues a one-year permit, renewable, and pairs it with the most aggressive tax incentive on the list: a 50% reduction on Greek income tax for seven years. Greece also changed the rules in February 2026 — Law 5275/2026 closed the in-country route, so you must now apply through a consulate before arrival. Where Portugal wins on duration, Greece wins on tax and on the sheer straightforwardness of a one-year, one-decision process.
Head to head
| Dimension | Portugal | Greece |
|---|---|---|
| Program | D8 Visa — Residency Visa for Remote Professional Activity | Digital Nomad Visa (National Type-D → Residence Permit) |
| Minimum monthly income | €3,680/month · 4× Portugal's national minimum wage (€920), per month, averaged over 3 months | €3,500/month · net monthly income (after tax) |
| Savings requirement | €11,040 — Separate from the income requirement; rises with family members. | No fixed savings figure is published; consulates expect consistent income evidence. |
| Maximum stay | Up to 5 years | Up to 2 years |
| Renewable | Yes — A 4-month entry visa, converted after arrival into a 2-year residence permit, renewable for 3 more years. Permanent residency or citizenship after 5 years. | Yes — 12-month national Type-D visa, converted after arrival into a 2-year residence permit. Renewable thereafter. |
| Processing time | 30–60 days at the consulate, then an AIMA appointment wait of 1–6 months. Backlogs of 9–18 months have been reported in Lisbon and Porto; regional offices move faster. | Around 10 business days at the consulate for the Type-D visa; the residence-permit stage follows after arrival. |
| Application fee | ~€90 visa fee, plus ~€160 for the residence permit. | ~€75 Type-D visa fee, plus ~€1,000 for the residence permit and a €16 card fee. |
| Family rules | Spouse or partner (+€460/month), dependent children (+€276/month each) and dependent parents may join through family reunification. | Spouse or partner (+20% income) and dependent children (+15% each) apply for their own visas. Family members may live in Greece but cannot work there. |
| Apply from abroad | Yes — Consulate only. You cannot start a D8 application from inside Portugal — begin at the Portuguese consulate in your home country. | Yes — Since Law 5275/2026 took effect in February 2026, Greece is consular-first: you must obtain the Type-D visa from a Greek consulate before traveling. |
| Apply from inside the country | No — There is no in-country application route for the D8. | No — The in-country application route was closed in February 2026. Do not travel to Greece as a tourist intending to convert — apply at the consulate first. |
| Degree / experience | Not required — No degree or professional-experience requirement — the simplest qualification bar of any visa in this guide. You only need to prove genuine remote work. | Not required — No degree or experience requirement; the income threshold does the filtering. |
| Remote-work history | Not specified | Not specified |
| Health insurance | Required | Required |
| Tax notes | The famous NHR (non-habitual resident) regime is closed to new entrants. Its successor, IFICI (sometimes called NHR 2.0), offers a 20% flat rate to eligible professionals, but the conditions are strict and most remote employees will not qualify. Assume standard Portuguese tax rates in your planning. | Article 5C offers a 50% income-tax reduction for 7 years to eligible new tax residents — but the conditions are strict and it does not automatically cover remote employees of foreign companies. Note that 183 days in Greece makes you a Greek tax resident, taxable on worldwide income. |
| Official source | AIMA — Agency for Integration, Migrations and Asylum (official portal) ↗ | Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum (official portal) ↗ |
Our verdict: Greece for tax, Portugal for the long term
Choose Greece if tax drives your decision. The 50% income-tax reduction for seven years is the single most valuable incentive in this comparison, and Greece's one-year renewable structure means you are never locked into a multi-year commitment you might regret. The February 2026 consular-first change adds a planning step, but the process itself is simpler than Portugal's two-stage odyssey.
Choose Portugal if you are building a long-term EU base. The two-year initial permit and five-year path to permanent residency give you something Greece's rolling one-year renewals do not: stability. Portugal's eligibility rules are also the simplest in this guide — no degree, no experience requirement — which matters if your CV is unconventional.
The honest summary: these two are substitutes, not complements. Pick Greece if you want the better tax deal and a lighter process; pick Portugal if you want the longer runway and can tolerate the AIMA wait. Do not pick Portugal for tax reasons — that era ended with NHR.
Frequently asked questions
Sources & verification. Figures above are drawn from the Portugal guide and Greece guide, each linked to its official consulate source and last verified October 8, 2026. Spot an error? Report it.
Not legal advice. Visa rules change frequently and consulates interpret them differently — always verify current requirements with the official source before applying.
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