D8 visa

A D8 residence permit runs for two years before its first renewal, so the 11 September change reaches every remote worker WHO moved under the scheme. Until then, a renewal AIMA left undecided past 60 days counted as approved. Now the holder must sue to force a decision.

The courts that hear those suits were reorganised on 23 July, when Lisbon lost its monopoly on cases against the agency and specialised immigration courts were approved. They opened with 124,000 suits pending. For a nomad whose card expires mid-wait, the question is how long those courts take, since officials publish no D8-specific figures.

The citizenship bill Portugal's Parliament passed on 3 April 2026, by 152 votes to 64, doubled the qualifying residence for most D8 holders from five years to ten; EU and Lusophone nationals need seven. For D8 holders, WHO had planned around the five-year route, that doubled the horizon.

The law, promulgated in May, also starts the clock at first card issuance rather than application. On 2 June new D8 applicants still waited about nine months for that card, which pushes the practical naturalisation horizon to roughly 11 years from arrival. A cultural mediators' strike at AIMA on 30 March had already slowed appointments during the March-to-May application peak.