Means of subsistence for a residence permit

Almost every visa or residence permit application asks you to show that you have enough to live on in Portugal. The law calls this means of subsistence (meios de subsistência). This guide explains what it is, how the amount is worked out and which documents prove it, based on the AIMA page on the subject and on Portaria 1563/2007. For the rest of the process, see the guide to AIMA and the residence permit.

What counts as means of subsistence

The portaria defines them as stable and regular resources that are enough for the essential needs of the person and, where relevant, their family: food, housing, and health and hygiene care. In practice, what counts is regularity: income that arrives periodically and that a document backs up, such as a contract, payslips, a pension or income from assets. AIMA and the Consular Portal also accept proof of funds available in Portugal.

The reference amount

The yardstick is the guaranteed minimum monthly wage (RMMG), the national minimum wage. In 2026 it is 920 €, set by Decree-Law 139/2025 and in force since 1 January 2026. Portaria 1563/2007 speaks of the RMMG net of social security contributions, while AIMA publishes its reference amounts based on the minimum wage itself (its page still shows the 2025 figure). The table below uses the 920 € minimum wage; check with AIMA which of the two figures applies to your case. The portaria also provides that the figures update automatically every year by the same percentage as the RMMG, so a figure you read on a forum or in an old guide may be out of date.

For a household, the amount is built person by person:

Who	Share of the RMMG	In 2026
First adult	100 %	920 €
Each further adult	50 %	460 €
Each child under 18 or dependent adult child	30 %	276 €

Examples with the 2026 figures, per month:

• one person on their own: 920 €;
• a couple: 920 € + 460 € = 1,380 €;
• a couple with one minor child: 1,380 € + 276 € = 1,656 €;
• a couple with two minor children: 1,380 € + 552 € = 1,932 €.

AIMA presents these percentages under family reunification, and the portaria uses the same scale to determine means in general. A few cases have their own rules, described below.

For how long

The portaria asks for the means to be secured for a period of not less than 12 months for the residence visa (the general rule), the permanent residence permit, long-term resident status and family reunification, where the household must have them. For a residence visa to work, the period is the maximum the law allows for that permit, and the availability of the means in Portugal is shown, for example, by the employment contract.

When a temporary residence permit is granted or renewed, you must show that you still have those means, or the possibility of obtaining them lawfully, given the purpose of the permit. For the self-employed, income is worked out using the criteria of the personal or corporate income tax codes (IRS or IRC).

How to prove it

The AIMA page lists these documents, depending on your situation:

• Employment: an employment contract or promise of one, with payslips for the last three months.
• Self-employment: a service contract or promise of one, a declaration of start of activity and receipts for the last six months.
• Remote work for a foreign employer: an employment contract or employer statement if you are an employee; a company contract, a service contract or documents showing the services provided if you are self-employed.
• Link, grant or hosting: a statement from the employer, the client, the body paying the grant or the host institution; for students, trainees and volunteers, the statement from the school, training body or programme.
• Retirement or pension: a document from the official body from the country that pays the pension, with an authenticated declaration.
• Income from financial investments: a document from whoever pays it, also with an authenticated declaration.
• Business and investment: a company incorporation contract, an IAPMEI statement proving an incubation contract, or proof of funds available in Portugal (including with a Portuguese financial institution) and of the intention to invest.

For the residence visa application, the Consular Portal adds that, for employment, the means can come from the contract or promise of an employment contract and from a statement of responsibility (termo de responsabilidade) with a certified signature, given by the entity hosting the worker. The same kind of statement applies to unpaid internships and volunteering. Retirees show the amount of the pension and the guarantee that they receive it, or other income available in Portugal. People living on their own income (assets, intellectual property or financial investments) prove the existence and amount of that income and its availability in Portugal.

AIMA points to sample templates to sign, among them the one for a declaration of own income. The guide to AIMA forms explains what each one is for.

Situations with different rules

• Students, interns and volunteers. The portaria allows the income to be reduced by half when housing is secured, with a larger reduction, up to 90 %, when food is also secured. The Consular Portal says that higher-education students admitted to a recognised institution, and grant holders, are exempt from proving means. See the guide to studying.
• Remote work (digital nomads). The Consular Portal asks for average monthly income over the last three months of at least four times the RMMG, which is 3,680 € in 2026. The visas guide covers this route.
• Family reunification. The resident must have means for the whole household, without recourse to social support. The family reunification guide has the full requirements.
• Exceptional cases. In some residence permit applications, the portaria allows lower income to be accepted, with a floor of 50 % of the amount determined. If you think you fall into this case, ask AIMA whether it applies to your application.

Before you submit

1. Find out which visa or permit your case fits, using the Path tool and the visas guide.
2. Work out the amount for your household with the table above, using the figure for the year you submit.
3. Gather the documents on the list that match your case and ask the consulate or AIMA what they require for your type of application.
4. If a document comes from abroad, see the documents guides for Brazil, Angola or Cabo Verde on how to legalise it.

For questions about your application, the AIMA Contact Centre is (+351) 217 115 000, Monday to Friday, 8:00 to 20:00.