What it really costs to move to Portugal from Nigeria
Do you want to move to Portugal and wonder why nobody gives you a straight number? Because the visa fee is the smallest part of it.
Moving from Nigeria costs between ₦3.5 million and ₦25 million depending on the route, and the real cost is money you must prove you hold: €11,040 in a Portuguese bank account for a D7, or income of €3,680 a month for a D8. One rule changed in October 2025 that makes the order of steps non-negotiable.
Here is every cost, in euros, and where the money goes.
D7 or D8, and what separates them
Two routes matter for most Nigerian applicants, and they are separated by where your money comes from rather than how much of it you have.
| D7, passive income | D8, digital nomad | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it suits | Rental income, pensions, dividends, royalties | Remote employees and freelancers with foreign clients |
| Income needed | €920 a month (€11,040 a year) | €3,680 a month |
| Family uplift | +50% for a spouse, +30% per child | +50% for a spouse, +30% per child |
| Savings to show | About €11,040, twelve months of income | About €11,040, twelve times the minimum wage |
The D8 threshold is the one that surprises people. At €3,680 a month you need roughly ₦7 million a month in verifiable foreign income, four times the D7 requirement. If your income is a Nigerian salary, neither route fits, and a work permit tied to a Portuguese employer is the honest alternative.
Every cost, line by line
Published estimates put the total between ₦3.5 million and ₦25 million, or roughly $2,500 to $17,700. The range is wide for three reasons: whether you move alone, which city you land in, and whether you use a relocation agent. Here is where the money goes.
| Cost | Amount | When you pay |
|---|---|---|
| National D visa application | €110 | At the consulate, before you travel |
| VFS Global service fee | Varies by application center | With the application |
| Proof of funds in a Portuguese bank | About €11,040 | Before you apply. Not a fee, but it must be there |
| Health insurance | Varies by age and cover | Before you apply |
| Flight, Lagos or Abuja to Lisbon | From about $735 | After approval |
| AIMA residence permit, per person | Around €160 to €170 | After arrival |
| First month’s rent and deposit | €1,600 to €2,000 a month for one person, all in | On arrival |
Notice the proportions. The visa costs €110. The bank balance you have to demonstrate is a hundred times that. Anyone quoting you a total that leaves out the proof of funds is quoting you the small half.
Budget beyond the first month too. Relocation advisers commonly suggest six to twelve months of living costs in reserve, which at €1,600 a month is €9,600 to €19,200 on top of everything above.
Why you must apply from Nigeria, not after arriving
Because the route that used to let people regularise their status after entering Portugal was abolished. Portugal’s new immigration law, Lei n.º 61/2025, took effect on 23 October 2025, and it ended the manifestação de interesse process.
For years that was the single most used pathway. People entered Portugal, found work, then applied for residence from inside the country. That door is closed. Applications must now be lodged through a consulate before you travel, and family reunification rules were tightened at the same time.
If you read advice about “just going and sorting it out there”, it was true once and it is not true now. Entering as a tourist and hoping to convert is no longer a plan.
How long until you can apply for citizenship?
Ten years, not five. Portugal’s parliament amended the Nationality Law on 1 April 2026, and the President promulgated it on 3 May 2026. That doubled the residency requirement for third-country nationals.
This is the change most likely to break an existing plan. A five-year path to an EU passport was the main reason many people chose Portugal over Spain or Ireland. At ten years the calculation is different, and any article still saying five years predates April 2026.
Two related points. The golden visa still exists but its real-estate route was abolished in October 2023, leaving investment funds from €500,000 and cultural contributions from €250,000. AIMA also replaced SEF as the immigration authority in October 2023. Guidance naming SEF is at least three years old.
Living costs, against the thresholds
Around €1,600 to €2,000 a month for one person including rent, and €2,500 to €3,000 for a couple living comfortably outside the biggest cities. Lisbon and the Algarve run higher.
Compare that to the income thresholds and something useful appears. The D7 minimum of €920 a month is below the realistic cost of living. Meeting the threshold does not mean you can afford to live there, which is exactly why the separate savings requirement exists.
The D8 threshold of €3,680 a month, by contrast, is roughly double a comfortable single-person budget. If you qualify for a D8 you will be comfortable. Qualifying is the hard part.
Frequently asked questions
These are the questions Nigerian applicants ask most often about moving to Portugal, including the two rules that changed in 2025 and 2026.
How much money do I need to move to Portugal from Nigeria?
Published estimates run from ₦3.5 million to ₦25 million in total. The binding number is the proof of funds: about €11,040 in a Portuguese bank account for a single D7 applicant, plus the €110 visa fee and your flight.
What is the D7 income requirement in 2026?
€920 a month, or €11,040 a year, for a single applicant. Add 50% for a spouse and 30% for each dependent child. It tracks Portugal’s minimum wage, so it changes annually.
How much do I need for the digital nomad visa?
€3,680 a month in 2026, which is four times the minimum wage, plus about €11,040 in savings. The income must come from outside Portugal.
Can I move to Portugal and then apply for residence?
No. Lei n.º 61/2025 ended in-country regularisation on 23 October 2025. Applications go through a consulate before you travel.
How long until I can get a Portuguese passport?
Ten years of legal residency for third-country nationals, following the Nationality Law amendment promulgated on 3 May 2026. It was five years before that.
Is Portugal still cheaper than the UK or Ireland?
On living costs generally yes, at €1,600 to €2,000 a month for one person. The trade-off is the ten-year citizenship timeline and the high D8 income bar.
Do I need to speak Portuguese?
Not for the D7 or D8 application itself. You will need Portuguese for the citizenship application at the end of the ten years, and for most local employment.
If the numbers here rule Portugal out for now, the comparison worth running is against Canada, where the equivalent test is a points score rather than an income threshold, and where rents are currently falling.
Work out which threshold you can actually clear, the D7’s €920 a month or the D8’s €3,680, before you spend anything. That single answer decides whether this move is available to you. If neither fits, an employer-sponsored route is the alternative, and the Canadian work permit comparison is the cheapest one to assess.
