🇵🇹 Moving to Portugal from South Africa
Portugal has become popular with South Africans for its climate, lower cost of living, relaxed pace and long-standing Portuguese-South African family ties, especially among retirees, remote workers and families.
Visa routes for South Africans
- D7 (passive income) visa: For people with stable passive income such as pensions, rentals or investments.
- D8 (digital nomad) visa: For remote workers employed or contracted outside Portugal who meet the income threshold.
- Work visas: For people with a Portuguese job offer, or skilled job-seeker visas.
- Portuguese citizenship by descent: Many South Africans with Portuguese parents or grandparents qualify. Check your family documents.
Getting your qualifications recognised
- Documents: You'll need a NIF (tax number) and usually a Portuguese bank account before applying for most visas.
- Qualifications: Regulated professions need recognition through the relevant Portuguese professional order.
Where South Africans live in Portugal
Lisbon and Cascais, Porto, the Algarve and Madeira have well-established South African and Luso-South African communities. Browse South African shops, restaurants and pubs in Portugal and upcoming Saffa events.
Settling in: practical tips
- Portugal's tax regime for new residents changed in 2024. Get advice on the current rules before you move.
- Residence permits are handled by AIMA. Appointments can take a long time, so keep copies of everything.
Official sources
Before you go, work through our emigration checklist and read up on SARS and tax residency.
Visa-sponsored jobs in Portugal
Senior Voice AI Engineer
Clera · Remote – worldwide
About the RoleAs a founding engineer on a small conversational AI team, you will own the real-time voice layer, from incoming speech through AI reasoning to spoken responses.
Business Development Manager, South Africa
RateHawk · Remote – South Africa
RateHawk is part of Emerging Travel Group— a pioneering travel-tech company also known for its two other brands, ZenHotels and Roundtrip, spanning over 220 markets worldwide.
Senior Research Manager - Animal Welfare
Rethink Priorities · Remote – worldwide
About the roleRethink Priorities' Animal Welfare Department produces research and strategic advice to help organizations make well-informed decisions for animals.
Founding Product Manager
Clera · Remote – worldwide
About the RoleThis is a founding product management role at a fast-growing AI startup operating in the creator economy and social commerce space.