Guide to the Non-Habitual Resident (NHR) Tax Regime

Written By Lara Silva

You would think the incentive to become a resident in Portugal would be the low cost of living and all-around high quality of life, but it gets better. The Non-Habitual Resident (NHR) tax regime in Portugal attracts thousands of residents by offering reduced tax rates and even full tax exemptions for the first ten years of residence. NHRs are taxed at a flat rate of 20% on their income and are exempt from paying taxes on global income. Take a look at our guide to visas in Portugal to obtain long-term residency and be able to enjoy this attractive tax regime.

What is the Non-Habitual Resident (NHR) Tax Regime in Portugal?

The attractive tax regime for non-habitual residents was introduced in 2009 in order to attract “high-value” talent and wealth to Portugal. The NHR tax regime is available to all new tax residents in Portugal that were not Portuguese tax residents for the 5 years prior. The NHR status is granted for 10 years and cannot be renewed. Let’s go through the benefits of the NHR tax regime.

Benefits of the Non-Habitual Resident (NHR) Tax Regime in Portugal

Bear in mind that the following benefits only last for 10 years. After that, you will become a regular tax resident like other citizens and will have to abide by the traditional fiscal regime.

Personal Income Tax (IRS): 20% Flat Tax

The Portuguese government start this program to increase the number of highly qualified professionals in the country. Those who work in Portugal (freelance or regular employment) under the NHR tax regime only pay a 20% flat rate on personal income tax (IRS). To be considered “high value”, the job must be related to activities of scientific, artistic, or technical character.

Global Income

You will also not pay any tax on dividends, interest, royalties, capital gains, rental income from real estate outside Portugal, and income from employment in another country. These will be paid in the source country if your country has a Double Taxation Agreement (DTA) with the country. The UK, USA, and many more countries have a DTA with Portugal where this is the case. Therefore, you could be working for an American or English company and not pay any income tax in Portugal under the DTA. Rather, you would pay taxes in the US. You could also just choose to pay the flat tax rate of 20% if you fall under a “highly qualified professional” or if the latter is the case and you are paid by a Portuguese source.

Other Taxes

If your pension income happens to be taxed in Portugal as you are not eligible under a DTA, it will only be taxed at a flat rate of 10% which includes retirement savings and insurance. Those with non-habitual residency status pay pension tax like income tax, which can go up to 48%. You will also not pay any inheritance or wealth tax.

Eligibility & Requirements: Who Qualifies for Non-Habitual Resident (NHR) Status in Portugal

There are a couple of eligibility requirements to become a non-habitual resident. The three main ones are that:

  1. You cannot have been taxed in Portugal during the five years before the application.
  2. You must request a tax residence certificate which means you must live in Portugal for more than 183 days (doesn’t need to be consecutive) for 12 months, lived in Portugal for less than 183 days but has bought property in Portugal during those 12 months, or performs public functions in the name of the Portuguese state for the last 12 months.
  3. You must have the right to be in Portugal through a long residency visa such as the Portugal Golden Visa, the Portugal D7 Visa, or the Portugal D2 Visa. Take a look at our full guide to visas in Portugal here.

If you are looking to pay the 20% flat rate on personal income tax (IRS), your job must be related to “high-quality activities” of scientific, artistic, or technical character. Here is the updated list of high value-added jobs for NHR status:

  • Architects
  • Engineers
  • Geologists
  • Plastic artists, psychologists, actors, and musicians
  • Auditors and tax consultants
  • Dentists, doctors, and physicians
  • University professors
  • Archeologists
  • Biologists and life scientists
  • Computer programmers, computer consulting activities, computer equipment management
  • Data programming and data processing
  • Activities in the field of websites
  • Scientific investigation and development activities
  • Designers
  • Investigators, directors, and managers of investing promoting companies
  • Senior business executives

How to Apply for Non-Habitual Residency in Portugal

How to Obtain Residency in Portugal

In order to become a non-habitual resident, you must have lived in Portugal for more than 183 days in the space of 12 months. You can also have lived in the country for less than 183 days but have bought property in Portugal during those 12 months or performed public functions in the name of the Portuguese state for the last 12 months. If the last two options were not the case for you, you will need to obtain residency in order to be eligible for the non-habitual tax regime. Portugal has some attractive long-stay national visas, also known as residency visas, that allow you to make use of the 10 years of tax incentives of the NHR status. Let’s go through our favorites: the Portugal Golden Visa, the Portugal D7 Visa & the Portugal D2 Visa.

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Portugal Golden Visa

The Portugal Golden Visa was launched in 2012 to increase foreign investment in Portugal and boost the economy as it requires an investment of at least €350,000. With the Golden Visa, non-EU/EEA/Swiss citizens can live and work in Portugal, as well as travel freely within the Schengen area. The visa leads to permanent residence after 5 years and citizenship after 6 years. However, you do not need to live in Portugal to obtain this visa. You must stay in Portugal for at least 7 days in the first year and 14 days in the subsequent years. The most important thing is that you make an investment with funds from outside of Portugal.

There are five types of investments you can make to qualify for a Portugal Golden Visa: a real estate acquisition, an investment fund, a capital transfer, job creation, or making a donation. Let’s look through the minimum investment value of each:

  • Property investment: Purchase property in a low-density area of Portugal for at least  €400,000 or purchase real estate that is over 30 years old in an urban rehabilitation area and renovate it for at least €350,000 or purchase property for €500,000. You can longer buy property in Lisbon, Porto, and coastal towns.
  • Investment fund: Spend a minimum of €500,000 in a qualifying investment fund to support a Portuguese business.
  • Capital transfer: Engage in a 1.5 million capital transfer, showing proof of bank transfer deposits to Portugal from a foreign bank account that adds up to this figure.
  • Job creation: Create a minimum of ten new full-time jobs in a Portuguese business that you own or invest a minimum of €500,000 in an already existing Portuguese business and create a minimum of 5 new jobs in that business within three years.
  • Donation: Invest a minimum of €250,000 in preserving national heritage in Portugal or invest a minimum of €500,000 in a research and development activity in Portugal.

Take a look at our full guide to the Portugal Golden Visa here.

Portugal D7 Visa

The Portugal D7 Visa is suitable for retirees, digital nomads, and remote workers with proof of a stable income. The D7 Visa was introduced in 2007 and allows non-EU/EEA/Swiss citizens to obtain permanent residency in Portugal after 5 years and citizenship after 6 years. This might sound similar to the Golden Visa, but unlike it, it does not require an investment. All you need is to prove that you have a solid passive income that can come from a retirement pension, a financial investment, real estate income, or salary.

The minimum income required is €8,460 per year for the main applicant. For a spouse, you must add 50% to this (€4,230) and for a dependent child, you must add 30% to this (€2,538). Therefore, for a couple with one child, you would need around €15,300 a year to be eligible for the D7 Visa.

You must also spend at least 16 months in Portugal during the first 2 years of the visa, as well as have a clean criminal record and show proof of residence address in Portugal (rental or purchase).

Take a look at our full guide to the Portugal D7 Visa here.

Portugal D2 Visa

The Portugal D2 Visa caters to entrepreneurs, freelancers, and independent service providers who wish to reside in Portugal. Non-EU/EEA/Swiss citizens who want to start a business in Portugal or relocate their existing business to the country can make use of this visa. Another option is choosing to invest in a Portuguese business. Like the Golden Visa and D7 Visa, the D2 visa allows for permanent resident status after 5 years and citizenship after 6 years.

To be eligible, you must prove that you have the financial resources to sustain your business. Although there is no number set in stone, the recommended minimum is at least €5,000. You will also have to show that you can financially sustain yourself

You will also have to present a business plan that demonstrates your business is economically viable and that will be reviewed for its social, economic, and cultural impact.

Keep in mind that the non-habitual resident tax regime applies to your personal income tax, personal capital gains, pension allowance, etc, but your company will still have to pay the normal corporate tax (21% in mainland Portugal) and social security fees (23.75% on top of each employee monthly wage).

Take a look at our full guide to the Portugal D2 Visa here.

UK Citizens: Portugal Non-Habitual Resident After Brexit

UK citizens can still become non-habitual residents and enjoy its attractive tax regime after Brexit. However, unlike EU/EEA/Swiss citizens, UK nationals must first apply for a residence visa such as the Golden Visa, D3 Visa, or D2 Visa. You must not have been registered as a tax resident in Portugal for the last 5 years. After obtaining legal residence, you can register as a tax resident with their tax identification number (NIF). Then you must apply for NHR status in the financial portal online by submitting the following: a declaration stating you have not been a tax resident in Portugal for the past 5 years, your tax returns for the last 5 years, and proof of rental or property purchase.

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34 COMMENTS

  1. Do you have a high turnover at the end of ten years. 45% seems a very high rate of tax for someone only earning $65,000. Can. a year.

  2. So if a person that:
    – is a employee in another EU country (for example Austria)
    – does a job that falls under the “high-quality activities”
    – lives (and works remote) from Portugal (with Portugal as main address)

    can this person apply for NHR? Will the income be taxed in Portugal (with 20%) or in the other EU country?

    • Hi Max!

      Yes, this income would be taxed in Portugal as Austria has a Double Taxation Agreement with Portugal (so you will not have to pay tax in Austria). I recommend contacting an immigration lawyer and/or financial specialist in Portugal to answer all your queries.

  3. Another question that I would have, since I read somewhere else that you are also a Portugese tax resident if you have a main residency in Portugal on the 31 of December.

    Is this true if your stay was shorter then 183 days that year in Portugal? Or will you be a tax resident for the time since Portugal is your main address?

  4. Thank you for the article. it’s really helpful.
    Can someone apply to the NHR program if:

    – Is a Portuguese national.
    – Not have been a Portuguese tax resident in the past 5 years. (Live and work in the netherlands)
    – does a job that falls under the “high-quality activities”
    – It’s self employed
    BUT, has purchased a house in Portugal in the year 4 of of living in the Netherlands.

    Many thanks

    • Hi Maria!

      Thanks. I believe so, buying a house in year 4 does not seem like an issue from the requirements available online. However, I would contact a lawyer in Portugal to make sure this is the case.

  5. Do you think pharmaceutical jobs fall into this category? Like drug safety etc.
    It’s scientific in its nature but not really science 🙂

  6. Hello,
    Do you arrange and for how much NHR resident status? My son already has a NIF number and a bank account.
    greetings
    Kris

    P.S. please send me your phone nummber.

  7. Hi,
    Are you eligible for tax concession if you are Australian, work for an international company with an office in Portugal, Intend on relocating/ being based in Portugal for the job assignment and meet the job criteria?
    Thanks

  8. Hello! Thank you for this article.
    Could you confirm, if I understood one moment right or not.
    My job is not under “high-quality activity” meaning.
    Am I right, that I don’t need to pay any taxes at all?
    (I am employed in Lithuania, but I am citizens of Belarus).

  9. Lara, could you please tell me if a married woman who with her husband moved to Portugal a few years ago, they applied and received NHR status and they file a joint tax return in Portugal. If she were to divorce her husband, while staying in Portugal, what impact if any would this have on her individual NHR status?
    Thanks for the advice

  10. Hi, does anyone knows if there are “hidden” costs, like payments you need to make for the social system (unemployment cover or similar costs)? As far as I know you need an international health insurance, but apart from that? Appreciate your help! Thanks.

    • Hi Lena! You will have to make social security contributions, regardless of the NHR tax regime. The Social Security system in Portugal covers unemployment allowances, retirement pensions, parental leave, sick leave, etc. If you are self-employed, this is around 21%. If you work for an employer, you pay 11% and your employer pays around 23%.

  11. Hey there, that´s quite interesting. Thx for the article. How is the situation, if you own a company, f.i, in the US. Will the income of this US company also fall under NHR-tax regime or is it only for private persons?

  12. If I Move from Israel to live in Porto(with an EU passport), I have a real estate company in the US which I get freelance income + Dividend. Can I not pay any taxes in Portugal? so basiclly I pay only Corporate and Dividend tax in the US? but what about my income as a freelance? I pay 0% taxes on it?
    Thanks!

  13. Hello, I’ve received mixed answers regarding NHR for retirement…can you clarify….is my U.S. rental income taxed in Portugal during my NHR of 10 years? I read that it was if my tax paid in the U.S. paid was less than Portugals. Is that correct?

    • From our understanding, your rental income tax can be paid in the US since it has a Double Taxation Agreement (DTA) with Portugal. However, it’s always best to contact an immigration lawyer or financial specialist in Portugal to look at your case.

  14. Hello Lara.
    I am a US retiree living only on my Social Security monthly pension check. I got my Portuguese residency in January of this year however I am concerned about applying for NHR. Because I make so little money, I pay very low taxes in the US, certainly not 10%. Should I apply for NHR next year anyway? I don’t want to be obligated to pay 10% tax in Portugal if I am only paying 5% in the US? What is your advice please?

    • Hi Patricia,

      I recommend you contact a financial specialist or immigration lawyer in Portugal, most of them are very knowledgeable about the NHR and can help you out.

  15. Hi, it is a great article, thanks for writing it.
    I am not clear on one thing though, maybe you could help me understand.
    I would be an EU citizen coming to live in Portugal.
    The article says:
    The NHR tax regime is available to all new tax residents in Portugal that were not Portuguese tax residents for the 5 years prior.
    Which would mean to me that a person with EU citizenship would also qualify,
    But the article also says, under eligibility:
    You must have the right to be in Portugal through a long residency visa such as the Portugal Golden Visa, the Portugal D7 Visa, or the Portugal D2 Visa.
    Which would mean that a person who has EU citizenship and would not need a visa, would not qualify.
    Could you help me understand?

  16. Hello Ms Silva,

    Generally speaking, under a DTA, would the NHR status mean that the taxpayer pays ONLY the Portuguese Income Tax (say 20%) OR would that taxpayer pay the Portuguese tax AND the difference (if higher) to the DTA country where in income originated?

    Thanks for the great article!

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