Moving to Portugal from Canada — Lawyer Guide

We focus on the Portuguese immigration side: choosing the route, building the file and dealing with AIMA. Canadian tax and pension questions need a Canadian cross-border tax adviser.

The three residence routes for Canadians

Amounts are 2026 figures based on the minimum wage (Decreto-Lei n.º 139/2025) and the MNE visa portal: national visas. For the documents, the consulates and the tax points for each route, read our full Portugal visa guide for Canadian citizens, or compare every visa side by side.

Moving from Canada to Portugal, step by step

• 1. Check for a descent claim. A Portuguese parent or grandparent may give you citizenship, and then you do not need a visa. See Portuguese citizenship by descent for Canadians.
• 2. Choose your route. D7 for passive income, D8 for remote work, Golden Visa for investment.
• 3. Get a Portuguese tax number (NIF). You need it for a lease, a bank account and the visa file. Non-residents can get one through a representative; see NIF for non-residents.
• 4. Gather your Canadian documents. An RCMP criminal record check with photo and fingerprints, apostilled by Global Affairs Canada; proof of income (CRA Notice of Assessment, CPP, OAS or pension statements, or employment contracts); proof of accommodation in Portugal; insurance; a Canadian passport with enough validity. Follow your consular post’s own list.
• 5. Apply at the right consular post. Applications go through the e-visa portal, with an appointment at the post that covers your residence: the Consular Section of the Embassy in Ottawa (Ottawa, Gatineau and eastern Ontario), or the Consulates General in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver (Embassy of Portugal in Canada: consular network). Posts do not accept applications from outside their area.
• 6. Travel and complete AIMA. The visa lets you enter; your residence permit comes from AIMA in Portugal. See the AIMA appointment guide.
• 7. Settle in. Register with the SNS health service once you are resident, and sort out your Canadian tax residence, provincial health plan and RRSP with your advisers.

Timelines: what the official sources say

The Embassy of Portugal in Ottawa gives an average processing time of 30 to 60 days for national visas (stays of 91 days or more) and suggests booking your appointment about three to four months before your planned travel date. It also recommends not buying travel tickets before the visa is granted (Embassy of Portugal in Canada: visas). Other posts publish their own information, so check yours. We do not quote AIMA waiting times because we cannot tie them to an official source.

Before you leave Canada

• Tax residence. Leaving Canadian tax residence can trigger departure tax on certain assets; the Canada–Portugal tax convention relieves most double taxation.
• Provincial health care. Each province sets its own absence rules. Plan cover until you can use the Portuguese SNS.
• RRSP, TFSA, CPP and OAS. Get advice before you withdraw; CPP and OAS can generally be paid abroad.
• Portuguese tax. The NHR closed to new residents; its replacement, IFICI, covers only certain activities.

More detail is in our visa guide for Canadians and our cost of living guide.

Portuguese parent or grandparent? Check citizenship first

Many Luso-Canadian families, often with roots in the Azores or mainland Portugal, can claim Portuguese citizenship by descent. As a Portuguese citizen you can live in Portugal without a residence visa. Read Portuguese citizenship by descent for Canadians before you apply for a visa.