Digital nomads seeking to live and work remotely from Portugal are encountering difficulties in securing residency permits due to conflicting requirements from two government agencies.
The Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA) and Social Security have different stances on what is necessary for obtaining a residence permit. AIMA insists that digital nomads must register with Social Security and obtain a Social Security Registration Number (NISS) as part of the residency process. However, Social Security maintains that this registration is not required for remote workers.
Lawyer Larissa Belo, representing clients affected by this confusion, has taken legal action to protect digital nomads who have followed Portugal’s regulations. She has called on judges to intervene and compel Social Security to issue NISS numbers, allowing AIMA to grant residence permits. Belo argues that AIMA’s classification of digital nomads as displaced workers is incorrect and unfair in this context.
The debate over the NISS requirement has also sparked differing views among legal experts. Lawyer Fábio Pimentel of CPPB Law firm supports AIMA’s position, stating that digital nomads must register with Social Security, regardless of their employment connections in Portugal. Pimentel also emphasized that Social Security should not deny NISS registration to anyone, as the system is universal and accessible to all, similar to Social Security in Brazil.
Since 2022, Portugal has been offering digital nomad visas to remote workers and freelancers from outside the European Union. To qualify, applicants must earn at least €3,480 per month. The visa process typically takes about 90 days. Recent data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed that approximately 5,400 digital nomads have been granted these visas, with 15% of them coming from Brazil.
