Not Married, One Visa Each: Richard and Lucy’s D7 from London

Richard and Lucy applied for their D7 visas at VFS London in June 2026. They went in together, but with two separate files, because they aren’t married. Both visas were approved 17 days later.

We’ve changed their names and some details at their request.

They live in the east of England. He’s retired. She owns a small company that she runs mostly from a laptop. They had already found a house in the north of Portugal, a couple of hours inland from Porto, and were buying it while the visa work went on. Their long-term goal is EU citizenship, and Portugal was the route they picked for it.

Not married means two applicants, not one

Most couples apply for a D7 as a main applicant plus a dependent. The dependent rides on the main applicant’s file, and the income needed for the second person is only half the minimum.

That only works if the consulate recognises the relationship, which usually means a marriage certificate or a registered partnership. Richard and Lucy have neither, so each of them applied as a principal with a full D7 file of their own:

• their own proof of income, meeting the full minimum on its own
• their own savings in a Portuguese bank account
• their own criminal-record certificate, insurance and supporting documents

That sounds like double the work, and some of it is. But it also means neither visa depends on the other. Each file stands up by itself.

One pension, one company

The two files looked very different.

Richard’s was the classic D7. He lives on his UK state pension and a private pension, paid every month. A consulate sees that kind of income as stable, and bank statements showing it arriving are most of the evidence.

Lucy’s took more thought. She owns her company and pays herself a small salary plus dividends. She also works, so the question was whether she should apply for the D8 remote-work visa instead. We went through both with her. The D8 would mean proving remote work and earning four times the Portuguese minimum wage. The D7 needed her to show passive income that keeps arriving. Her company has employees who do the day-to-day work, and she had a steady record of dividends, so the D7 was the cleaner fit.

Dividends from your own company do count as passive income for the D7. What the consulate wants is evidence that they’re real and regular, so her file included tax returns and company accounts as well as bank statements.

17 days from VFS London to two approved D7 visas.

Timing the paperwork

They started early. Their first call with our team was in January, months before they planned to move, because they wanted the visas sorted before the summer. That lead time mattered for two reasons:

• The criminal-record certificate is only valid for 90 days, and it has to be apostilled too. Applying for it once you know your appointment date keeps it from expiring before you get there.
• Six months of bank statements are better than three when part of your income isn’t a fixed monthly payment like a pension. Lucy’s dividends needed that longer history to look steady.

Owning the home already

Because they were buying a house, proof of accommodation was the property deed rather than a lease. If you’re buying in Portugal at the same time as applying, you’ll need a NIF for the purchase anyway, so it’s worth getting that done first. It’s needed for the visa, the bank account and almost everything else.

What’s next for them

With the visas approved, the next step is the AIMA appointment in Portugal, where they give their biometrics and are granted residence. At that appointment you get a paper confirming approval, and the physical card follows by post, sometimes months later. That paper lets you travel, which mattered to them: they still have family in the UK, and one of their children was starting university in the autumn.

If you’re applying as an unmarried couple

• Check whether you can apply as main applicant and dependent. Without a marriage or registered partnership, you’ll probably need two separate applications.
• Each of you needs the full income minimum and your own savings, not 150% between you.
• Dividends from your own company count for the D7. Back them up with tax returns and company accounts.
• If one of you still works, compare the D7 with the D8 before you decide. The D8 sets a much higher income bar.
• Order the criminal-record certificate late, once you know your appointment date, and get it apostilled.

Names are pseudonyms, used at the clients' request, and some dates and details have been changed. Images are illustrative. Every application is different, and consulate requirements and timelines change. Novomove is a relocation technology platform that coordinates licensed Portuguese lawyers, not a law firm.