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🇬🇦 Gabonese citizens · 🇵🇹 Portugal · Residence / Long-stay

Portugal residence / long-stay visa success rate for Gabonese citizens

55.4% of Gabonese US visitor-visa cases were approved in FY2025. Portugal publishes no residence-visa outcomes broken down by nationality, so there is no official Gabonese rate for this exact route, and any site quoting a precise percentage is estimating rather than citing. For reference, 70.8% of Schengen short-stay applications lodged in Gabon were issued in 2025. What is documented is the decision itself — officers assess whether you have stable, sufficient income or savings to support yourself without working, and the single biggest lever is sufficient, stable income. On the money side: Passive income of at least €920/month — €11,040/year (100% of Portugal's 2026 minimum wage) — plus +50% for a spouse (~€460) and +30% per child (~€276). You also typically need ~€11,040 in savings in a Portuguese bank. Amounts rise every January with the minimum wage. The estimator below weighs your own finances, ties, travel history and refusal record against that.

Last reviewed July 2026 per our editorial standards. Source: Portugal MFA — National Visas (vistos.mne.gov.pt) .

Portugal assesses a residence visa on whether you have stable, sufficient income or savings to support yourself without working. As an approximate starting point, this route runs near a 74% base approval for Gabonese citizens — your finances, ties and history then push your personal odds up or down. Published approval rates for Gabon run at 55.4% on US visitor visas in FY2025 and 70.8% on Schengen short-stay applications in 2025.

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Key requirements

  • Non-EU/EEA/Swiss national with stable, regular passive income (pension, rental, dividends, royalties)
  • Passive income of at least €920/month (100% of Portugal's 2026 minimum wage), +50% for a spouse and +30% per child
  • Portuguese NIF (tax number) and a Portuguese bank account holding roughly 12 months' income
  • A 12-month registered lease or property deed in Portugal (hotel bookings are not enough)
  • Apostilled criminal-record certificate, valid passport and health insurance
  • Genuine intent to reside in Portugal — the D7 expects you to actually live there

Money & funds

Passive income of at least €920/month — €11,040/year (100% of Portugal's 2026 minimum wage) — plus +50% for a spouse (~€460) and +30% per child (~€276). You also typically need ~€11,040 in savings in a Portuguese bank. Amounts rise every January with the minimum wage.

Typical timeline

Consulate stage ~60–90 days, then an AIMA appointment for the residence card — roughly 6–9 months in total, mostly driven by AIMA appointment backlogs. The initial permit is 2 years, renewable.

Common refusal reasons

  • Income is active (a salary or freelance earnings) rather than passive — apply for the D8 instead
  • Income insufficient, irregular or too thinly documented
  • Missing or expired criminal-record certificate, or missing apostille/legalisation
  • Weak accommodation proof — a short booking or an unregistered lease
  • No Portuguese NIF/bank account, or savings below the required balance

Where Gabon sits in the official data

Two governments publish visa outcomes broken down by country. Neither predicts an individual decision, but together they show how Gabonese applicants fare relative to everyone else, and which of the destinations we cover currently refuses the fewest applications from Gabon.

US visitor visas — FY2025

A 44.6% adjusted refusal rate places Gabon 133rd of 199 nationalities the State Department publishes — a lower refusal rate than 33% of them. The median nationality sits at 31.8%, so Gabon is 12.8 points above it.

Schengen short-stay visas — 2025

Across all Schengen consulates in Gabon, 29.2% of short-stay applications were not issued — 91st of 127 countries with a meaningful application volume, and 13.6 points above the 15.6% median.

Schengen short-stay applications lodged in Gabon in 2025, by issuing state. All rows use the European Commission's methodology, so they are comparable with each other — the US figure is computed differently and is shown separately above.
DestinationRefusedIssuedDecided
France27.8%72.2%15,749
Spain40.9%59.1%535
Italy44.5%55.5%999

Among Schengen states, applications lodged in Gabon were refused least often by France at 27.8% and most often by Italy at 44.5% — a gap of 16.7 points on a like-for-like basis. That gap reflects who applies where as much as how strictly each state decides, so it is a starting point for choosing a main destination, not a ranking of leniency. You must still apply to the state where you will spend the most nights.

Demand and outcome moved together for Gabon between 2024 and 2025. Schengen consulates there decided 17,283 short-stay applications, against 18,363 the year before — down 5.9% — while the refusal rate went from 26.5% to 29.2%. Had 2024's rate held, roughly 463 of the 17,283 applicants refused in 2025 would have been issued a visa instead.

Sources: U.S. Department of State — Adjusted Refusal Rate, B-Visas Only, by Nationality and European Commission — Schengen short-stay visa statistics for consulates . Schengen figures are grouped by the country an application was lodged in, not by passport.

What actually moves the needle

Passive income or savings clearly above the threshold

This is the heart of residence decisions for Portugal. Make it concrete and documented rather than assumed.

A stable, well-documented source of funds

Officers weigh this alongside everything else — gather clear evidence before you apply.

Full health insurance and a clean criminal record

Officers weigh this alongside everything else — gather clear evidence before you apply.

Context for Gabon applicants

Published approval rates for Gabon run at 55.4% on US visitor visas in FY2025 and 70.8% on Schengen short-stay applications in 2025. Your personal profile matters far more than any nationality-level pattern, so focus on the levers above.

Avoid the common pitfall

The most frequent reason this route fails is income that is too low, irregular, or actually active employment rather than passive. Address it directly and you remove the biggest doubt.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an official Portugal residence visa success rate for Gabonese citizens?

Not one we currently carry. We only print a rate when we hold the publisher's own figure for this nationality and this visa category, and we do not hold one for Portugal residence visas. The figure shown on this page is a modelled estimate built from published route-level data and your answers — we label it as such rather than presenting it as a government statistic. What you can act on is the documented requirement set below, which is what the decision actually turns on.

What matters most for a Portugal residence visa?

Officers focus on whether you have stable, sufficient income or savings to support yourself without working. In practice the single biggest lever is sufficient, stable income, so make that part of your application as strong and well-documented as possible.

Does a previous visa refusal affect my chances?

Yes. A prior refusal weighs on new applications until its underlying reason is addressed. Find out exactly why you were refused, fix what caused it, and clearly show what is different this time.

Is this a guarantee of approval?

No. GetVisaOdds is an educational planning tool, not legal advice and not a guarantee. Only a consular or immigration officer can decide your application. We show approximate odds and the reasons behind them so you can prepare better.

Is my information private?

Completely. The estimate runs entirely in your browser. Your answers are never sent to a server or stored — there is no sign-up and nothing to leak.

What income do I need for the Portugal D7 in 2026?

At least €920/month (€11,040/year) in passive income for one applicant — 100% of the 2026 minimum wage — plus 50% more for a spouse and 30% per child, and around €11,040 saved in a Portuguese bank. The figure updates every January.

D7 or D8 — which one do I need?

If your money is passive (pension, rent, dividends), use the D7. If it's active remote-work income (a salary or freelancing), use the D8. Applying on the wrong one is a common refusal reason.

Is there an age or retirement requirement for the D7?

No. It's often called the 'retirement visa', but there is no minimum age — anyone with enough qualifying passive income can apply.

Can I work in Portugal on a D7?

Yes — the D7 residence permit lets you work or run a business once you hold it, but you must qualify on passive income first and show you can support yourself without working.

Does the D7 lead to citizenship?

It leads to permanent residence after 5 years, but since Portugal's May 2026 nationality reform, citizenship now requires 7 years (EU/CPLP nationals) or 10 years (others) of legal residence — no longer 5. This is an educational summary, not legal advice.

Explore related visa odds

Residence / Long-stay visa odds for Gabonese citizens elsewhere

Portugal residence visa odds for other nationalities

Helpful guides

Cheapest and fastest EU residency by investment (2026) → Portugal D8 vs Spain digital nomad visa: which wins in 2026? → How to read visa approval and refusal rates → How to prove strong ties to your home country → How to document your finances for a visa → What to do after a visa refusal →