🇰🇪 Kenyan citizens · 🇵🇹 Portugal · Residence / Long-stay
Portugal residence / long-stay visa for Kenyan citizens: requirements, cost and odds
We do not publish a Kenyan-specific approval rate for a residence visa to Portugal, because we do not yet hold a figure from Portugal for this category broken down by nationality. Rather than estimate one and format it like a statistic, we leave it out. For background, the published figures that do exist for Kenya are a 68.2% US visitor-visa refusal rate in FY2025 and a 33.1% Schengen short-stay refusal rate in 2025 — different countries and a different visa class, so treat them as context rather than as your odds. 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) .
How likely is a residence visa to Portugal for Kenyan citizens? Officers focus on whether you have stable, sufficient income or savings to support yourself without working. A typical applicant sees roughly 61%, and the biggest single lever is sufficient, stable income. Kenyan applicants see elevated refusal rates; documented finances, stable employment and ties to home are decisive.
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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 Kenya sits in the official data
Two governments publish visa outcomes broken down by country. Neither predicts an individual decision, but together they show how Kenyan applicants fare relative to everyone else, and which of the destinations we cover currently refuses the fewest applications from Kenya.
US visitor visas — FY2025
A 68.2% adjusted refusal rate places Kenya 183rd of 199 nationalities the State Department publishes — a lower refusal rate than 8% of them. The median nationality sits at 31.8%, so Kenya is 36.4 points above it.
Schengen short-stay visas — 2025
Across all Schengen consulates in Kenya, 33.1% of short-stay applications were not issued — 102nd of 127 countries with a meaningful application volume, and 17.5 points above the 15.6% median.
| Destination | Refused | Issued | Decided |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 16.9% | 83.1% | 5,063 |
| the Netherlands | 19.4% | 80.6% | 5,152 |
| Italy | 19.9% | 80.1% | 6,427 |
| Greece | 23.5% | 76.5% | 2,359 |
| France | 26.2% | 73.8% | 4,326 |
| Germany | 29% | 71% | 10,039 |
Among Schengen states, applications lodged in Kenya were refused least often by Spain at 16.9% and most often by Germany at 29% — a gap of 12.1 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 Kenya between 2024 and 2025. Schengen consulates there decided 76,271 short-stay applications, against 64,779 the year before — up 17.7% — while the refusal rate went from 29.1% to 33.1%. Had 2024's rate held, roughly 3,032 of the 76,271 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 Kenya applicants
Kenyan applicants see elevated refusal rates; documented finances, stable employment and ties to home are decisive. 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 Kenyan 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.
