# A real Portuguese job, so the visa has something to stand on. Canonical URL: https://relovisa.co/payroll-portugal [Book with Relovisa on Tobira](https://tobira.ai/@relovisa) Your company orders the hire. A payroll company signs the Portuguese contract and runs payroll, Social Security and IRS. Relovisa coordinates that employment setup with the employee's D3 case. ## Who this is for - Your foreign employer or clients want you working from Portugal, but have no Portuguese entity - A Portuguese contract with payroll, social security and 14 salaries a year - Apply for Portugal's 20% flat income tax for 10 years ## Prices and packages ### Essential €2,490 one-time +€990 per family member For people who already have a Portuguese employer and only need the D3 filed properly. No payroll service. - Eligibility review and route strategy - Full document preparation, every form completed by us - Pre-submission double-check of the whole dossier - NIF obtained for you - Consulate slot booked where the jurisdiction allows it, or step-by-step instructions where you must appear in person - Case management through to visa issuance ### Full Service €6,900 setup, then €430/month For people whose foreign employer or clients fund a Portuguese hire, and who need the employment set up as well as the visa. Monthly payroll starts once the local employment is active. - Everything in Essential, plus: - Payroll company onboarding and contract coordination - Segurança Social, IRS withholding and monthly payslips - Ongoing payroll compliance for as long as you need it, with year-end IRS support - Step-by-step guide to opening the Portuguese bank account the payroll needs - IFICI application prepared and filed by 15 January - After you land: help with housing, tax registrations and the residence permit appointment - One team accountable for employment, payroll and the residence file Our service fee is separate from government fees and from your own salary. Your gross salary is what we agree, and net is what you receive after standard Portuguese deductions. The government fees themselves are small: €110 at the consulate. AIMA fees for a temporary residence permit (table in force since 1 March 2026): €133.00 application fee plus €114.30 card issuance, €247.30 in total, or €185.60 if filed online. Renewal costs the same. Translations, apostilles and any exceptional third-party work are confirmed with you before they are incurred. ## Steps and timing From your first call to payroll running every month. Your case manager, with a licensed lawyer where the case needs one, handles the paperwork, so you are not the one chasing Portuguese bureaucracy. The sequence joins the commercial hire, the local employment setup and the residence file without pretending that one automatically approves the other. ### 1. Strategy call Week 1 We check the role and salary against the D3 requirement: the legal floor is €1,611.39 a month (3× IAS 2026), and in practice we contract from €2,300 a month for most roles and €2,500 to €3,000 for managerial ones. We also check the role against the IFICI activity list. ### 2. Employment contract Weeks 1 to 3 Onboarding checks are completed and the Portuguese contract is prepared with your agreed gross salary, role title and start date. ### 3. Social Security and IRS Weeks 2 to 5 The employment is registered and payroll deductions and reporting are configured for monthly processing. ### 4. NIF and banking In parallel We obtain your NIF and send a step-by-step guide for opening the Portuguese bank account the payroll needs. ### 5. D3 dossier and consulate 30 to 60 days at the consulate We prepare and double-check the residence dossier, then book the consulate slot where the jurisdiction allows it, or give you step-by-step instructions where you must appear in person. ### 6. Payroll and the IFICI deadline Monthly, then 15 January Payslips, social security filings and IRS withholding run every month, with year-end IRS support when the annual return is due. Your IFICI application is filed by 15 January of the year after you first become Portuguese tax resident, which is the deadline that governs the whole plan. ## FAQ ### Who is my legal employer in Portugal? A payroll company. It signs the Portuguese employment contract and carries the payroll, Segurança Social and IRS obligations that come with it. The payroll company sets your day-to-day tasks and handles HR; your own company orders the result and pays for the arrangement. Relovisa coordinates the onboarding and the connected residence file, and is never the employer. ### How do I know the Portuguese employer is real? The payroll company has been employing for Portuguese cases for several years, with active Segurança Social filings, IRS payroll and accounting infrastructure in Portugal. Since April 2025 AIMA has been checking employer credibility on D3 filings, which is exactly why an established, properly run employment setup matters. The company's details are shared during your consultation. ### What does employer of record mean here? It means the payroll company is the Portuguese legal employer for contract and payroll administration, while the foreign company orders the result and checks the deliverable. Day-to-day tasks, time off and HR sit with the Portuguese employer. Relovisa is the coordinator, not the employing company. ### What salary does a D3 need? The legal floor is €1,611.39 a month (3× IAS 2026). In practice we contract from €2,300 a month for most roles, and €2,500 to €3,000 a month for managerial ones. We confirm the exact figure for the specific role before anything is contracted. ### What does the salary structure look like? You agree a gross monthly salary in euros. Standard Portuguese deductions apply: employee social security and IRS withholding at the Portuguese rates. For roles that qualify, IRS withholding moves to the 20% flat rate as soon as the IFICI registration is filed, because the tax authority instructs employers to apply 20% on proof of filing without waiting for approval. If the registration is later refused, the annual IRS assessment simply recomputes at standard rates. You get monthly payslips and year-end IRS support, with 14 payments across the year as Portuguese law requires. ### What is IFICI and is it guaranteed? IFICI is Portugal's tax status for qualifying highly skilled work: a flat 20% income tax rate for 10 years instead of the standard brackets. Eligibility depends on the activity you actually perform, and most senior tech, engineering and business roles fit. Full Service includes preparing and filing the application by 15 January of the year after you first become Portuguese tax resident. The Portuguese tax authority decides whether the activity and the applicant qualify. ### Can my own foreign company order the hire so I can be employed in Portugal? Yes, this is a common structure. Your foreign company, whether it is a Delaware, BVI or UK Ltd, orders the hire, and a payroll company employs you in Portugal at the agreed gross salary and handles Segurança Social, IRS withholding and monthly payroll. Your foreign company keeps its profits and you receive Portuguese employment income and benefits. We coordinate the arrangement with your accountant, and the payroll company confirms whether it can accept the hire. We also publish a full comparison of running your own Portuguese company against payroll employment. ### How long does the whole thing take? Around 6 to 8 weeks for the employment contract, social security registration, NIF and the full dossier, then 30 to 60 days of consulate processing. Plan 3 to 4 months from start to entering Portugal on a D3. These are planning ranges: documents, employer checks and consulate capacity move them. ### Can my family come with me? Yes. Spouse, minor children and dependent parents apply alongside you at €990 per person, on your timeline. ### What happens if the visa is refused? For Portuguese cases we handle directly, if a refusal follows a complete document set you supplied, we re-file once at no additional service fee, on the conditions set out in your engagement. The employment and the residence file are separate, so we also review what the refusal means for your contract. ### Can I leave the payroll later? Yes, on 30 days' notice, with the standard Portuguese exit documents. At your next renewal you would need another qualifying employer or a different visa category to keep your residency. ### Why is Full Service €6,900 when an agency charges €500? Because the agency cannot set up Portuguese employment. It prepares forms and stops at submission. Full Service covers the setup of the Portuguese employment your employer or clients fund, the payroll and social security that run every month, the D3 dossier, the IFICI application on its deadline, and one team that is still accountable after the file is in. ## Booking [Book a consultation or contact Relovisa](https://tobira.ai/@relovisa). Booking requires your explicit agreement. Contact sharing requires separate consent.