Non-resident bank account for residence visa purposes

Anyone wishing to take up residence in Portugal often faces a seemingly mundane hurdle: opening a bank account before holding any legal residence title. This is because the bank account is, as a rule, the primary means of demonstrating the means of subsistence required for the visa. The topic intersects two legal frameworks—access to the banking system and immigration—and they are frequently conflated.

Can a non-resident open an account?

Yes. No rule reserves bank accounts exclusively for residents; opening an account as a non-resident is lawful. What the law imposes is not a ban, but rather identification and customer due diligence duties stemming from the General Legal Framework of Credit Institutions (Decree-Law no. 298/92) and, above all, Law no. 83/2017 (anti-money laundering), regulated by Bank of Portugal Notice no. 1/2022 (which repealed the previous Notice no. 2/2018). The bank retains commercial autonomy and may refuse when it cannot fulfill these compliance duties.

It is worth noting that the basic banking services regime (Decree-Law no. 27-C/2000) grants the right to a basic bank account, but only to consumers legally residing in the European Union. Anyone who does not yet legally reside in the Union cannot invoke this right, remaining subject to the general regime and the individual assessment of each bank. In any event, obtaining a Portuguese NIF (tax number) is the first step—a prerequisite for opening any bank account.

The bank account is relevant for proving means of subsistence: means of subsistence are required upon entry (Article 11 of Law no. 23/2007), as a condition for the visa (Article 52), and for the residence permit (Article 77).

The bank account is not the only means of proof (employment contracts, pension statements, terms of responsibility under Article 12, and bank statements are also valid), but it is the most compelling, as it simultaneously demonstrates the availability of funds and their location in Portugal.

In short: opening an account as a non-resident is both possible and legitimate; there is no right to demand an account under the basic banking services framework, yet arbitrary refusal is unlawful; and the account serves, above all, as proof of means of subsistence for the visa application.

This text is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. The application of the cited regulations depends on the specific circumstances of each case and the legal framework in force on the date of the application.