No. The NHR regime closed to new arrivals on 1 January 2024. If you move to Portugal in 2026, the only special regime available is IFICI: a 20% flat rate on income from specific qualified jobs, for 10 years. Retirees, passive investors and most remote workers do not qualify.
I still get asked about NHR every week, usually by buyers who read about it years ago and planned their move around it. Most of the content online has not caught up, so here is what is actually true for anyone buying in Lagos and moving over this year or next.
Can I still get NHR tax status if I move to Portugal in 2026?
Not as a new resident. The Non-Habitual Resident regime was ended by the 2024 State Budget, and new registrations stopped from 1 January 2024. People who were already registered keep their NHR until their 10 years run out, so you will still meet neighbours in Lagos who have it. You just cannot join them.
What replaced it is the IFICI, the Incentivo Fiscal à Investigação Científica e Inovação, set out in article 58-A of the Estatuto dos Benefícios Fiscais and regulated by Portaria 352/2024/1. You will see it marketed as “NHR 2.0”. That nickname is the source of most of the confusion, because it suggests the same people qualify. They do not.
What IFICI actually gives you
According to the Tax Authority’s own IFICI guidance, a qualifying person gets four things:
- A special 20% IRS rate on employment or self-employed income (categories A and B) earned from the eligible activity.
- An exemption on most foreign-source income, with one big exception: pensions (category H) are not covered.
- A 35% rate on income from jurisdictions on Portugal’s tax haven list.
- All of it for 10 consecutive years, not renewable.
Who qualifies for IFICI in 2026
Two conditions apply to everyone: you must not have been a Portuguese tax resident in the previous five years, and you must never have benefited from NHR. On top of that, your work has to fall into one of the listed categories:
- Higher education teaching and scientific research.
- Highly qualified professions (engineers, ICT specialists, directors, doctors and others on the official list) in companies that meet the sector and export conditions.
- Qualified jobs in certified Portuguese startups.
- R&D roles whose costs are eligible under SIFIDE II.
- Qualified roles in projects recognised by AICEP or IAPMEI as being of national interest.
In most cases the employer or project also has to be recognised by the relevant authority. That is the part people miss: being a software engineer is not enough on its own. The company you work for has to tick its own boxes too.
Old NHR vs IFICI: side by side
| Old NHR | IFICI (2026) | |
|---|---|---|
| Open to new residents? | No, closed since 1 January 2024 | Yes |
| Who qualifies | Almost anyone becoming tax resident | Only specific qualified jobs and employers |
| Rate on Portuguese work income | 20% for listed high value-added professions | 20% on income from the eligible activity |
| Foreign pensions | 10% flat (exempt for those registered before April 2020) | No benefit, normal progressive IRS rates |
| Most other foreign income | Largely exempt | Largely exempt, 35% from tax haven jurisdictions |
| Duration | 10 years | 10 consecutive years, not renewable |
| Previous residence rule | Not resident in the prior 5 years | Not resident in the prior 5 years, never NHR |
| Application deadline | 31 March of the year after becoming resident | 15 January of the year after becoming resident |
What this means if you are buying in Lagos
Most of the American and British buyers I work with around the €800k mark in Lagos fall into two groups: people retiring, and people keeping a job or business abroad and working remotely. Neither group usually qualifies for IFICI. Retirees are excluded outright, because pensions sit outside the regime. Remote workers employed by a foreign company rarely meet the employer conditions.
Buying a property does not help either. There is no investment route into IFICI, and the Golden Visa has not accepted real estate since October 2023. A home in Lagos can support your case for tax residency, but it does not unlock a special rate. You can check what a comparable home is worth with the free SunnySteve estimate before you commit to a budget.
So when a buyer tells me Portugal is on their list “because of the tax deal”, my first question is what that deal is based on. If the answer is an article from 2022, we need to run the numbers again with an accountant, on today’s rules. For many people the move still makes complete sense on lifestyle, climate and what it actually costs to live in Lagos. It just should not be sold as a tax play anymore.
If you do qualify: do not miss 15 January
The application goes through the Portal das Finanças by 15 January of the year after the one in which you become tax resident. Move in 2026, apply by 15 January 2027. File late and you lose the years before your application, and they do not come back. If your employer needs recognition first, start that conversation months ahead, not in December.
Your property taxes after you buy (IMI, and AIMI above the threshold) apply whatever your income tax regime. I cover those in the SunnySteve Portugal tax guide.
This is not tax advice. IFICI eligibility depends on your job, your employer and your history, so speak to a Portuguese certified accountant before you plan a move around it. Rules checked against the Tax Authority’s guidance on 21 September 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can retirees get IFICI in Portugal?
No. IFICI only covers income from a qualifying job, and foreign pensions (category H) are explicitly left out. A retiree moving to Lagos in 2026 pays normal progressive IRS on a private pension, so compare the numbers with an accountant before you move.
Does buying property in Portugal qualify me for IFICI?
No. There is no investment route into IFICI, and real estate has not counted for the Golden Visa since October 2023. Owning a home in Lagos can support your tax residency, but the 20% rate depends on your job and employer, not on what you buy.
I already have NHR. Do I lose it?
No. If you were registered under NHR before the regime closed, you keep it until your 10 years end, including the 10% rate on foreign pensions if that applied to you. You cannot move from NHR into IFICI afterwards.
When is the deadline to apply for IFICI if I move to Portugal in 2026?
15 January 2027. The application is made on the Portal das Finanças by 15 January of the year after you become tax resident. A late application only counts from the year you file, so you lose the years you missed.
Planning a move to the Western Algarve and want to buy on the right footing? Tell me what you are looking for and I will come back to you personally.
