A 2026 means-of-subsistence model for couples, children and dependent family members
Family reunification turns one person’s income into a household-capacity test. The useful number is not a generic bank balance: it is the weighted monthly requirement for the entire family, backed by evidence that looks stable for at least 12 months.
There are two different questions hiding inside “How much money do I need?”
The first is mathematical: how large is the household Portugal is asking you to support? The second is evidential: what proves that those resources are stable, regular and actually available?
Article 50 already answers who can qualify as a family member. This page starts only after that gate is passed. If that eligibility gate is still open, use the family-reunification eligibility guide before doing any household calculation.
Portugal family reunification proof of funds: Start with the 2026 household formula
Portaria n.º 1563/2007 uses the national minimum wage as the reference and applies a per-person weighting inside the household. For family reunification, Article 9 of that Portaria requires the resulting means to be secured for at least 12 months.
| Household member | Weight | 2026 monthly reference |
|---|---|---|
| First adult | 100% of RMMG | €920 |
| Second and each additional adult | 50% of RMMG | €460 each |
| Child under 18 / dependent adult child | 30% of RMMG | €276 each |
Portugal’s mainland RMMG is €920 from 1 January 2026. The Portaria updates its amounts automatically when the RMMG changes. One practical trap is that AIMA’s current “Meios de Subsistência” webpage still displays the 2025 €870 reference even though the legal reference has moved to €920 for 2026. Use the current law and current RMMG, not the stale example figure on a webpage.
Four worked family files
The resident counts inside the household model. The person already living in Portugal is normally the first adult, then the joining adults and children are added with the statutory weights.
| Household after reunification | Weight total | Monthly model | 12-month model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resident + spouse | 150% | €1,380 | €16,560 |
| Resident + spouse + 1 child | 180% | €1,656 | €19,872 |
| Resident + spouse + 2 children | 210% | €1,932 | €23,184 |
| Resident + dependent parent | 150% | €1,380 | €16,560 |
These are legal-reference calculations, not a promise that a particular file will be approved merely because its bank balance equals the annual number. AIMA is assessing whether the household can support itself without resorting to social assistance, and the Portaria itself describes the resources as stable and regular.
Case 1 — salary comfortably clears the model
A resident earns €2,100 net per month and wants to reunify with a spouse and one child. The 2026 reference model is €1,656 a month. The arithmetic is straightforward, so the file should spend its energy proving the income cleanly: employment contract, recent payslips and bank evidence that make the salary easy to trace.
The mistake would be to submit only a bank certificate showing €20,000 and hide the recurring salary evidence that makes the case more intelligible.
Case 2 — income is close, savings are strong
A resident earns €1,450 a month and wants to reunify with a spouse. The 2026 household reference is €1,380. On the arithmetic, the recurring income is above the reference; savings can reinforce resilience and explain liquidity, but they are not a substitute for showing the actual recurring source when one exists.
This is where I would include savings as a supporting layer, not as a theatrical one-day balance screenshot.
Case 3 — self-employed income is variable
A freelancer’s strongest month may be irrelevant if the previous five months are thin. AIMA’s means page specifically points self-employed applicants toward the service contract or promise of contract, declaration of commencement of activity and receipts from the last six months. The evidence should show a pattern, not a peak.
Case 4 — a responsibility declaration is doing real work
AIMA lists Modelo 4 — Termo de Responsabilidade in family-reunification files when applicable. Its signature must be recognised by a notary, lawyer or solicitor unless signed before an AIMA representative. A responsibility declaration is not a magic bypass: the system can require evidence of the signer’s financial capacity. Treat the signer’s capacity as part of the file, not as a sentence on a form.
What AIMA currently accepts as financial evidence
AIMA’s current transversal guidance is useful because it shows the categories of evidence it expects to see. The exact combination depends on the income type.
Employment: employment contract or promise of contract plus the last three payslips.
Independent work: service contract or promise, commencement-of-activity declaration and receipts from the last six months.
Remote employment: employment contract or employer declaration.
Remote independent work: company/service documents showing services supplied to one or more entities.
Pension: official evidence from the paying authority.
Investment income: evidence from the entity processing the income.
Financial means available in Portugal: banking or other documents showing accessible resources.
This is a better way to think about the file than “How many months of bank statements?” A salaried worker, pensioner and freelancer do not prove the same financial fact with the same paper. For the student route, the bank-evidence question is different; use the student-visa bank-statement evidence guide rather than importing this family-household model.
Income, savings and sponsorship are not interchangeable
I would rank the evidence by the job it performs, not by how impressive the number looks.
Recurring income proves ongoing household capacity.
Savings prove liquidity and cushion, especially where income varies.
A responsibility undertaking identifies who is formally accepting support obligations, where the procedure allows it.
Source evidence explains unusual transfers, new savings or funds that appeared recently.
The weakest file is often not the file with the lowest balance. It is the one where the reviewer cannot tell whether the money belongs to the resident, whether it will still exist next month, or why a large transfer appeared just before the appointment.
The 12-month test changes how you should present the money
Article 9 of Portaria 1563/2007 says the family-reunification household must have the calculated means secured for no less than 12 months. That does not mean every employed resident must hold twelve months of cash in one current account. It does mean the file should make a twelve-month support story credible.
For an employee, that story may be a continuing job and recent pay history. For a pensioner, a recurring pension. For a freelancer, a demonstrable service pipeline plus recent receipts. For someone relying heavily on assets, it becomes more important to show that the funds are genuinely available and not borrowed for presentation day.
A five-minute household audit
Count the resident and every family member who will form the household after reunification.
Apply 100% / 50% / 30% to the current RMMG, not an old blog figure.
Multiply the monthly household reference by 12 as the planning baseline.
Separate recurring income from savings; label both clearly.
Make account ownership, currency and source of material deposits obvious.
Match the evidence type to AIMA’s current means-of-subsistence categories.
If using Modelo 4, prepare the signer’s financial-capacity evidence and signature formalities.
Do not let the money file contradict the housing or employment facts elsewhere in the application. Pair the financial file with the family-reunification housing-evidence guide so the money and accommodation stories do not contradict one another.
If your household calculation is clear in the first 30 seconds, the rest of the documents can do their real job: prove that the number is sustainable.
Sources checked for this article
Diário da República — Portaria n.º 1563/2007 — Articles 2, 9 and 13: household weights, 12-month family-reunification period and automatic updating with the RMMG.
Diário da República — Decreto-Lei n.º 139/2025 — Official €920 RMMG for mainland Portugal from 1 January 2026.
AIMA — Meios de Subsistência — Current evidence categories and family-reunification percentage structure; page still shows the older 2025 RMMG figure.
AIMA — Family reunification (family outside Portugal) — Current family-reunification file includes proof of means and, where applicable, Modelo 4.
AIMA — Modelo 4 signature guidance — Recognition requirement for the responsibility undertaking unless signed before AIMA.
