Portugal Golden Visa 2024: Obtain Portugal Citizenship by Investment

For many people, the idea of relocating to Portugal is thrilling. The nation is endowed with an abundance of scenic beauty, a fascinating and rich past, a good standard of living with reasonably priced housing, first-rate healthcare and educational facilities, and a friendly and lively culture.

Over time, obtaining citizenship by investment has become more and more common. Following suit, Portugal introduced the Golden Visa scheme, which allows non-EU nationals to remain in Portugal in exchange for investment. Nevertheless, this program was only dropped. Continue reading to get all the information you need to apply for a Portugal Golden Visa.

Portugal Golden Visa 2024

For non-EU nationals who have made a substantial investment in Portugal—such as buying real estate, making a capital investment, or creating jobs—the Portugal Golden Visa is a residency permit. With the Golden Visa, you can apply for Portuguese citizenship in as little as five years, which is a quick and easy route to permanent residency and citizenship in an EU nation.

After five years, if you are granted a Golden Visa, you can apply for citizenship. In contrast to other nations, obtaining Portuguese citizenship through the Golden Visa process does not require you to reside in Portugal during that time.

It only takes seven to fourteen days annually to fully experience the nation. But you will need to demonstrate that you have a place to live in Portugal, a reliable source of income, and a rudimentary understanding of the Portuguese language.

Portugal Golden Visa requirements

One of the following investments must be made to obtain a Golden Visa in Portugal:

• Invest in a minimum-value property of EUR 500,000. The investment required if you buy in a low-density area is EUR 400,000.
• Purchase a property in a Portuguese urban renewal region for EUR 350,000. The investment amount is EUR 280,000 if you want to invest in a low-density area. The project needs to be eligible for funding from SEF, the Portuguese Immigration and Borders Service.
• Make a minimum EUR 350,000 investment in an approved investment fund. The Portuguese Securities Market Commission (CMVM) oversees investment choices, which typically involve venture capital investments in start-up tech businesses or real estate.
• Transfer at least €1 million in capital to a Portuguese bank account.
• Invest in company stock for a minimum of one million euros.
• Invest a minimum of EUR 1 million in a business.
• Make at least ten positions available to Portuguese citizens.
• A minimum of EUR 350,000 must be invested in the formation of a business or in bolstering the share capital of an existing business to generate at least five full-time jobs.
• Provide a minimum of EUR 350,000 in capital to support science and technology research initiatives at private or public research institutes.
• Contribute at least €250,000 in capital to the restoration of national heritage or the arts.

Portugal Golden Visa eligibility

The following conditions must be met for you to be eligible for a Portugal Golden Visa:

• You have to be older than eighteen.
• You have to commit a large sum of money that will help the Portuguese economy.
• You must not have ever had a criminal record.
• The money you want to invest must be yours.
• You have to pledge to keep up the investment for a minimum of five more years.

Portugal Golden Visa required documents

The following paperwork is required when applying for a Portugal Golden Visa:

• The official application for a visa to Portugal
• A valid passport
• Two passport-sized photos that comply with the Portugal visa photo specifications
• Valid proof of health insurance received in Portugal
• Evidence that the individual has never been arrested before. A certificate is required from each nation where you have resided for more than a year. The certificate must be translated into Portuguese and sworn by the appropriate authorities, having been issued within the last three months.
• Proclamation promising to keep your investment for a minimum of five years
• Refund confirmation via the ARI site

Acquiring a minimum of EUR 500,000 worth of real estate property:

• The pre-contract agreement or the property’s acquisition deed
• A declaration from a financial institution registered or authorized in Portugal attesting to the assets’ successful international transfer
• The Land Register Certificate certifies the property’s ownership together with the records, endorsements, and registration that are now in effect.
• If appropriate, the property’s legal description

A 350,000 euro property investment in a Portuguese urban renewal area:

• The documents listed above
• A declaration from an authorized body attesting to the property’s location in a regeneration area

Money transfer into a bank account totaling at least EUR 1 million:

• Attestation for the deposit from a financial institution registered in Portugal. There must be no fees or responsibilities associated with the transfer.

Creation of a minimum of ten jobs:

• A financial institution’s Portuguese-registered declaration attesting to the necessary deposit
• Separate employment agreements between the company and the workers
• If you own stock in a business: Excerpt from the Companies Register

Investment in the arts

• A statement from the Portuguese Strategy, Planning, and Cultural Assessment Office attesting to your investment in the preservation and upkeep of the country’s cultural heritage or supporting the arts, indicating that they have conferred with the relevant authorities in the field
• A statement from a Portuguese financial institution verifying the assets’ transfer

Investment on Research

• A statement verifying the investment from a public or private scientific research institution
• A statement from a Portuguese financial institution verifying the assets’ transfer

How to Apply for a Portugal Golden Visa

The following steps make up the Portuguese Golden Visa application process:

Visit Portugal and make an investment

To see your alternatives and begin the investing procedure, you (or your lawyers) should schedule a previous trip to Portugal. Let’s say, on your first visit, that you want to invest in real estate. In that scenario, you will tour homes, have meetings with attorneys, and issue a representative power of attorney if that’s how you want it to happen.

Your lawyer will assist you in arranging the required meetings and paperwork for the transfer if you decide to invest in one of the other possibilities. You might require a Portuguese Schengen visa to enter Portugal for this brief first visit if you are from a nation that has visa restrictions.

Create a tax number and bank account in Portugal

Before completing your investment, you must obtain a Portuguese bank account and tax number.

An NIF number, or Número de Identificação Fiscal, is another name for a tax number that you can get at the Tax and Customs Authority local office (the Taxpayer Registration Services). You will need to submit papers and fill out a set of forms (given by the tax office) to be eligible for a Portuguese tax number.

In Portugal, you can open a bank account with any reliable financial organization. The procedure is really simple and is the same everywhere in the world: all you have to do is go to the bank and request the opening of an account.

You’ll need proof of income, proof of address, and identity for both of these procedures.

Finish off your investment

You can finally finish your investment once you have set up your tax number and bank account. The investment may take many months to complete; in the meantime, you will need to obtain the required documentation to apply for the Golden Visa.

Apply for the Portuguese Golden Visa

You can now apply for a Portuguese Golden Visa at the Immigration and Borders Service (SEF) after your investment is complete. The steps involved are as follows:

• Register for the Residence Permits for Investment Activities (ARI) Portal. The SEF’s internet gateway for managing Golden Visa applications is called ARI. You have the option to register yourself or have a legal agent do it for you.
• Provide electronic versions of the necessary documents (no more than 4MB in size, in PDF format).
• Pay all applicable fees.
• Await the SEF’s confirmation.
• Make an appointment at a nearby SEF branch to submit your Golden Visa application.

Give Power of Attorney (POA) to a legal representative to apply on your behalf if you do not want to apply for the visa in person. Golden visa experts at La Vida are one such representative. After that, your attorney can assist you with making your investment and applying for a visa for you and your family.

Obtain your residency permit in Portugal

It may take three to six months to acquire your resident permit card after submitting your application. The card can be renewed for a maximum of five years after its initial one-year expiration date.

You can live and work in Portugal without restriction and take advantage of the same privileges as other Portuguese nationals if you have a Portuguese resident permit card.

Apply for permanent residency or citizenship

You can seek permanent residency or Portuguese citizenship five years after you make your investment. You now have to show that you are connected to Portugal and pass a general knowledge exam. The exam verifies your conversational Portuguese proficiency, at least at the A2 level as well as your broad understanding of Portuguese legislation and society. Residency requirements don’t exist.

The requested translation of the documents you submit with your application for a Portuguese Golden visa should be done in either Portuguese or English. A certified translator should perform translations. Apostille stamps are necessary for the legalization of certain papers, including those about civil status.

Portugal Golden Visa costs

You must furthermore pay the following government fees in addition to the principal investment (e.g., EUR 500,000 in real estate):

• Processing charge per family member: 533 euros
• The cost to issue a Golden Visa is EUR 5,325 for each family member.
• The cost of renewing a residence permit is €2,663 per family member.

In addition, you will probably need to pay for the services and advice of lawyers, consultants, or other specialists to help you along the process, depending on the amount of money you invest. It is also important to consider document issuance, translation, and legalization (Apostille Stamp).

Portugal Golden Visa validity

The first year of a Portugal Golden Visa is valid. After that, as long as you have kept up your investment, you can renew it every two years. You can apply for citizenship or permanent residence after five years.