What is the Portugal Golden Visa?

Portugal Investment Visa, popularly known as Portugal Golden Visa, is a residency by-investment scheme designed aimed at encouraging foreigners to invest in Portugal and grant residency permits to investors who invest in property or other specified areas in Portugal.

Portugal Investment Visa was launched in October 2012 to attract foreign investment into the country. To date, the program has been a great success, raising over €6 billion. The Portugal Golden Visa program provides the opportunity to become a permanent resident or a citizen in Portugal in only five years.

Who is Eligible for the Portugal Golden Visa?

Portugal offers a Golden Visa for non-EU/EEA/Swiss nationals. This visa allows the holder to reside in Portugal and enjoy other benefits, such as access to the Schengen Area. To be eligible for the Portugal Golden Visa,

• An applicant must be 18 years of age or older.
• Have a clean criminal record from their home country as well as from Portugal.
• In addition, the funds for the investment must come from outside of Portugal.
• To qualify for Portugal’s Golden Visa, a qualifying investment has to be made. Several different types of investments can qualify for the Golden Visa, including real estate, venture capital funds, and transfer of capital.
• If you are looking to extend your Golden Visa to include other family members, you can do so through family reunification. A comprehensive list of eligible dependents can be found in the section below.

What are the Benefits of having a Portugal Golden Visa?

Residency Benefits

• You and your family can live, work, study, or do business in Portugal
• Access to free Healthcare benefits in Portugal
• Children can study for free in Portugal
• Visa-free travel to Schengen Countries
• Stay only for 7 days a year/14 days in 2 years to maintain residency
• Become eligible for Portuguese  citizenship

Citizenship Benefits

• Powerful Portuguese Passport with Visa-free travel to over 180  countries
• Right to move and settle in any of the 27 European countries
• HealthCare and Education benefits in any EU country you choose to settle

How can you be eligible for citizenship and a passport in Portugal?

If you have held a Golden Visa for five years, you may be eligible to apply. Here’s what you need to know to qualify:

• First, all tax payments must be up to date in Portugal.
• Secondly, you must have a clean criminal record from both Portugal and your home country.
• Lastly, you will need to pass a basic Portuguese language test. We will discuss this language test’s specifics later in the article.

How to get Portugal Golden Visa

There are two main ways you can obtain a Golden Visa through the Portugal program: Obtain a residency visa through real estate investment or make a substantial amount of capital available to support business projects.

Real Estate Investment

1. €500,000 Investment in Real Estate
2. €500,000 Investment in a Fund in Portugal
3. €350,000 Renovation of a Property that is 30 Years Old
4. Low-Density Areas (€400,000 in Real Estate or €280,000 in the Renovation of Property)

Business investment 

• € 1 million or more Investment in Real Estate
• Creation of 10 Jobs in Portugal