Since 2012
Usually the process takes up to 6-8 months. One visit to Portugal is required. Investors must meet the following criteria:
Not being subject to sanctions, restrictions or bans on entry to EU countries, USA, the UK and Canada
No criminal record and criminal proceedings for serious crimes
Ability to confirm the legality of the origin of funds
Impeccable personal and business reputation
A spouse
Children under the age of 18
Children, regardless of age, having a mental or physical disability
Main applicant's parents and / or spouse 65 years of age and older
Visa-free entry and travel across the Schengen
Required period of stay in the country - 7 days during a calendar year
New possibilities for business development
All family members can get residence permit within 6-8 months with a right to employment
A way to obtain permanent residency and citizenship
Social and political security
Tax planning possibilities
The Portugal Golden Visa changes will take effect in January of next year; applications must be sent by the end of 2021. Every Golden Visa pleading filed after this date will be subject to new legislation that will take effect on January 1, 2022.
The new laws make a variety of changes. Let’s take a look at them one by one. Keep in mind that the price rise in Portugal will enter into force on January 1, 2022.
Minimum investment items with a €350,000 price tag are becoming increasingly scarce. However, there is still time to make secure and longstanding funding in Portugal’s capital over the next 5-6 years.
Show more ∨The Portugal Golden Visa is one of Europe’s and the commonest citizenship-by-investment programmes. It was enacted in 2012 to countenance non-EU civilians standing to a residence permit in turn for a 5-year expenditure in real estate.
Above 9,000 outside fund clients have gotten the Golden Visa of Portugal during the program. The majority of them are from China, Brazil, Turkey, South Africa, and Russia.
The Portugal Golden Visa program made it easier for individuals to inhabit and work in this southern European country, boosting the level of the national economy. Since the programme started, the state has earned nearly six billion euros via investments in agreements with the Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras (SEF).
The Golden Visa is distinguished at an international scale due to comparatively inexpensive property prices, the country’s safety, and excellent quality of life. The Portuguese capital is one of those regions providing minimal property investments among all European regions.
Lisbon is one of the world’s greenest cities. It has one of the most pleasant climates on the European mainland and outstanding beaches, an exceptional transport system, and globally recognized universities that make the city a desirable option for vacationers and trans-border investors.
Persons who gain Portuguese citizenship by investment must remain in the country for at least 14 days consecutively or intermittently for each 2-year visa period in order to keep all of the privileges of living in the EU, such as passports, free unrestricted travel, and the freedom to work, learn, and live in Portugal.
The main pre-eminences of acquiring a residency and citizenship in Portugal are:
With your application for a Golden Portugal Investment Visa, you must also apply the next documents:
Candidates must also demonstrate that they are committed to keep the investment fund for at least five years in addition to this list of paper trails. Additionally, candidates must provide proof of their investment, such as:
Applicants renewing their Golden Visa in Portuguese Republic will be asked to show that they have fulfilled the necessary conditions to stay during the visa validation time. For proving this, each form of investment has its own set of criteria.
Getting Portugal citizenship by investment with the help of the Portugal Golden Visa will take several months to process. SEF may contact the respondent (or their legal assignees) to set up a meeting after it has been reviewed.
Participants eager for immigration to Portugal by investment will contribute financially to either of the succeeding options:
Real estate investments are the most common capital contributing strategy for securing a residency permit in Portugal. In 2019, this choice was favoured by over 93 percent of international investors over other Golden Visa alternatives.
Portugal’s movable properties are in high demand. According to Standard Poor’s (an American credit rating agency), the country is among the top three EU countries with the fastest-growing property rates, with a 7 percent increase in 2019.
In order to maintain a Golden Visa in Portugal, you must spend at least €500,000 in a landed estate or €350,000 in a project for renewal.
The minimum contribution will be decreased by 20%, to €400,000 and €280,000, respectively, but only if immovable property is bought in an area with a low population density (less than 100 inhabitants per square kilometer of land area) or a low GDP (75 percent lower than the national average index).
The Portuguese government will no longer grant residency permits for investments in Grande Lisboa, Porto, and other coastal zones of the country starting January 1, 2022. Foreign clients with funds would be acceptable to buy homes only in the inner districts of Portugal, the Azores, or Madeira.
The housing costs in the plan are charged without the need for a mortgage. You may, however, apply for a loan of an amount greater than the minimal Portugal Golden Visa requirements. For example, if you purchase a home for €700,000 and meet the Portugal residence program’s minimum standards of €500,000, you will get a €200,000 mortgage.
When acquiring real estate in Portugal, remember that the cost of registration would be roughly 10% to 12% of the object’s value. In fact, the total annual cost of housing maintenance in Portugal would be €2,000.
The person obtains permanent Portugal residency by investment and applies for Portuguese citizenship after five years. In comparison to Spain and Italy, where patriality can be obtained in 10 years, and Greece, where nationality can be received in 7 years, it is one of the fastest naturalizations in the European Union.
Furthermore, the Portuguese authorities recognise dual nationality, allowing you to hold your home country’s passport.
There are a few Portugal Golden Visa necessary criteria that the investor must satisfy:
Depending on whether the investor obtains a Golden Visa in Portugal on his or her own or with the assistance of an immigration department, the measures will vary. In the second scenario, specialists do all of the mundane tasks. The client must pay for the contribution and receive a certificate of residency permit status. Let’s look at the most important steps:
SEF will review the resignation and make a decision within 6-7 months. If the investor’s application for a residence permit card is approved, he or she will be required to pay an extra fiscal obligation for each family member involved in the application.
In Portugal, the expense of acquiring a residency card is €5,173 per family member. The cost of extending a residency in Portugal is 50% of this amount, or €2,586.
The fee for applying for and renewing a residency permit is €517 for the principal applicant and €80 for a family member.
The expense of obtaining a tax number (NIF) and the services of a tax representative is €200. Medical insurance is also around €200 per person.
– €500,000 for any type of property – €350,000 for properties that are subject to renovation and were built over 30 years ago
Examples of calculations:
For 1 applicant - €556,000
For a family of four - €574,000
€1,000,000 – a minimum investment (from 01/01/2022 – €1,500,000)
— €350,000 – investment (from 01/01/2022 – €500,000) — creation of at least 10 jobs in Portugal
€350,000 (from 01/01/2022 – €500,000)
€350,000 – a minimum investment (from 01/01/2022 – €500,000)
Examples of calculations:
For 1 applicant - €392,000
For a family of four - €411,000
The following steps are described for reference purpose only. The main thing that we want to underline is that Migronis takes care of preparation and submission of your case. You only need to provide the original documents. We will do all the paperwork ourselves.
Free preliminary background check (due diligence) of an applicant (1 day) and contract signing in one of our offices or remotely. At this stage, it will be sufficient to provide the passport copies of all family members who will be included in the residency application.
Result of the stage: background check report + signed contract.
We cooperate with leading real estate agencies and offer our clients highly liquid objects at real market value (the value of the object is not artificially raised for the purpose of obtaining a Golden Visa).
You choose a suitable object and approve the date of its viewing.
Result of this step: an investment object chosen.
We receive the tax number required for the transaction and apply for a residence permit in the local tax administration. We open an account in a local bank, arrange for life insurance in the same bank or in an insurance company. Reissue all contracts for utility payments in the name of the client.
You sign the real property sale and purchase contract and make the necessary amount of investment.
At this stage you will need to issue a power of attorney in the name of the agent/intermediary.
Result of this step: Document on the ownership of the property.
We receive certificates of no criminal record, fill out government forms, arrange for notarization of the copies of documents, translation and apostilization of the entire package, and send it to the Portuguese Immigration Office (SEF). Submission of documents and payment of fees is carried out by a certified agent. The personal presence of the applicant is not required.
You provide original documents and sign forms and other documents that we prepare ourselves.
Result of this step: Application form to be filed to SEF
The Portuguese Immigration Office carries out examination within 4-7 months, and then issues a decision on the case.
We are preparing the additional documents and certificates requested in the course of examination.
Result of this step: Invitation to the SEF office for submitting biometric data.
After payment of the investment amount and fees, you visit Portugal to submit biometrics, pay for a residence permit and collect a plastic card as a Portuguese residency. Residence permit is valid for 1 year. To maintain the status one has to spend 7 days per year in the country. We remind about the necessity to renew the document 6 months prior its expiration.
Result of this step: Portuguese residence card obtained.
Opening an account at a local bank.
Registration of a company.
Real estate management.
Obtaining a driver's license in Portugal (a driver's license can be exchanged within 3 months from the date of obtaining a residence permit WITHOUT exams and additional confirmation).
Replacement and restoration of a residence permit within 7-14 days in case of its loss / damage / expiration.
Obtaining a utility bill, local phone number, as well as other documents.
We described the procedure for obtaining Portuguese residency in every last detail, breaking the process into steps, providing examples and photos of all documents.
Show caseYou pay only after your case is approved and you’ve obtained your residency. Payment can also be made through world-renowned escrow agents. In this case, all funds shall be kept on the agent’s account until you receive citizenship.
In Portugal, it is very important to have a local certified specialist who understands the local specifics of work. We work without intermediaries and therefore are responsible for the results.
Our offices are located in different time zones, so we are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Want to see for yourself? Send us a message online or call us now.
Apart from obtaining a residency, we can help you get a driver’s license, registration address (utility bill), local telephone number. We can also help you open a bank account and register a company.
We receive Police Certificates, fill out government forms, arrange notarization, translation and apostilization of all the necessary documents, and send the package to the Portuguese Immigration Office (SEF). Our lawyer in the country controls the process over there and receives passports afterwards. Your participation is kept to a minimum: you only provide the original documents, make the necessary payments and sign the forms.
Our lawyers are based both in the CIS countries and in the countries where we apply for citizenship and residency.
We start working on a case only if we 100% sure we can help a client to obtain citizenship or residency. For this purpose, we conduct a preliminary background check (due diligence), submit a report and our recommendations. Only after that we sign the contract and proceed with the case.
In order to implement the post-paid service mechanism, we have perfectly adjusted our internal processes. Our goal is to provide the service within the shortest possible time and with a successful result, because only in this case we will get our service fees. On the average, the preparation of documents takes from 5 to 25 days.
We have extensive experience and honestly talk about both successful cases and difficult situations on our blog. We do not recommend programs that do not function well (for example, in Bulgaria), or offer overvalued real estate to obtain citizenship (most of the projects on the islands).
Case: Portugal’s temporary residence in comparison with other programs and with consideration of all expenses on application processing and status renewal
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Spouse/s (monogamous marriage);
Main applicant's and/or spouse's children under the age of 18 who are unmarried and are fully financed by the main applicant;
Main applicant's and/or spouse's children aged 18 to 26 who are not married are enrolled in full-time learning at the university and are fully financed by the main applicant;
Children, regardless of age, having physical or mental disability, who live with the main applicant and are on his full financial support;
Parents and grandparents of the main applicant and/or his spouse over 65 who are fully financed by the main applicant;
Former spouse cannot obtain citizenship;
A marriage certificate from a third country may be provided.
Yes, if they meet program requirements.
The documents confirming financial dependence shall be provided. For children - a certificate from the place of study. For dependent parents - a birth certificate.
No, in this case they do not fall under the category of dependents.
Portuguese residence permit is issued for 1 year with its subsequent renewal for 2 years.
It is not required to stay in Portugal during the process of obtaining a residence permit - applicants need to visit the country only once to submit biometrics and collect residence cards.
In order to successfully renew the residence permit in Portugal, you will need to spend in the country 7 days per year and pay a state fee for issuance of new residence cards.
To successfully pass the Portuguese language test attending 3-month online courses will be sufficient;
The requirement to stay - you need reside in the country for 7 days per year.
No.
No. Dual citizenship is acceptable under the Portuguese law.
Yes, biometric data are required when applying for a residence permit.
No, the applicants must hold a clean criminal record.
No, to qualify for the program, an applicant shall not be subject to any restrictions or prohibitions on entry into the EU, USA, UK and Canada.
Language proficiency requirements are loyal. To pass the language test, a certificate of completion of 3-month courses is sufficient.
After 5 years of possession of a residence permit, permanent residence is granted, and after a year of permanent residence - a passport is granted.
No, it is sufficient to spend 7 days per year in the country.
All documents are sent by mail.
Fee for the grant of a residence permit - € 5,173.70 per each applicant;
Fee for the renewal of a residence permit - € 2,586.60 per each applicant.
Visa-free travel to Schengen countries during the first year of residence permit;
Visa-free entry to the USA, England and Canada only with a passport.
No restrictions.
Portuguese residence permit gives the right to work in Portugal only.
No. A Portuguese passport allows you to freely enter 186 countries, including the United States, Canada and England.
Yes. There is no need to obtain a work permit.
Confirmation of the source of funds is required - employment and/or ownership of business.
Employment contract;
certificate of employment indicating the duration of work, position and salary / bonuses;
Copies of tax returns;
Certificate of state registration;
License;
Company registration documents;
Company's financial report of the;
If the capital is accumulated through certain transactions - the sale of property, inheritance, gift - supporting documents are needed; One or several documents may be provided (the list is agreed upon when preparing the case).
No. Money should be transferred from the personal account only.
Yes, you need to open a bank account in Portugal, after receiving the tax number for investment purposes.
Portuguese citizenship program provides an opportunity to receive a special tax status, according to which an investor is exempted from global income tax for 10 years (the so-called "tax holiday").
Tax resident status is assigned only to those who stay in the country for more than six months. If an investor is still interested in obtaining the status of a tax resident of Portugal, he will need to prove that he spends at least 183 days per year in a country.
The investor must have tax residency status (i.e., stay in Portugal for more than 183 days per year);
The investor must reside in Portugal at the time of applying for a special tax status (if he leaves the country AFTER the grant of “tax holiday”, the status is preserved).
Driver's license;
Tax number.
Yes, a visit is required at least to submit biometric data.
€ 500,000 in any type of real estate;
€ 350,000 in property that is subject to reconstruction and was built more than 30 years ago.
4-8 per cent per annum.
The Portuguese real estate market is on the rise. Real estate prices have been growing proportionate to demand since 2016. According to Standard & Poor’s analysts, growth in real estate in Portugal will increase at least until 2021 in light of the upcoming British exit from the European Union (Brexit). A side effect of Brexit will be the lack of supply in the EU real estate market, which will have a favorable effect on the dynamics of the Portuguese market.
According to a S&P report, Portugal is expecting the fastest price growth among the leading EU property markets. Housing prices will rise by 8.5% in 2018 and 7% in 2019. The forecast for 2020 is also optimistic: a 6% increase in prices for Portuguese real estate . The combination of sustainable economic growth, a stable pace of development of the labor market and external demand for housing opens up attractive financial prospects for Portuguese investors.
5 years.
Yes, after 5 years real estate can be sold and status will be preserved.
There is freedom to choose objects for investment (as opposed to Caribbean programs, where you can only invest in a government-approved list of real estate items). You can buy residential and non-residential real estate, you can invest in several objects, as long as their total value matches the required investment amount.
Lisbon Riviera (Cascais, Estoril) is popular after the reconstruction of urban infrastructure in 2004 after preparing for the European Football Championship;
Resort regions of the Algarve, Madeira, Alentejo are also popular due to tourism, proximity to the sea.
It is allowed to buy several real estate items if their total value total reaches the required investment amount.
Typically, a residence permit application process in Portugal takes 6-8 months.
Refusal in grant of a residence permit (or deprivation of status).
- provision of false information;
- availability of a criminal record or criminal proceedings in any country of the world;
- posing a potential threat to public order, national security or the reputation of Portugal.
Portuguese passport is ranked 4th (out of 100) according the rating of passports in 2018 for freedom of movement.
Portugal's GDP in 2017 is $ 218.06 bln. (increased by 6.23% compared to $ 205.27 bn in 2016);
The population of Portugal in 2018 is 10,203,439 people;
The capital is Lisbon;
Sectors of the economy: production sector, foreign tourism (about 10 million people per year);
Portugal is ranked 29 among 190 economies in the ease of doing business (Doing Business ranking 2017).
When they need to get legal status in a European country, and the maintenance of which does not require residing permanently in Portugal + when they plan to apply for citizenship in future.
