How to Get Portugal Residency by Investment?

Looking for an answer to the question, “How to get Portugal Residence by Investment? Well, you are not alone in this boat. Traveling throughout Europe without a visa, living close to oceans and lakes, and getting tax exemptions is what you get after getting a Portugal residency. With these many perks,  who would not want to get to a place that feels like heaven? 

If you are a rich expat, you can get a residency by investing in Portugal.  Before you apply for the residency, you should know how to get Portugal Residency by investment. However, each type of residency has its own terms and conditions and application procedure that may require different times. 

What Are the Different Residency Visas in Portugal?

Now, with revised residency policies, you can apply for permanent citizenship after you have lived in the country for five years. Here are the visa types you can apply for residence after investment:

People with different financial dynamics, such as investors, entrepreneurs, and financially independent ex-pats, get the same residency rights with the visa. However, their obligations can vary with each residency visa type. Like the HQA, D7, and Digital Nomad, residency visas are granted to people only when they have spent at least 183 days a year in Portugal.

Benefits of Portugal Golden Visa

Wondering how to get Portugal residency by investment? In 2012, Portugal started issuing residence permits for investors from all over the world. Since then, 32,000 investors have applied for the Portugal Golden Visa. Most of the investors choose to support arts and culture, finance research, purchase investment fund units, and open a company. Investors who have bought investment fund units can reimburse the money between five and ten years after selling the asset.

After the Portugal Golden Visa applicants and their family members have lived five years in Portugal, they can apply for permanent citizenship in Portugal. Here are some of the benefits of the Portugal Golden visa:

• Visa-Free Travel To European Countries: With a Portugal Golden visa, you can visit Schengen countries without having to apply for a visa. You can even stay there for up to ninety days. You can choose to visit EU countries like the USA, UK, Australia, Canada, and many more. The list covers 187 countries.
• Safe Home: As a  Portugal Golden visa resident, you can land in the country anytime, even when the borders are closed. Also, remember that living in Portugal is your right, not an obligation. However, it is mandatory to live in Portugal for seven days every year.

• Business Opportunities: As a Portugal Golden visa holder, you can establish your company or invest in any sort of business line. 

• Tax Optimization: As a Portugal resident, you have an exemption in tax payments. The Portuguese government offers you Non-Habitual Residence (NHR) status for as much as ten years. With this status, you won’t have to pay taxes for global income. In addition to this, the income tax is only 20% of your income. On the other hand, without NHR status, the tax rate in Portugal can be as high as 48%.

• Quality Healthcare and Education: The Portugal Golden Visa residents may visit clinics in Portugal and in other Schengen countries for short-term treatment. They can stay in these countries and get their treatment within 90 days. Also, children can attend universities in any of Schengen’s countries.

• EU Citizenship in 5 Years: You can get your hands on EU citizenship after you have lived in Portugal as a Golden Visa resident. Furthermore, you are not required to live in the country throughout the year. You only have to renew your residence permits and fulfill the obligations associated with the Golden visa resident or EU citizen.

Who Can Get a Portugal Golden Visa?

Before we find out how to get a Portugal Residency by investment, let us understand who is eligible for the Portugal Golden Visa. Here is the list:

• Investors
  • The investor should be over 18 years of age
  • Investors should have no criminal record or even a prosecution
  • The source of investment money is outside Portugal
  • Investor should have no debts in Portugal
  • Investors should be able to provide the legality of their income
  • Should have medical insurance
  • 

• Investor’s Spouse
• Investor’s kids under 18 years of age
• Investor’s kids under 26 years of age who are dependent on their parents, like if they are students or have a health condition.
• Investor’s parents and their spouse’s parents who are above 65 years of age.
• Investor’s parents and their spouse’s parents who are above 55 years of age and are dependent on either of you. You should be able to provide the document as proof of their dependence on you.
• Investor’s and their spouse’s siblings who are under 18 years of age and are under your or your spouse’s legal custody. 

Investment Options for Portugal Golden Visa

There are five potential investment options that you can go by in Portugal. To be eligible for Portugal Golden Visa residency, you must invest a minimum of € 250,000 when you are investing to support art and culture. However, most of the investors opt to purchase investment fund units, which cost a minimum of € 500,000.

On the other hand, the Portuguese government forbade the two real estate investment options on October 2, 2023. Now, nobody can purchase the property.

1. Purchasing Investment Fund Units

The investment fund units bring capital to the country and support the commercial real estate industry and other industrial factories influencing the European stock market. That is how to get 

Portugal residency by investment. You will have to invest as little as €500,000 with a holding period of at least five years. However, you will get the money in 6 to 10 years. 

2. Supporting Arts and Restoring Cultural Heritage €250,000+

If you are wondering how to get Portugal residency by investment when you are interested in cultural heritage, here is the answer. You can invest at least €250,000 of your money to support the culture of Portugal. You can do so by supporting the artistic production houses in Portugal or by recovering and furnishing the historical heritage. That way, you will contribute to conserving Portugal’s cultural history. Furthermore, you can also invest your money to promote the advancements in artistic landscapes.

3. Investments in Research Activities €500,000+

How to get a Portugal residency by investment when you have an interest in scientific studies and research? Here is how you can contribute to the research activities in Portugal. You will have to invest at least €500,000 in the scientific and technological development in Portugal. You should invest in scientific studies that are being conducted through a well-acclaimed institute in Portugal.

4. Business Investments €500,000+

Investing in businesses is another answer to the question; How to get portugal residency by investment? In order to get yourself a Portugal Golden Visa you can invest in the corporate sector at least €500,000. The basic requirement is that you must offer employment to the local community of Portugal in a way that contributes significantly to the Portuguese economy. For instance, your business should create at least five jobs for the Portuguese.

5. Opening a Company

In addition to investing in an already established business, you can also create your own business. That’s one of the means to get Portugal residency by investment. Although Portuguese law does not mention minimum investment for opening a company, you should create 10 job opportunities for Portuguese.

Opening a company in portugal is the best option for those who are willing to expand their business in European Union countries.

How to Get Portugal Residency by Investment?

Now that you have a basic idea of eligibility criteria and five basic options for investment, we move on to the procedure. Here is how to get Portugal residency by investment broken down into steps:

• Preliminary Due Diligence:  An officer from the Compliance Anti Money department will check your information against the international database. For you to be able to invest in any city of Portugal, the preliminary Due Diligence is mandatory. Without the preliminary Due Diligence, you will not be able to sign an investment contract with anyone.

• Obtaining a Tax Number: Before you move to Portuguese, you should apply for a tax number. You can get your NIF or tax number from Tax and Customs Authority. You may have to provide the Tax and Customs Authority with documents like your passport and the proof of your address in Portugal.

• Opening a Bank Account: You should get yourself a Portuguese bank account before you invest. Remember to open your bank account with institutes that are approved by the national bank of Portugal. To open a bank account in Portugal, you may need the following documents:

• • Passport
  • NIF number
  • Portuguese contact number
  • Proof of your residence in Portugal
  • Proof of your income

It may take 1-1.5 months to open a bank account in Portugal.

• Investment: This process will take 2 to 3 weeks for your lawyers to collect all the data as proof of your investment. You can choose among the five investment options that the Portuguese government offers.
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• Preparation of Documents and Application: Preparing an application can be a hectic task for the person who’s applying for Portuguese residency. There are multiple steps that you will have to follow. For instance, start by registering your application on the ARI portal. Next, you will be asked to attach documents in PDF format which should not exceed the size of 4GB. Then, you will be asked to pay the processing fees, which is almost €533 per applicant. Here are the documents you will need to attach:

• • Passport/ Valid Travel document with six months of validation
  • Passport-sized photograph
  • Complete Application form
  • Healthcare documentation
  • Criminal record certificate
  • Tax information
  • Regularized contribution status proof
  • Proof of legal stay and entry
  • Receipt of application fee
  • Documentation about investment

These documents should be notarised and translated in Portuguese. This notarization and translation may take up to two weeks. The E-copies of each document are sent to AIMA, which is the Agency for Integration, Migrations, and Asylum in Portugal. The AIMA agency might take 4 to 5 months to consider your documents.

• Fingerprinting: You and your family, who are planning to move to Portugal with you, will have to submit the original documents in person. You will be asked for your fingerprints to issue you the residence permit card. You can book the appointment in advance and also hire your legal advisor as a power of attorney if you are unable to make it on the appointment date.

• Application Approval and Permit Cards: After AIMA has considered your documents and approved your request, you will have to pay fees for a residence permit card. You will get the residence permit card within two weeks.
• Renewal of Residence Permit:  You will have to live in Portugal for at least seven days every year and will have to renew the permit every two years. The renewal procedure is no different from the initial application process. You will have to submit the same documents online, provide your fingerprints, and provide the original documents. There you go! You have renewed your residency permit card.

Here, we have provided the trail of how to get Portugal residency by investment. If you are planning to re-settle in Portugal you can use the above guide during your application process.