PORTUGAL
Residency by Investment
Program Type
Residency by Investment
Investment Type
Regulated fund, research, culture
Minimum investment
€250,000
Processing time
12-24 months
Visa-free travel
Schengen Area
Overview
Portugal’s Golden Visa — Autorização de Residência para Investimento — remains open. Real estate dropped out of the programme in 2023. Most new files go through a CMVM-regulated Portuguese fund of at least €500,000.
Holders spend about seven days a year in Portugal. Permanent residence may be requested after five years. Citizenship now follows ten years for most nationalities, seven for EU and CPLP citizens.
Country
Capital
Lisbon
Language
Portuguese
Currency
Euro (EUR)
Permit
ARI — Golden Visa
Population
About 10.4 million
Government type
Semi-presidential republic
Why choose Portugal?
- A European residence card with a light stay requirement.
- Fund investment rather than a house to manage.
- Family included.
- Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve as places people actually want to live.
- Portuguese as a world language, and a later European passport.
- Lisbon is the capital. Porto is the northern city. The Algarve is the coast.
PORTUGAL Residency by Investment
Benefits
- Portuguese residence and Schengen travel.
- About seven days a year in the country.
- Family included.
- Permanent residence after five years.
- Citizenship after ten years for most applicants.
Qualifications
- Non-EU citizenship.
- Age 18 or over.
- Clean record.
- A completed qualifying investment held for five years.
- Health insurance.
- Documented source of funds.
Family members
- Spouse.
- Children under 18, and older children in full-time study.
- Dependent parents.
Step by step process
- Review of family and the fund.
- Subscribe to the qualifying fund.
- File the ARI application with AIMA.
- Attend biometrics in Portugal.
- Collect the residence card.
- Renew and keep the investment for five years.
Timeframe
AIMA’s queue is long. A realistic path from filing to the first card is twelve to twenty-four months. The citizenship clock is counted under the nationality law in force at the time.
|
Fund subscription |
4–8 weeks |
|
AIMA to first card |
12–24 months |
|
Permanent residence |
5 years |
|
Citizenship |
10 years for most; 7 for EU and CPLP |
Documents
- Passport.
- Proof of the fund units.
- Police certificates.
- NIF and Portuguese bank evidence where required.
- Family civil-status documents.
FAQs
Is property still a Golden Visa route?
No. Funds, research, culture and jobs remain.
How many days must I spend in Portugal?
About seven days a year.
When is citizenship?
Ten years for most applicants; seven for EU and Portuguese-speaking nationals.