Portugal is the Easiest Country to Obtain EU Residency and Citizenship.

There are many reasons why Europe is the top destination for immigrants. It provides a safe environment with diverse cultures, while providing high standard of healthcare and education to its residents. You could be in Portugal, Spain, or France all within a few hours by train. Many travelers visited Europe multiple times and never seem to get enough of it, but which route is the easiest for Indians to get a one-way ticket and settle in Europe? The answer is Golden Visa Program, enacted by the Portuguese government in 2012. It is also known as the “Resident Permit for Investment” as it “fast-tracks” Portuguese residency. Under this program, a non-European person can make a qualifying investment in Portugal and be granted a Portuguese residence permit for themselves and family members, allowing the permit holder to not only live and work in Portugal, but also access to Portuguese healthcare and education, as well as visa-free entry to Schengen area countries. In fact, the Golden Visa in Portugal is Europe’s most successful residency-by-investment program. The program costs relatively less compared to other Golden visas offered by other countries in the EU. The minimum investment is EUR350,000 in real estate for 5 years. There are very little documents required with no other requirements such as age limit, financial proofs nor interview. In order to maintain your Golden Visa residency, you only need to spend 7 days per year in Portugal. This makes the program particularly suitable for Indians who do not intend to live permanently in Portugal, but wish to access the benefits of having EU residency and eventually citizenship. The processing time from signing contract to obtaining a residence card is approximately 1 – 1.5 years, making it the fastest program to obtain EU residence permit. In addition, the permit holders have the right to convert to EU citizen after 5 years. The program is proved to be very popular. By July 2019, Portugal issued 20,846 permits to investors and their family members. Hence, Portugal’s Golden Visa program is known as a gateway to EU citizenship.