Portugal Golden Visa
What is the Portugal Golden Visa?
Portugal’s Golden Visa is the preferred, most highly sought-after residency by investment program in the world. Launched in 2012, the Golden Visa program has been actively promoted internationally leading to thousands of families worldwide relocating to Portugal and starting a new life successfully. This is a residence visa available to non-EU nationals who make a significant investment in Portugal. These investments must be in the form of purchasing real estate, making a capital investment, or creating employment opportunities.
Benefits of Portugal Golden Visa
The most efficient process to attain EU citizenship.
Free education in most EU Countries after attaining Portuguese Passport.
Visa-free travel in the entire Schengen area (more than 180 countries) & hassle-free entry to 26 nations in the EU.
Flexible options for investment starting from €280K.
Qualify for a European passport in 5 years.
Sound investment in buoyant markets can lead to strong returns.
Opportunity to become a non-habitual resident and pay little or no Portuguese tax for ten years.
Required time spent in Portugal averages only seven days per year.
Dual nationality permitted.
Portugal has an affordable quality of life along with abundant healthcare facilities and education options.
Visa benefits accrue to the investor, the spouse, dependent children up to 26 years of age, parents of the investor and parents of the spouse.
No income tax for the first 10 years. For non-resident individuals, a 28% tax rate applies on income earned in Portugal. This can be offset with expenses for rental income.
Portugal Golden Visa Guidance
Requirements
- Must be a non-EU, non-Swiss or non-EEA national to be eligible for the visa.
- Must furnish a clean criminal record.
- Must invest a minimum of €250,000 and maintain it for a minimum period of 5 years.
- Must stay a minimum of 7 days in the first year, and a minimum of 14 days during the subsequent two year period.
Documentation
- Valid passport or identification document.
- Health insurance issued within the last three months.
- Proof of evidence of the investment made (deed or promissory sale agreement for real estate or proof of fund subscription from the fund management in case of an investment fund).
- Attested bank statements and other financial information.
- Evidence of compliance with tax and social security obligations in Portugal.
Nysa Global’s Investment Options for Portuguese Golden Visa
The first step that you need to take towards procuring the Golden Visa as an investor is to decide on the type of investment you want. You must be at least 18 years old, and a non-EU, non-Swiss and/or non-EEA national. In addition, one of the following investment criteria must be met:- A capital transfer of no less than €1 million into Portugal.
- Creation of at least ten jobs in the country through the entrepreneurial route.
- Investing no less than €350,000 for scientific research.
- Investments no less than €250,000 or more in Portuguese arts, culture, and heritage.
- Investing no less than €500,000 in small or medium-sized businesses in Portugal
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Portugal Golden Visa real estate option: An investment of no less than €500,000 (or €350,000 reduced option for historic preservation/urban renewal areas, or €280,000 in rural/inland areas) in Portugal.
Rule change effective July 2021: Starting July 2021, investors will only be able to invest in real estate properties that do not fall on the coastline of Portugal (Porto, Lisbon, etc.) Only real estate properties that are situated in inland and low density regions will qualify for investment in order to provide impetus to their Portugal’s urban regeneration initiative.
If you are applying for the Portugal Golden Visa before July 2021, you will be eligible to purchase property anywhere within the country. Existing applicants will remain unaffected by this rule.
CONTACT US TODAY TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE NEW RULE AND HOW IT CAN IMPACT YOU.
- Portugal investment fund Golden Visa: Experts in each sector professionally manage Portuguese Golden Visa investment funds. A Golden Visa can be granted for an investment of €350,000 into a registered and official investment fund. Depending on the Golden Visa Investment Fund selected, an individual will be offered a minimum return hurdle-rate between 1% and 6%.
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Flexibilities within each investment type for the Portugal Golden Visa:
The Portugal Golden Visa allows significant freedom in each type of investment.
Property Investment
- Purchase of one or multiple properties
- All property types qualify
- Possibility of co-ownership
- Freedom to use, rent or lease
Transfer of Funds
- Minimum investment of €1 million
- Funds transferred from other foreign countries to a bank in Portugal
- Total freedom to invest the funds
- Can use the funds to invest in shares of companies
Job Creation
- Creation of a minimum of 10 jobs
- No minimum investment value
- No limitation on areas/activities
Eligibility for the Portugal Golden Visa
Anyone except Portuguese and EU/EFTA citizens can apply for the Golden Visa once they have made the required investment in Portugal.
This investment can be initiated as an individual or via a legal entity meeting the following specific eligibility prerequisites:
- The individual investing must be over the age of 18.
- The investment made for this purpose must work in favour of the Portuguese economy.
- The individual must have no history of criminal records.
- The individual must fund the investment from his/her own funds.
- The individual must maintain the investment throughout the Golden Visa period, typically at least five years
Golden Visa Process
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Establishing a financial presence in Portugal and making the investment
First, the applicant must identify and select his or her favourable investment options; i.e. investment fund, real estate investment, opening a Portuguese company and creating jobs, etc.
Next, it is imperative to obtain a NIF (Portuguese Fiscal Number) and open a Portuguese bank account. Both of these tasks can be accomplished within 2 working days and can even be done by lawyers appointed by immigration experts without the applicant’s presence in the country.
Once this is done, applicants must lock in their investment and make the capital transfer depending on the type of investment chosen.
After the investor’s funds have been placed into the investment, the application for Golden Visa is submitted.
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Documentation required to apply for the Portugal Golden Visa:
- Valid passport.
- Proof of legal entry into Portugal (visa, entry stamps from prior visits).
- Proof of the latest health insurance.
- Latest & clean criminal record certificate from country of origin/residence.
- A completed form authorizing SEF (Serviço de Fronteiras e Estrangeiros) to access criminal records in Portugal.
- Receipt of the Portugual Golden Visa fees (You can obtain this when you submit the application online).
- Declaration from Portuguese financial institution confirming the transfer of funds.
- Proof of qualifying investment:
- If real estate; a deed or promissory sale agreement with proof of deposit payment.
- If investment fund; proof of fund subscription from the fund management.
- Portuguese Fiscal Number.
- Declaration from the Portuguese Tax & Social Security Departments proving the absence of debts to them.
- Statement from the investor affirming compliance with the investment requirements.
- Additional documents may vary depending on your choice of investment.
Please note: Any of the submitted documents which are not in the Portuguese language, need to be translated and certified. -
Submitting the Golden Visa application form and the way forward:
Once the applicant has the above in place, they will need to submit these documents with an accurately filled out application form. But, due to the complexities and the enormous amount of documentation involved, the easiest and safest way is to work with an immigration expert or a lawyer to submit the application.
Timeline to EU Citizenship
The Portugal Golden Visa is valid for an introductory period of one year and later renewed for subsequent periods of 2 years. The initial application can now be submitted online along with essential documentation. Once the request gets approved by Serviço de Fronteiras e Estrangeiros (SEF), you will have to appear in person for an interview/biometrics check.
- 1st & 2nd Year An individual’s visa permit and passport will allow you to travel within the Schengen countries visa free.
- 3rd & 5th Year To keep the new permit active for all three years, an individual needs to be in Portugal at least 7 days per year.
- Year 5+ After the fifth year, an individual is eligible for permanent residency or citizenship.
Why Us?
What Sets Us Apart
At Nysa Global, we have immigration experts who assist you every step of the way, from investment selection, to working with lawyers to ensure complete compliance with Portugal laws, gathering documentation and seeing your application through the submission phase, through approval and beyond.
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