The Golden Visa, also referred to as The Golden Residency Permit (GRP) programme or The Residency Permit for the Investment Activity (Autorização de Residência para Atividade de Investimento - ARI), is designed to encourage investment in Portugal by non-EU citizens in exchange for granting residency status.

Established in 2012, Portugal’s Golden Residence Permit Program (ARI) enables non-EU/EEA citizens to obtain a special residence permit in exchange for a 5-year investment in Portugal. What’s unique about the permit is that the investor only has to spend about seven days per year in Portugal to maintain the residency, while still reaping all the benefits of being an EU resident—including visa-free travel in the entire Schengen area.

Any third country national—meaning anyone except Portuguese and EU/EFTA citizens—can apply for the Golden Visa after completing a suitable investment into Portugal.

Any original document that is not in Portuguese needs to be translated into Portuguese and certified. The certification is typically performed by a notary. (We recommend investors to get in touch with lawyers for the whole application process so as to avoid any mistakes while making an application.)

All the above documents issued by a non-Portuguese entity need to be legalized. The legalization must have an apostille if the subject country is part of the Hague convention.

While it might vary over time, the processing time is currently around fi­ve months. It used to take longer, but the ability to book interview appointments online at offices outside Lisbon has helped cut the wait time signifi­cantly.

Yes, currently that is a requirement (though there are ongoing discussions about removing it). You’ll need to pass a test at the A2 level (the second lowest level—also called “CIPLE”), so it’s not very hard to pass. A potentially useful tip is to take the language test abroad (not in Portugal) as those tests seem to be graded more favourably. You can take the language test at any time before you apply for citizenship or permanent residency.

No, the Golden Visa Portugal is not suspended because of COVID-19. In fact, it’s business as usual, with a surge in applicants applying for the Portugal Golden Visa scheme. In May 2020 alone, Portugal Golden Visa applications grew to epic proportions.

Yes, for example, if multiple applicants are purchasing one property of a larger purchase amount, they may also combine their investments. This means that if two siblings purchase a real estate worth 1,000,000 Euros, they may each apply for the Portugal Golden Visa, as they each spend 500,000 Euros in total.

Portugal expects the main applicant to bring in the minimum required amount from outside of Portugal into the country. So, the minimum amount cannot be taken out as a loan from a Portuguese financial institution. However, you can take the amount as a loan from a non-Portuguese financial institution and then bring it into Portugal. Additionally, if your investment exceeds the minimum amount, there is nothing stopping you from taking a loan for the exceeding amount from a Portuguese bank.

Go to our Investment Cost Calculator to know more.

There are many Golden Visa Portugal tax benefits. These include investors only getting taxed on their worldwide income if they reside in Portugal for more than 183 days in any given year. Portugal also offers the NHR scheme, an attractive tax program providing tax-free incentives for up to ten years, depending on your income bracket.

The non-habitual tax regime in Portugal aims to attract investors and professionals of high cultural and economic worth, in order to increase the country’s international competitiveness. The regime was first implemented in 2009 and can allow substantial tax savings for those who qualify. The scheme has been highly successful and as a result, there are now over 10,000 non-habitual tax regime residents in Portugal.

There are many advantages to being a non-habitual tax resident in Portugal: Benefit from a special personal income tax treatment over a 10-year period Possibility of enjoying a tax exemption on almost all foreign source income 20% flat rate for certain Portuguese source incomes (from specific professions as well as income from self-employment), as opposed to normal Portuguese income tax rates of up to 48% No minimum stay requirement Become part of a white-listed tax environment within the EU A tax exemption for gifts or inheritance to direct family members No wealth taxes Free remittance of funds to Portugal