Hello. I am a United States citizen and resident who is looking to start the process of obtaining dual citizenship in Portugal as a means to a long-term goal of obtaining EU accessibility for my husband and I, and our three children ages 16,16, and 6. We arenāt currently looking to relocate, but definitely want to have that as an option if the need or desire should arise.
We are looking at the Golden Visa path. Of course, being able to apply for citizenship at the end of five years and/or having a residence card prior to that would be best case scenario, but I understand the process is often messy and can frustratingly take longer than advertised.
Given that we have no immediate plans to need residency, my primary concern is that my initial investment to apply for the GV remains safe, doesnāt suffer significant losses, and that I am able to withdraw it at the end of itās minimum investment term if thatās what I should choose to do.
I would be investing basically all of my money and it would be a devastating loss if I could not maintain it or get it back. I am hoping to find a private equity fund to invest in that is low risk, diversified among the approved sectors, has a proven history and potential for enough growth to cover fees and allow me to exit with at least my initial investment, and meets the criteria for obtaining citizenship at the end of five years.
So, despite other frustrations with the process of getting residency/citizenship in a timely fashion, has it been the experience of those who have taken this path that your initial investment is safe and has a low risk of disappearing? This is definitely a one-time chance for my family, we will never see that kind of money again.
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and knowledge!
Now, if your objective is EU accessibility (meaning you do NOT need EU citizenship necessarily), and you do NOT plan to relocate to PT, then why invest? Especially if this would be āall of your moneyā.
I would suggest looking at alternative EU access options without a huge investment required.
First fund (PT Co innovation) was introduced by govt and started in July 2018 and it has a duration of 10 years. I signed up for it in 2020. Theoretically shareholders will have an opportunity to exit the fund when it reaches its end. If I am able to get the contagem to tempo and apply for citizenship in 2025, then I will be able to exit the fund in 2028.
All other funds started later and will terminate later than 2028. So it if impossible to say it is safe or unsafe. We will have to wait for some years until the first batch of GV under fund route can succesfully withdraw their money from the funds.
This would be the money that is now singularly invested with a United States based wealth manager. Thatās why I was hoping to find something diversified and low risk. Perhaps there is something akin to putting my money in a bank with a manager who can invest it in such a way that it meets the criteria for the GV. I donāt even care if I profit on the money, I just want to make sure that at the end of 5 years I can withdraw at least the amount I put in. I guess Iām just looking for reassurance that the money isnāt going to disappear from someone who has taken this route. I donāt see another workable way for me to get citizenship in another country, and at this point in time I feel like that is the best gift I can give to my American children. I also donāt see myself wanting to retire here. Iām pretty over it.
My goal is definitely obtaining citizenship for my husband and I, and our children. I want to know there is another country I can go to and live out my life without worrying about being deported. I want my childrenās children to have dual citizenship as well. I am basically just looking for first-hand experience from someone who has done the investment route and felt that their investment was in a place where it was safe and stable and wouldnāt disappear before the end of 5 years. We are not in a place to move and do the G7, but I want to start the process moving.
Thank you so much! Has your fund suffered losses, or do you feel like it has been pretty stable and possibly had potential for at least some growth? Do you have any concerns that at maturity your money will be gone or significantly reduced? I really appreciate your willingness to share your experience.
Not sure if you asked about me or my friend. In my post, I did not mention anybody except me.
My fund has been growing since first date. I have discussed with the fundās manager about the policy/condition to exit. Although it is quite clear at the moment, I only can confirm once I exit successfully and have my money back. In addition to that, each fund has its own set of rules and its managers with a completely different set of activities/businesses. Therefore, my feedback about my fund might not help you at all because you will sign up for a different fund (if you decide to put money on GV Fund route).
Funds in Portugal are heavily regulated and monitored unlike in the US where the funds do lose significantly quite often than we think. In terms of safety there isnāt a single instance of fraud or bankruptcy till date. On the hindsight, the heavy regulations doesnāt allow much of experimentations and innovations and eventually yeilding lower retuns than other markets. There are several types of funds for you to choose with and there is no fund which can promise you the guarenteed returns like everywhere else, its upto you to choose the risk v/s reward.
The second issue is the processing times, which is more than dissapointing at the moment but there are signs of improvements and who knows when it might get back on track. Golden Visas do defenitely lead to the nationality but getting into business with Portugal is kinda making a deal with the devil, you need to be extremely patient and everything moves super slow. Thread carefully, enter only when you are patient enough to wait.
There are newer programs in EU which are competing against PT you can look at, despite all the negatives and frustrations, for me personally choosing Portugal has been one of the best decisions.
I strongly recommend that you measure the timelines for GV processing and citizenship against the ages of your children. There is a possibility that they may age out by the time you are processed. You would then need to have alternative plans. The ideal thing would be to move there as a family when you get residency and have the children attend school and college there.
My understanding is they are okay to be included up to age 26 as long as they are dependent on us. Unfortunately, they wonāt be able to work from 18 to completion of our process and that would be something we will have to navigate. Definitely wishing we had started the process sooner.
It sounds like youāre much more wanting to get āoutā of the US rather than getting āinā to some place. At the same time you are not really planning to get out any time soon, which is a bit contradicting but each to their own of course.
In which case my recommendation is even more valid - check out all the other possible routes to residence/citizenship anywhere else other than Portugal.
Portugal GV is still āavailableā on paper, but I would not recommend it for anyone who is a) desperate to get out, and b) bets all their money on it, simply due to the hugely uncertain length of time it would take to even legal residence (let alone citizenship) and all the amount of effort it takes from the applicant themselves to get every single step of the process moving.
It is definitely NOT an option for someone who expects to hire a lawyer, pay the fees, and get everything done for them. Portugal does not let you get in easily
BUT, there are definitely other places in this world where you can still get a residence and later on citizenship relatively easy, quick and without much expense.
And just a brief personal anecdote on the point of āgetting out of the USā, just as a reality check, nothing else.
I was in the US earlier this week and talked to a friend of mine, who told me all of his friends are wanting to get out of the country - to Spain, Portugal, anywhere.
So I simply asked him - How many of those friends wanted to get out 8 years ago? And why are they still here?..
You are asking someone who invested probably a couple of years ago before equities gained 50%, and trying to compare the risk profile of that scenario to someone investing now. Itās not a valid comparison. You need to talk to a financial professional, not strangers on the internet. Donāt take this the wrong way, but you seem to have blinders on.
I just read a presentation by OptylonKrea and they indicated that most GV investors they are working with are only comfortable risking around 10% of their available net worth on a GV investment. For what its worth.
I have been talking to financial professionals. My question for this forum is simply, if you went the investment route, do you feel that your initial investment is relatively safe and stable? Thatās it. Iāve had my money in American markets for some years, and though I do understand the risks there as well, I feel that my investments are somewhat stable. Iām just wondering if investing in Portugal feels to most like it is comparable to investing here in the States. This forum is certainly not the only place I am doing research, just one avenue.
