Has anyone done the donation route (E250k) vs investment (E500k). I know with the investment you should get the money back after 5 years, but I’m really trying to minimize the upfront investment given the upheaval in the marketplace
If you did go the donation route, who did you go through?
Searching this forum will find you numerous existing posts on this topic…
@Redhead - we are pursuing the donation option, and our EDGE Int’l lawyer has recommended the Serralves Foundation in Porto as having current eligible programs (5 in total that we’ve reviewed and agreed to 1) for the GV program. We decided to take this route in hopes it will accelerate our GV application and reduce ongoing fees/costs incurred through the investment programs. and yes, we are okay sending out 250K euros as we tend to support art programs in the USA and we loved visiting the Serralves Museum in a prior visit. I realize that’s not the route for everyone but our lawyer agreed it simplifies the application process but only time will tell if that’s true.
That’s generous of you, but I’m not sure there’s any evidence that AIMA treats donation ARIs differently or accelerates them in any way.
If anything I’d expect it to be slower, as the employees are less familiar with that pathway
We are also going to do the Charitable donation route, I would like to talk with you about your experience thus far. We have not retained an attorney as of yet.
I decided against the donation route and am in the process of picking a fund right now
Hi @RebeccaS - happy to share what we’ve done so far. We interviewed 6 firms and selected Edge International given their extensive experience in the GV program, and especially because they had a track record with both investment and donation programs. EDGE International connected us to the Serralves Foundation, who has the museum and other GV qualified programs in Porto. Fortunately enough, we had visited Serralves in 2019, loved the contemporary museum and felt very comfortable supporting 1 of their 5 GV qualified programs with our donation. EDGE also connected us to Bison Bank and we’ve completed setting up our account and moving our donation euros to them. Next steps for us is to wire our donation to Serralves Foundation next week, and then I’m finishing up our marriage certificate with apostille certification and FBI background checks with apostille certification, then we can submit our GV application, likely by June 1st. Let me know what else I can answer or help with but that’s been our experience so far since we started this entire effort in February. So far, happy with progress and what I’ve learned, and very happy with Edge International (Francisco Barata Salgueiro). Ed S
Good morning and thank you for your excellent response. We’ve been property owners in PT for two years. We didn’t think we’d want to stay more than 90/180 days, but we are now rethinking that. We are trying to decide between investment or charitable GV options.
Good luck, and please keep me updated about your progress! 
Shelley Freeman
@RebeccaS - Shelley, happy to help and I’ll let you know the timeline for processing our donation this week to certification necessary for our application. Meanwhile, we are considering spending 50% of our time in Portugal when I retire in 2027 and would love to know your experiences in owning or renting property and where you’ve experienced in your Portugal locations you’ve visited and/or own property. We are heading back to Lisbon and Porto in September (can really only get there once a year until I retire in early 2027) but want to get more serious about 50%+ of our time there post-retirement so always like to know what others have experienced. No hurry and don’t want to pry but if you have tips or postings you’ve made on NomanGate, I’ll go read those too. thx much, Ed
We are in a similar situation. We bought our place in Ericeira in 2023 with an eye towards my husband’s retirement. We had very specific criteria about where we wanted to live, the main things being close to the airport, close to a major city, and not cold (N. Portugal). I looked everywhere between Lisbon (incl Lisbon) and the coast and Cascais. When I went to Ericeira I knew immediately that was where we belonged.
We are 35 minutes from LIS which is important since we are still back and forth. We have all the advantages of Lisbon while being in a beautiful coastal town. We bought a T2 with a beautiful ocean view. The village is charming and we don’t need a car. We’ve made friends, there’s an active community of retirees, yet Ericeira maintains its Portuguese authenticity. The Algarve was never for us, too far, too touristy, and my Portuguese friends joke that no one can even understand them there since it’s all tourists/expats. Just not our cup of tea!
So we are just embarking on our GV process, once we understand the tax implications. I appreciate your referral. I really don’t post on Nomad Gate. I’m more active on the FB pages.
Best of luck, and let’s keep each other updated about our progress.
Thanks again!
Shelley