Portugal Golden Visa Guide: Pros & Cons in 2024

Thank you Filipe

Hi Filipe,

Very good article thank you :grinning:

I have purchased several buildings in the rehabilitation area of Porto and I would like to apply for a golden visa. The buildings have been purchased in a company but the challenge is the company is owned by both myself and my business partner. Is it possible for us both to apply for the visa if we are both owners of the company and our investment is higher than the 350k each?

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Hi Felipe -thank you so much for giving us so much info. The information about the private insurance came from my understanding that the resident application with the Portuguese Embassy in the US requires proof of insurance coverage in PT - I mistook this to mean private insurance but now believe this is just an insurance policy that will cover us until we are granted our NHR permit. So that would be a short term travel policy I believe. Then once our Visa type 1 is granted, and we then have our interview and are granted NHR status, I think then we will be able to use the Portuguese health care system. Do you know if this is correct. Thank you greatly for your time. - Lynn

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Great article - thank you ! I have a question: I am thinking about setting up sail boat chartering business in Portugal through a LLC Co - would I be able to qualify for this visa in that case ? Please, feel free to message me directly (lazyxiong [at] gmail [dot] com) Thanks !

We are a Canadian family of 4, interested in the golden visa program. We would like to retire in Portugal eventually. Few questions on the residency versus citizenship visa program . Appears that it’s more cost effective to go for the residency visa

With the residency visa my understanding is that once you qualify , you still need language requirements. We would have to learn Portuguese?

We have a special needs daughter aged 19 - what are the pros and cons for her in Portugal?

Our other kid is 21 and needs to be in university- would she be able to acces university in Europe as a resident ?

How long does it take to get the resident visa and what are the total costs in USD involved with fees to government and lawyers etc . Also what is the minimum investment for the resident visa that is accurate? Some show 250,000 other sites show less ???

Thx
CSouza

Hi! You mention in the article that you can recommend an independent broker, but the contact link doesn’t seem to work. Can you make the recommendation here, or send me a message?

Thanks,

Svein

You can contact me from this page, but you’ll need to be logged in first. In any case, I’ve followed up separately :slight_smile:

Hi Thomas, I am also interested to know the contact of the independent broker. Can you please email me the detail. Thank you :grin:

Thanks, would like to ask for this two options

  1. Acquisition of real estate property of an amount equal to or above 500 thousand Euros
  2. Acquisition and execution of works of real estates, on the amount equal to or above 350 thousand euros

Does it mean the total price of real estate has to be 500k or the minimal downpayment has to be 500k?

Can I use mortgage like downpayment 200k and loan 300k to buy one 500k property achieve the requirement? Or could I remortgage immediately once the preliminary application is approved 5 months later?

What type of work could qualify “Acquisition and execution of works of real estates, on the amount equal to or above 350 thousand euros”? does it require pre approval from government?

Thanks.

Hi LYY,

To answer your questions.

  1. the 500k refers to the minimum purchase price of your property.

The full 500k should come from outside of Portugal, meaning that for the initial 500k of investment (or 350k if you would opt for this golden visa) you can not ask for a mortgage if you want to meet the requirements of your golden visa application. However if you would like to buy a property that exceeds the 500k, you can apply for a mortgage for the amount above your minimal investment.

The minimum investment of 500k does not mean that the property you buy needs to be 500k or more. You can buy multiple properties to reach the 500k value.

  1. With regards to the 350k gv option. This applies for properties more than 30 years old or located in areas of urban renovation.
    I found this info online:
    Besides demonstrating that he or she is the owner of the property, free of any burdens or charges, the applicant may present: (i)
    proof of filing of a request for prior information or for the licensing for rehabilitation or (ii) a works contract for the works on the property acquired.
    In either of these cases, the applicant must also deposit the difference between the property purchase price and the minimum investment required
    – to be used to pay for the works – in a bank account at a bank in Portugal held by him or her.
    To renew the Golden Visa, the applicant must have an authorisation to carry out the rehabilitation works as well as the works contract. At the same
    time, the applicant continues to be under an obligation to prove that he or she has maintained the deposit of the works contract price at a bank in
    Portugal and, whenever possible, present the receipts for partial or full payment for the works.

I think if you would like to go for this kind of GV it is important that you always get legal advice to see if the property meets the criteria of the 350k golden visa.

Hope it helped!

Feel free to send me a message if you have more questions.

All the best,

Sanne

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I can’t find anything about this option of 250K
Do you have any program? any link? an organisation…?
thanks

Hi Sami1!

There is one option to apply for a golden visa in Portugal investing 250k and this is not through the purchase of real estate. It is through capital investment:
"Transfer of Funds of at least € 250,000 applied to investment or support to artistic production or recovery or maintenance of the national cultural heritage

  • Minimum investment above € 250,000
  • Funds transferred from abroad to a bank in Portugal
  • Investing in artistic output or supporting the arts, for reconstruction or refurbishment of the national heritage"

There is one option to invest in real estate for € 280.000, when you invest in a property that qualifies for the 350k golden visa, but is situated in a low density population area.

"Acquisition of property above € 350,000

  • For properties more than 30 years or located in areas of urban regeneration. This value includes not only the property but also the investment in the refurbishment works
  • Possibility of co-ownership
  • Freedom to use, rent for commercial or agricultural purposes
  • Investment amount may be reduced by 20% (€ 280,000) in case such investment is made in low density population areas"

But in this case I would always consult a lawyer before purchasing the property to be sure it complies with the golden visa regulations.

Hope it helps!

Best regards,

Sanne

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Thanks Sanne,
I understood all this in fact. But I can’t find any fund or option for 250K.
An organisation that offer this option…
a real case to study in terms of return, risk, guaratee…

Actually Sami1, I doubt if a golden visa with this type of investment is already done.

Here you can see the statistics until Feb 2019:

It states that so far 389 golden visa´s have been approved through the option of capital investment. Unfortunately there is no discrimination made in this overview, if it was by the deposit of € 1.000.000 in a Portuguese bank account or by any other capital investment.

If I ever find out more info on the type of GV you are interested in, I will reply to your post :slight_smile:

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Was trying to contact you regarding this matter, yet the system doesn’t let me :thinking:

Thanks Sanne
Looking for the 280K @ residence etc looks a bit complicate to be managed from outside the contry… especially that I don’t see any realistic offer.
all agencies has one offer that looks expencive and that they propose to manage there selfs for a tiny staff in hotels.
It seams that on the internet we can only find traps for golden visa clients…
If anybody can find someone serious with an interesting offer please forward details…

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Hello everyone.
I have heard on the BBC that EU has some concerns about golden visas. Anyone has some sort of news regarding Portuguese Golden Visa by real state investment if it is getting stopped in near future in a year or so?

Lynnalan99, I am interested in the same. Did you determine if current coverage by a U.S. healthcare company qualified? The requirement stated here is somewhat confusing:

SEF APPLICATION FOR A RESIDENCE PERMIT FOR INVESTMENT ACTIVITY (ARI) Acquisition of real estate property of an amount equal to or above 500 thousand Euros:

as it states:
"Evidence in which the Applicant is covered by the health care system, namely:

  • Document proving the Applicant is covered by the National Health Service; or
  • Document proving the Applicant is the holder of an internationally recognised health
    insurance for the time period of the legal residence requested or featuring the
    automatic renewal of the insurance; "
    We would appreciate any clarification that you may have learned in your research. Thank you.

Hi, first time poster having read what is a great article on the GV scheme.
We are lucky enough to already own a property in the Algarve, value in excess of the €500,000 requirement. We are UK citizens/resident but spend a number of months in Portugal and, ultimately, would like to retire there. If and when the UK leaves the EU, and becomes a third country, would this qualify us for the GV scheme, or is the ‘investment’ based on new money only?
Any thoughts/comments gratefully received.

My case is a family of four, a couple with 2 kids.
I am interested to join the golden visa programme and bring my family together.
I concern about the length of stay required for the family members. Do the family members require to stay 7days-14days-14days within 5 years and renew the residents card together with me in Portugal?