CITIZENSHIP BY INVESTMENT BLOG

January 2019: What is the Portugal Golden Residence Visa?

Answer: The Portuguese Golden Residence Permit Program is a five year investment-based residence process for non EU nationals. The residence permit allows free circulation in the Schengen Zone of 26 European countries and only requires an average of seven days per year stay in Portugal.

After five years as a resident, the applicant is eligible for citizenship if desired.

Main applicants are required to make one of three qualifying investments: A. The acquisition of real estate with a minimum value of EUR 350,000; or B. The transfer of capital with a minimum value of EUR 1 million; or C. The creation of at least 10 new jobs registered with the social security department. Applicants are free to choose one of these three investment routes.

The timeframe for application processing is approximately two months subject to having completed all documentation and the investment.

Because the time to Portuguese citizenship (EU passport) is quite long, this program has become less popular over the past few years. Unless the goal is to live in Portugal, investors now favor the residency or citizenship by investment programs of countries such as Cyprus, Malta, Greece or Bulgaria, where citizenship may be obtained as quickly as 90 - 180 days.


Because the Malta immigration by investment program details can change over time please contact us about the current rules and regulations.

Click here for the Malta citizenship by investment program. Click here for the Malta residency programs.

To start the application process online please register here.

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