Discover how to obtain a Portuguese residence permit and work towards EU citizenship with the help of an investment program. Enjoy Schengen travel, business opportunities, tax incentives, and more. Learn the requirements and investment options. Contact our experts for personalized assistance and streamline your path to Portuguese residency.
If you are looking for a citizenship-by-investment program in Europe, you will probably be disappointed to find out that they simply do not exist. The only exception is Malta, and it has quite high requirements. Fortunately, you can use the Portuguese residence-by-investment program to finally obtain citizenship by naturalization. It will not be as quick as, for example, Caribbean citizenship granted within several months, but this is a good chance to obtain an EU passport one day. In this post, we will look at what you need to do to get a residence permit in Portugal and start your path toward citizenship.
If you need more information about Portugal or other citizenship- and residence-by-investment programs, please follow this link to our portal to look through our extensive knowledge base of articles. Our experts help people relocate, start their business abroad, open bank accounts in a foreign country, and so on, and they know all the nuances and are ready to share them with you. You can book a free preliminary session to discuss all the details and choose the most suitable destination or program for you. And if you want to get things done without much administrative hassle, we will do it for you at a reasonable fee!
Portuguese Residence Permit: Benefits
Why do people get a Portuguese residence permit? Let’s look at the opportunities you will get:
- Visit Schengen countries without a visa
- Acquire citizenship of Portugal in 5 years
- Run a business in Europe and enter the world market
- Tax incentives: you can get a 10-year tax exemption under the Non-Habitual Resident program
- Easy access to the European banking sector to manage and save your assets more wisely and obtain loans
- You are not required to live in the country for long to keep your residence permit valid: you will only need to stay in Portugal for 7 days every year.
- You can live and work in Portugal on a permanent basis and study at the best European universities
Sounds impressive? Let’s see what you need to do to qualify for a residence permit.
Residence in Portugal: Requirements
These are the general requirements for applicants, while the investment amounts will be discussed below:
- You have to be at least 18 years of age.
- Your criminal record should be clean, and you should have no restrictions on entry to EU countries.
- You should have no suspicious connections with citizens from countries blacklisted by the EU.
- You should make the required investment (using the funds from any country except for Portugal) and prove it with a document.
- You will need to provide proof of the legal origin of the funds you are going to invest.
- Make sure you have a valid health insurance policy.
- You will need to stay in Portugal for at least 7 days on an annual basis to remain the residence permit holder.
- You are required to hold the asset you acquire for 5 years.
The application may include dependents (spouse and children under 26) who need to meet the requirements above as well. If your children are aged at least 18, you will have to prove their financial dependence (studies at a university, for example).
If you want to invest in the Portuguese economy using a sole proprietorship limited liability company, you will have to prove that you are its sole owner.
Portuguese Residence Permit: Investment Options
You will need to fulfill one of the following requirements to be eligible for the Portuguese residence permit:
- You can invest in local real estate and own it for 5 years before you can resell it. The lower threshold is 500,000 euros.
- If you want to invest in an old property that was built more than 30 years ago and needs restoration, you can invest 350,000 euros.
- You can deposit 1,500,000 euros with a Portuguese bank (or use the same amount to buy securities or invest in equity or public debt).
- You can invest 500,000 euros in the shares of an investment/venture fund.
- If you would like to invest in Portuguese science and technological development, the amount also equals 500,000 euros.
- You can contribute 250,000 euros to the country’s cultural heritage.
- You can set up a company and create five jobs for the locals or invest in a local company (the amount is 500,000 euros).
You can obtain a 20% discount on all the options above if you choose a sparsely populated or underdeveloped region of Portugal.
Expert Assistance
There are things we can do ourselves, while there are others we usually delegate for different reasons. Here is a list of services we can provide to you – look at it carefully to see what you would like to delegate to experts:
- Choosing real estate to suit your budget and purpose (commercial property, apartments with a sea view, houses for renovation, ready-to-use hotels, and more). We cooperate with carefully selected Portuguese real estate agencies only.
- Drafting a sale and purchase agreement for ownership registration. The transaction can be completed without your visit to Portugal if you provide a power of attorney, and you will simply get all the documents to become the property owner.
- We will show you the real estate during a video call or a personal visit to the country.
- Our experts will support you at all stages of bank account opening in Portugal (remotely) as you will need it to transfer the funds to the seller.
- We will provide all the legal support you need to sign a sale contract.
- Finally, we will render assistance at all stages of application for the Portuguese residence permit (application to the Immigration Service, ID card and personal tax number issuance). You will have to be personally present to submit your biometric data. However, your physical presence is not required to obtain a residence permit card if you have a trusted lawyer or partner.
Once all the above steps are complete, you will need to register with Portuguese social/communal services to pay your bills (this is done by proving your property ownership).
Interested in obtaining a Portuguese residence permit? Click on the above link to read more or get in touch with our qualified specialists who will help you make a choice, take the first step, or dispel some myths. Don’t hesitate – just talk to us!
