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Portugal golden visa is the most famous and favored immigration program to the Eu that enables lots of benefits. You can work, study and your family can move there too. Then comes free access to EU countries. There will be a few changes to the program from January 2022.

The article explains who is eligible for the golden visa, requirements, the application process, and the new changes in 2022.

Who is eligible for Portugal Golden Visa?

The eligibility principles for Portugal golden visa is as follows:

Age limit

Not every applicant at age can apply for the program. You need to be at least 18 years old and have a valid passport or travel document from your country of residence.

Portugal Golden Visa, 2022 changes and new rules 

Source of the fund

The source of the money you invest in the country must be legal and clear. It can not be from within Portugal and must come from abroad. Bear in mind that the officials require proof for the source of the investment, and you have to provide them.

Nationality

There are a few groups of countries who cannot apply for the program they are as follows:

  • EU
  • EEA
  • Switzerland

Visa applicants can not be from the above list of countries.

Keeping an investment for a fixed period of time

The authorities want you to provide evidence that you will keep your investment for a certain period of time. You and your family must keep the investment in Portugal until you want to keep the residency. When you are eligible for permanent residency, you don’t have to keep your investment anymore.

Required investment fund

The investment options for the program are as follows:

Real Estate

You need to buy a type of accommodation that’s worth €500,000 in Portugal. If the area you want to buy the house is in a low-density area, then you can invest to about €400,000. If you don’t have half a million EUR, there are other options available.

If you buy accommodation that is older than 30 years old and in a rehabilitation area, you can invest €350,000, but you need to renovate the place. You also have the option of €280.000 investment in a low-density area.

You also have the option of purchasing properties worth the required amount. For instance, you can buy two houses but worth half a million EUR. Also, if you are siblings, you can invest together in a project, but the amount gets doubled.

Fund Subscription

You have to invest €350,000 in a qualifying Portuguese fund to be eligible for the program.

Capital Transfer

This category requires you to invest 1 million EUR in Portugal to be eligible for the golden visa.

Company

You become eligible if you establish a company of your own and create ten job opportunities. In case the location of the business is in a low-density area, creating eight jobs will suffice.

You also have the option of investing €350,000 in a company that’s been active before and creating five new full-time jobs for at least three years.

Donation

The money you donate should come in two sectors with different required funds:

  • Preserving Portuguese national heritage, €250,000
  • Investment in research and development, €350,000

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Portugal Golden Visa requirements

The common list of requirements for a Portugal golden visa is as follows:

Passport 

The origin and a copy of your passport are required. It must be valid for over a year.

Proof of investment 

You need to provide all the related documents proving that you have made an investment in Portugal according to the required fees.

  • Promissory sale agreement with proof of deposit payment for purchased real estate.
  • Proof of fund subscription for investment fund

Evidence of transferring fund 

Provide proof from a Portuguese financial institution confirming that you have transferred the required funds.

Purchased health 

The applicant has to buy insurance from the National Health System in Portugal and provide proof. If he/she is residing outside the country, the insurance must be purchased from an internationally covered insurance company.

Proof of clean record certificate 

Provide proof that you have a clean criminal record from the Police of Judiciary officials. Remember that it can not be older than three months from the date it was issued.

Criminal records access 

Complete a form permitting SEF (Portuguese Immigration and Borders Service) to access criminal records in the country.

Declaration 

The applicant must provide a sworn declaration and verify that he/she will keep his/her investment in the country for five years.

Receipt of ARI application payment

Printed payment receipt from the ARI portal when you apply and pay the fees.

Do you need to legalize your documents?

Yes. You need to legalize the document that’s been issued by a non-Portuguese entity:

  • Birth certificate
  • Marriage certificates
  • Criminal records
  • Other civic documents

If the country you have received the document is part of the Hague convention, the legalization must have an apostille.

Translation 

Have your documents translated into Portuguese or Englishby a verified translator.

Format of the documents 

Your documents must be in PDF format, and the maximum size should be 4 MB.

Proof of address from the country you reside in

Provide evidence or some form of governmental proof of the registered address in your place of residence.

Portugal golden visa application process

The application process for Portugal golden visa is as follows, but you might need to go through a different route by the country your live in and your own conditions:

Step 1. Find the appropriate investment procedure

The article explained that there are different investment options for Portugal golden visa. You need to figure out details about each program and find out which one is appropriate for you.

There are different required funds for each category, so determine if you can fulfill them or not.

Step 2. Determine if you are eligible for the visa or not

The required fund for each program is just one of the conditions. There are other requirements and eligibility principles with each one as well. So do your research to know if you can provide them and are eligible or not. You also need to notarize, apostille some certificates. See if you can complete the required steps or not.

Step 3. Complete the investment

You need to finalize your investment in Portugal so to apply for the visa. Opening a bank account, moving the money to the country, and completing the investment are all required before you apply for the visa. Bear in mind that the proof of investment must be received to submit to the officials.

Step 4. Gather the required supporting documents

See the section above to get familiar with the list of required supporting documents for Portugal golden visa. You need to collect them and submit them to the officials.

Remember that the requirements are an essential part of the application process. If they are not complete, your application will take longer.

The other point to remember is that some of the documents must be translated, notarized, and apostilled. It might take a long so you can complete them.

Step 5. Complete the application form

Now you should register with the SEF’s portal for receiving Golden Visa Applications that get called the ARI Portal. Remember that there are various application forms that you need to complete depending on:

  • Applying on your own
  • Applying as a legal representative on behalf of a client.

You also need to upload the required documents to the website in PDF format no larger than 4MB.

Step 6. Set visa appointment

The SEF will analyze your documents and provide you with a few dates so you can attend a visa meeting. The place of the interview depends on the country you live in and can be the Potgula embassy, consulate, or a visa center authorized by the government. You and your family (if they accompany you) need to attend the session, so your fingerprints and digital photo will be taken. Asking some questions during the meeting is also common so prepare yourself to talk about the purpose of your investment in Portugal and the source of the fund.

Step 7. Receive your golden visa

After processing is over, the SEF will send your visa to you or your lawyer. The visa is valid for two years, but you can renew it and stay in the country. However, you need to keep your investment in the country and fulfill the eligibility principles:

  • Committing the tax rules in Portugal.
  • Have a clean record certificate in Portugal and your home country.
  • Abiding the Portugal law during your stay
  • Passing basic language requirement

Portugal golden visa processing time

The processing time for Portugal golden visa is up to a few different factors. First, you need to complete your investment in the country which could take some time. Then comes the opening of a bank account and transferring the fund. Then you can apply for a visa which could take up to six months.

How to become a Portugal citizen?

You will become eligible for Portugal citizenship or permanent residency if you keep your visa for five years. You need to renew it two times. The processing time for the citizenship application process is six months to one year. Remember that When you receive citizenship, you don’t have to keep the investment, and you can sell it.

Portugal golden visa application fee

There are processing fees for the visa along with the required investment:

  • €5,325 for each person applying at the beginning.
  • €2,663 to renew the visa per person.

Can you use loans for Portugal golden visa?

Portugal law does not allow to bring the fund as a loan or mortgage from a Portuguese bank or financial institution. However, you can receive loans from anywhere outside of Portugal and transfer the money to the country.

Can you work under Portugal golden visa?

Yes, the Portuguese Golden Visa authorizes applicants to work and study in the country. However, if you wish to stay in the country full time, you need to have medical insurance, but the benefit is that you will have access to all the education and medical services in the country provided by the government.

Not only can you work for any employer in any state or city, but also you have the opportunity to establish your own business.

Can you bring your family under the Portugal golden visa?

The golden visa allows you to bring your family to the country and live with them. However, you can add the following family members to your application:

  • Spouse,
  • Children under the age of 18,
  • Dependent children who are under the age of 26, only if that they are full-time students and single,
  • Parents of the main applicant, if over 65.

Do you have to pay taxes under the Portugal golden visa?

The answer depends on the length of your stay in the country. If you stay longer than 183 days per year in the country, then you have to pay taxes. If not, you don’t need to pay any taxes at all. The government provides tax exemptions for foreigners investing in the country during the first ten years of residing in the country. But the officials changed the program in 2020, and since then, foreign pensioners have to pay tx on their pension income.

Portugal golden visa changes 2022

Portugal golden visa is about to change in 2022 as follows.

  • Required investment option will increase to €500.000
  • The capital Transfer option will rise to €1,5 million.
  • The real investment option will be restricted to a low-density area.

The authorities will implement the changes from January 1, 2022.

You will not be able to purchase real estate in Lisbon, Porto, and most of the Algarve to be eligible for the program. Remember the point, and don’t be misled by the fraudsters.

Portugal golden visa citizenship requirements

To be eligible for Portugal citizenship, you must keep your investment in the country for five years and spend the required duration in the country as instructed. The following items must also be fulfilled:

  • Committing the tax rules in Portugal.
  • Have a clean record certificate in Portugal and your home country.
  • Abiding the Portugal law during your stay
  • Passing basic language requirement

Let’s sum up…

You can move permanently to Portugal and become a citizen through Portugal golden visa. It’s one of the most famous and favored investment options in the world.

The article explained who is eligible for a golden visa, requirements, the application process, 2022 changes, and FAQs.

You can find out about other types of Portugal visas by going through the left sidebar.

Visa Library provides visa information about other countries on the top menu.

Your questions about the visas will be answered in the comment section below.

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