According to the SEF report, in 2020 the top-10 nationalities living in Portugal were: Brazil, UK, Cabo Verde, Romania, Ukraine, Italy, China, France, India and Angola. Between 2017 and 2020, the Brazilians, Italians and British increased over 100%, duplicating their population in Portugal.

Talking about Golden Visa's in Portugal, the numbers show us a new country, that didn't appear much when related to general visas. The top-3 nationalities that request the Portuguese Golden Visa is: China, USA and Brazil, in this order. The USA community in Portugal is increasing year by year, accordingly the statistics. At the street is also normal to see couples of North Americans citizens that made Portugal their home.

The new currency is a big incentive to Americans lives in Portugal

The euro (EUR) is the currency of the 17 countries of the European Union. This is not different in Portugal. On the other hand, official currency of USA is the US dollar (USD). The single European currency fell below par with the dollar for the first time in 20 years, hit by growing fears of recession in the euro zone.

A drop below 1 dollar is rare. Since its inception in 1999, the euro has spent very little time below par. In fact, the last time it was there was between 1999 and 2002, when it sank to a low of $0.82 in October 2000.

In a simple comparison, considering an exchange rate of today ,we have 1,01 USD for 1 EUR. Taking into account the very very small difference and the low prices of Portugal, the Americans living in Portugal don't lose purchasing power. What our relocation experts are seeing is a huge increase in demand by US citizens for properties, due to the fall of the euro, for Golden Visa purposes.

Why people chose the Portuguese Golden Visa?

• Different types of investments to choose from (real estate, investment funds, capital transfer, business set-up);
• Minimum investment from €250,000 (accordingly to the new law);
• Minimum period required to spend at the county, minimum of seven days in the first year in Portugal, then a subsequent 14 days every two-year period
• The family members can be included in the main application (including spouse and dependent children)
• Portuguese citizen right after the fifth year
• Free access to the Schengen area after the Residence Permit (Access to 26 nations in the EU & visa-free travel to 183 nations)
• Live in a safe country with affordable living costs and a high quality of life (Portugal is one of the most safety country on the world).
• The Portuguese Golden Visa is a visa created with the aim of attracting foreign investors to Portugal. There're some ways to obtain the right to apply for the visa.

To learn more about the Portuguese Golden Visa, which investment is most suitable for your investor profile and to make your visa process smoothly, Change Consulting's experts can help you and your family in this journey. You can contact us here.