The Portuguese Golden Visa is one of the most popular visa for investment programs in the world. The Portuguese Golden Visa was created on 2012, and since that thousands of families have successfully relocated to Portugal trough this visa, and have started new lives.

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.

The ways to obtain the Portuguese Golden Visa are:

• Purchase of a property with a value equal to or greater than 500 thousand euros. (According to the new rules, these properties must be in the interior of Portugal, the municipalities of Lisbon and Porto are no longer considered)
• Purchase of properties which have more than 30 years of construction or in urban rehabilitation areas (with the obligation to carry out restorations with a minimum value of 350 thousand euros)
• Transfer of capital for investment (amounts above 1 million euros)
• Creation of 5 jobs position in a Portuguese company (which can be created for the purpose of obtaining a visa)
• Donations accordingly to the new rule (250 thousand euros to support arts or the reconstruction of national heritage)
• And other personals obligations

The Portuguese Golden Visa applies to entrepreneurs or investors who want to expand their investments in properties or commercial activities and who fit in one of the options mentioned above.

Timeline and steps of the Portuguese Golden Visa:

The timeline to obtain the Portuguese Golden Visa is relatively straightforward. After choosing the investment more suitable for your case, it's time to collect all the personal paperwork for the main applicant and also for the dependents. Since this stage, we recommend a good consultancy to make sure that you have all the necessary documentation. The next step is to obtain the NIF and the bank account (this stage is obligatory and you'll need to be here in Portugal or to hire a representative).

After that, it's time to do your investment chosen for the purpose of the Portuguese Golden Visa. With all the documents assuring that you have the investment made and also that you personal paperwork is fine, you'll lodge your application online. SEF (the Portuguese Borders Service) will analyze your process and sent you the approval and a date and hour to interview you and your depends, in Portugal, to collect your biometric data and issued the Residence Permit.

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.