Portuguese residency-by-investment

The Portugal Golden Visa is a unique EU residency-by-investment solution that offers a pathway to Portuguese citizenship without the need to relocate and to live in-country. The Golden Visa not only permits the investor, and included family members, to live, work, study and/or retire in Portugal, but also affords visa-free leisure travel throughout the Schengen area.

After five years of temporary residency, applicants can opt to pursue permanent residency or can make an application for Portuguese citizenship provided they meet the nationality requirements. Portuguese citizens can benefit from EU member state “freedom of movement” and therefore can live, work, study and/or retire in any other EU member country.

In October 2023 all real estate investments were removed as qualifying investments for Golden Visa purposes. The programme, however, remains open and active, and investors today can secure the Golden Visa through a €500,00 investment into a qualifying investment fund.

Portugal

Benefits of investing in Portugal

  • Attractive investment fund options: Matched to your preferred risk profile
  • Dual citizenship: Portugal does not impose restrictions on dual citizenship
  • No government contribution: 100% of investment funds can be invested into a qualifying investment fund
  • Minimum annual stay: Portuguese residency can be maintained with minimum in-country stay (average seven days a year)
  • Route to Portuguese citizenship: Golden Visa residency offers investors the chance to naturalise as Portuguese nationals without the need to relocate
  • Freedom of movement: Portuguese citizens can live, work, study and/or retire in any EU member state
  • Euro growth and capital appreciation: Investors can enjoy steady growth and long-term capital appreciation over duration of the programme
  • Family benefits: Investors can include a spouse, partner, minor children, financially dependent adult children, parents and parents-in-law

We're here to help. Let our expert advisers answer all of your questions.

Portugal Golden Visa: Qualifying Investment Paths

As of 2023, there are five qualifying investment paths for the Golden Visa, with the most popular being an investment into a qualifying investment fund.

  1. €500,000 investment in a qualifying fund

    Invest a minimum of €500,000 in a Portuguese investment fund (non-real estate) and retain the investment for a minimum of five years. For the fund to qualify for the Golden Visa at least 60% of the fund’s investments must be into Portuguese domiciled companies.

  2. €500,000 donation to scientific research

    Make a minimum €500,000 non-refundable donation to a recognised Portuguese research institution and project that is approved by Portugal’s National Scientific and Technological System.

  3. €250,000 donation to arts and culture

    Contribute a minimum of €250,000 to a project that supports Portuguese arts, culture or heritage. This is a non-refundable donation to a project which is approved by both GEPAC and the Ministry of Culture.

  4. €500,000 investment and job creation

    Invest €500,000 to start a business in Portugal and create at least five permanent jobs.

  5. Job creation

    Create 10 permanent jobs in Portugal, with the 10 work posts still active at each renewal (no minimum investment required).

Since the inception of the Portugal Golden Visa, we’ve assisted more than 400 families on this journey to Portuguese residency. Our earliest investors and family members have secured Portuguese citizenship and passports, and we have many more nationality applications lodged and pending approval.

We have a dedicated team of legal professionals and partners on the ground in Portugal, who are specialists within their field. We are up to date with the current trends and dynamics within Portugal and can introduce clients to reputable investment fund managers with solid track records and performance.

Our Sable International investment migration team will guide and assist you through the Golden Visa process, holding your hand at each and every step of the way. Our comprehensive service includes assistance to secure Portuguese fiscal numbers, to open up bank accounts (where applicable), to secure the documentation required to finalise your investment and immigration process, including for future renewals and with your eventual application for citizenship.

We're here to help. Let our expert advisers answer all of your questions.

Meet our Investment Migration team

  • John Dunn: Citizenship and Immigration Manager
    John Dunn
    Group Director: Citizenship and Immigration
  • Sihle Goniwe - Client Administrator
    Sihle Goniwe
    Senior Investment Migration Caseworker
  • Shakirah Campbell-Essa
    Investment Migration Caseworker
  • Valencia Jacobs
    Client Administrator
  • Sarah Young
    Investment Migration Manager
  • John Dunn
    Group Director: Citizenship and Immigration

    John joined Sable International in 2008 and has managed multiple divisions during his time with the company.

    He has over a decade of experience in immigration, citizenship and residency-by-investment. He combines that with a background in sales, marketing and management to ensure that Sable International is the go to for all things relating to citizenship and immigration around the world.

    Outside of work, John is dedicated to his young family. He enjoys fitness activities and loves the outdoors.

    Read John's latest articles and insights.

  • Sihle Goniwe
    Senior Investment Migration Caseworker

    Sihle was born and raised in the Eastern Cape, moving to Cape Town in 2013 to study Surface Design at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. She furthered her studies in graphic design but also branched out into hospitality, taking up retail sales and administrator positions at the iconic and luxury 5-star Mount Nelson Hotel.

    Sihle joined the Sable Investment Migration team in 2020 and has excelled in all of her roles, growing from a client administrator to investment migration caseworker and into her current senior caseworker position. She has traditionally focused on assisting our Portugal Golden Visa clients with their application process, even undertaking to learn Portuguese to better understand the requirements for nationality, but she also prepares and advises on complex residency and citizenship applications across all the jurisdictions where we offer investment migration solutions.

    Outside of work, Sihle enjoys spending time at the beach, hiking in the mountains, good food and wine tasing experiences.

  • Shakirah Campbell-Essa
    Investment Migration Caseworker

    Shakirah was born and raised in Table View, Cape Town. She travelled a bit when she was young, and that’s where her desire to explore and travel the world began.

    After matriculating, she studied Events Management at Prestige Academy college. Before joining Sable International she worked at Discovery Headquarters in Cape Town for six years. During this time, she was tasked with numerous operations pertaining, but not limited to, delivering excellent services to clients from start to finish. Problem solving and providing initiative thinking just to mention a few.

    She is currently an Investment Migration Caseworker at Sable International assisting clients through every administrative step throughout their migration application process.

    She is extremely goal-oriented and hard working. She is always up for a new challenge and love seeing her visions come to reality.

  • Valencia Jacobs
    Client Administrator

    Valencia matriculated from Steenberg Secondary then did a PA course at the Academy of Learning. She has worked at Table Mountain Cable Way, and in 4- and 5-star hotels in Cape Town. She took a four-year break from working, in order to study social work through Unisa, after which she worked in Health & Safety for seven years.

    She joins our Investment Migration team where she will be working as a client administrator. 

    She has a bubbly personality and is very humble. She is eager to learn and grow in her new role. Outside of work, Valencia loves spending time with her daughter and grandson. She also loves to braai with friends or binge watch series.

  • Sarah Young
    Investment Migration Manager

    Originally from the UK, Sarah is well-travelled – having worked in France, South America and Botswana before settling in Cape Town. She graduated at the top of her class with a BA (Hons) in International Business before spending 15 years in hospitality. During this time, she gained a clear understanding of the need for global mobility through her own experience.

    Sarah currently oversees Sable International’s Investment Migration casework team, assisting clients with finding the programme which best fits their needs. Once people have chosen their route to global citizenship, her team assists them every step of the way through the entire process.

    In her free time Sarah enjoys life outdoors, spending time with family and friends paired with laughter, good food and wine.

     

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Disclaimer: Please do not act in reliance on information published or advised without consulting a suitably qualified independent legal or other professional advisor of your own choosing. Sable International will not be liable for any direct, indirect or consequential loss or damage suffered by any person as a result of their use or reliance on any of the advice provided by any one or all of the professional advisors identified by Sable International; loss or damage suffered by any person as a result of changing government legislation; and/or changing rules around immigration and nationality. Obtaining residency and citizenship is at the sole discretion of the government in question and cannot be guaranteed by Sable International.