The Portugal Golden Visa program provides an attractive, flexible pathway to gain European residency and citizenship while investing in one of Europe’s most dynamic economies. With an investment of €500,000, successful applicants and their families gain access to a range of benefits.

Investing in Portugal, one of the most popular destinations for Americans, gets you:

Family Inclusion - One of the key benefits of the Portugal Golden Visa Program is that you can also extend your application to dependents, such as the applicant’s spouse, children and/or parents. 

Low Presence Requirement - Applicants must maintain an average of only seven days per year spent in Portugal to maintain your Golden Visa status.

Freedom of Movement - Residency in Portugal through the Golden Visa program includes the bonus of being able to travel visa-free through the 29 countries within the European Schengen Area.

Pathway to Citizenship - Portugal’s Golden Visa program offers applicants a simple pathway to apply for Portuguese citizenship after five years from the date of the application’s submission with minimal presence requirements

Following an initial consultation and due diligence screening with our team at Immigration Diligence, we will connect you with our partners in Lisbon to assess what type of investment works best for you.

After formalizing your intent to begin the process, our legal partners will complete all the necessary government forms and supporting documents. The entire process can be managed remotely from the United States.

You will be expected to provide scans of your passport along with any family members who will be included in the application, contact details for everyone, birth and marriage certificates, investor’s Social Security Card, Proof of address (utility bill issued in the last 3 months), proof of availability of investment funds (bank statement or portfolio summary is fine), professional activity and salary / income, resume or Linkedin profile and a copy of your latest IRS Form 1040, 1099 or W-2 if you have it.

Your lawyer will also have you fill out a Know Your Customer (KYC) form. You will also need to obtain an “Identity History Summary Check” from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

While your lawyer drafts your legal package for you, you may continue doing your diligence into the various Portuguese fund options. No matter which investment route you choose, you will need to obtain a Número de Identificação Fiscal (NIF) – a Portuguese taxpayer number, required for investments and residency programs. You may also want to open a Portuguese bank account at this time. Immigration Diligence and our partners will guide you through this process step by step. 

At this stage, you will select the most appropriate qualifying option and complete the investment process. Certain funds require you to transfer the funds to a bank account in Portugal. Once the funds have been wired, the Proof of Investment, Proof of Transfer, Declaration of No Debt to Social Security and Tax Authority, along with all your other documents and a completed application will be prepared for submission to the Portuguese authorities.

A complete application submission to the Portuguese immigration authorities, Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo (AIMA), typically consists of all the documents mentioned in Step 1. Your U.S.-based documents will need to be translated into Portuguese and authenticated with an Apostille. Immigration Diligence, based in Washington, D.C., is strategically located to assist you with authenticating your American documents. We make it easy for you!

Once all documents have been double checked, our legal partners in Lisbon will submit your completed application through Portugal’s AIMA portal. Payment of the analysis fee to AIMA is typically €618.60 per person. You’re officially “in line” now, and the 5-year clock to being eligible to apply for Portuguese citizenship begins now.

After receiving your pre-approval from AIMA, you will be able to book an appointment at an AIMA bureau in Portugal to submit your biometric information (fingerprints and photos). The wait time for pre approval can range from 12 to 24 months.

Scheduling the biometric appointment can be daunting as there is a substantial wait time for this process and there is no guarantee can be given in regards to availability for specific dates or places regarding appointments at the Immigration Office. 

When visiting Portugal for your biometrics appointment it is important you ask the official to stamp your passport at the border. If he does not stamp, we recommend asking for it at the airport Immigration desk/police.

At the biometrics appointment applicants will provide fingerprints and facial biometrics and present original documents for verification. At this stage applicants can also pay the residence card issuance fee (€8,060.20 per applicant)​.

After biometrics are completed the Immigration Office will do its final analysis. During the review of the application, they may request additional information or documentation.

When you receive notice of final approval of your Golden Visa application, your Golden Visa residence card will be printed and collected. Processing times vary widely from application submission to residence card retrieval, with some insiders reporting up to two years of delays. However, Portugal and AIMA is diligently working to digitize its adjudication process, which should drastically reduce bureaucratic backlog.

To maintain your Golden Visa, you will need to spend an average of 7 days per year in Portugal (7 days in year 1 and 14 days in each subsequent 2-year period). Every two years, you will need to renew your residence card. Renewal requires proof that the investment has been maintained and stay requirements have been met. Our partners in Lisbon will assist with your renewal application.

The Golden Visa card is initially valid for 2 years, then renewed for 2 more years. It will correspond to the process of accessing the 2nd and 3rd cards. Children included as dependents under your application must remain single and enrolled in school until the family becomes eligible to apply for citizenship in order to maintain their dependent status.

After five years following the submission of your application, you can apply for Portuguese permanent residency (PR), which gives you indefinite rights to live and work in Portugal. The PR card itself is valid for five years and can be renewed without additional investment or full-time residence requirements. 

The qualifying investment must be maintained for a minimum of five years from the date the residence permit is granted. Following receiving your permanent residency, you may “cash out” of your investment if you choose to. 

It’s important to note that A2-level Portuguese language proficiency is required for permanent residency.

After five years following the submission of your application, you may apply for citizenship! Note that if applying for Portuguese citizenship, you will also need to have an A2-level proficiency of the Portuguese language, either by taking an exam or attending a government-approved language course.

At Immigration Diligence, we work closely with you alongside our local partners to ensure that your application is handled with the care and diligence it deserves. Reach out to us today for more information on the Portugal Golden Visa process.