Countries
Portugal · investment residence
Invest in a qualifying Portuguese fund, company, research or cultural project and apply for a residence permit that needs only 7 days in Portugal in the first year. Property no longer qualifies.
What the investment route gives you
The route no longer runs through property. It is built around a regulated investment, a light stay rule and a family file on a single qualifying amount.
Each route has its own legal test. A fund must be Portuguese, non-real-estate, at least five years to maturity and at least 60% invested in Portuguese companies. We confirm the route before the transfer is made.
Seven days in Portugal in the first year and 14 days in each following two-year period keep the permit renewable.
Spouse or partner, dependent children, adult children who study and dependent parents can join without the usual two-year wait.
The investment is held for at least five years from the permit grant, with renewals every two years while it stays in place.
The Portuguese residence card supports short stays across the Schengen Area while Portugal remains the issuing country.
Main investment routes
The amount is only the first test. What the capital funds, how long it stays and whether it can come back decide which route fits.
A Portuguese lawyer should confirm the route, and the fund documents where relevant, before any money leaves your account.
The financial realities
The permit and the investment return are separate decisions. We set out the fund, cost and payment constraints before a route is treated as viable.
Subscription, management and performance fees reduce the net result. Compare them across funds before choosing one.
A qualifying fund is an investment, not a deposit. Its value can fall, and the permit does not protect the capital.
The fund must have at least five years to maturity and the investment is held five years from the permit grant. Exit follows the fund's own terms.
The transfer runs through a Portuguese bank, which can apply enhanced due diligence by nationality. Ownership, source and path need one clean narrative.
Holding the permit
The permit works on a light stay rule. Permanent residence, citizenship and tax residence each follow their own tests.
Seven days in the first year, then 14 days in each two-year period, consecutive or not, support renewal.
After five years of temporary residence you can apply, with basic Portuguese, means, accommodation and a clean record.
The 2026 reform set 10 years of legal residence, or 7 for CPLP and EU nationals, counted from the residence permit, plus language and civic tests.
The permit alone does not make you tax resident. The 183-day and habitual-residence tests decide, and NHR is closed to new entrants.
Keep the three clocks separate. The permit renews on a light stay rule. Permanent residence can follow at five years. Citizenship now takes ten.
Fit check
We test the route, the fund or project, source of funds, family structure and long-term goal before the legal and banking work begins.
The route is worth checking if
Check carefully if
Investment and funds file
The fund or project documents, the bank evidence and the immigration file need to describe the same investment and the same clean payment chain.
Which article 3 route applies, and the low-density location where a reduction is used
Manager declaration on the capitalisation plan, maturity of at least five years and 60% in Portuguese companies
Declaration from a bank in Portugal confirming the qualifying amount was transferred
Ownership, bank trail and the lawful origin of the investment money
Passport, criminal-record certificates and a valid Schengen entry for each applicant
Civil-status and dependency documents, then the in-person biometric appointment in Portugal
From route choice to residence card
The law gives AIMA 90 days to decide, extendable by 30 in exceptional cases. For planning, 2026 practitioner reporting puts filing to first card at roughly 12 to 24 months.
We match the fund, company, research, culture or job-creation route to your budget, timing and need for the capital back.
Portuguese lawyers check the fund's regulation, maturity, 60% allocation and real-estate exposure, or the company and job plan.
You obtain a NIF and open a Portuguese bank account, then transfer and subscribe. The bank confirms the transfer in writing.
We assemble and submit the online file for the main applicant and each family member.
You travel to Portugal for biometrics. The case team coordinates the appointment and the originals.
The first card runs for two years and renews every two years. A late renewal decision is no longer treated as approval, so we file early.
The safest sequence is route, fund or project due diligence, investment and only then the residence filing.
Full-service scope
The exact quote depends on the investment route, the family file and the legal work required before the transfer.
Individual quote based on route and family scope
For applicants who want the investment, legal and residence work coordinated in one plan.
Check my case for free
Government and investment costs are separate. AIMA charges €842.80 for analysis, €8,418.90 for the grant and €4,210.30 for each renewal, per applicant, including every family member, under the fee table in force from 1 March 2026. The table is indexed every March, so we recheck the figures before engagement.
Compare across countries: Government feesIncome requirementsProcessing times
Investment route detail
Every route excludes real estate, directly or indirectly. Beyond that, each one has its own test for what the money funds and how long it stays.
€500,000 into units of a Portuguese non-real-estate fund with at least five years to maturity at the time of investment and at least 60% invested in companies headquartered in Portugal.
€500,000 to set up or recapitalise a company with five permanent jobs, 10 new jobs without a fixed amount, €500,000 for research or €250,000 for culture. Jobs, research and culture are 20% lower in low-density areas.
Relovisa in numbers
Residence, work, founder, family and private-client cases.
Completed cases only. Open, withdrawn and incomplete files are excluded.
Clients handled across Relovisa's international route network.
The immigration lawyers and consultants on our case teams bring 10+ years each.
Global Relovisa results. AIMA decides every Golden Visa application.
People behind your case
Every case is led and coordinated by Relovisa. We bring in the immigration consultants, lawyers, payroll and tax specialists the route needs, while Relovisa remains your single point of contact.
One coordinated case team, built around the route you actually need.
Leads strategy for founder, business and non-standard cases, connecting the route with the client's business, family and long-term plan.
Leads client and partner operations so case teams, local specialists and next steps stay coordinated from assessment to completion.
Supports UK immigration and Talent Visa case management where licensed legal input is required.
Supports German work immigration cases across process planning, local requirements and case coordination.
Supports Portuguese residence matters that require legal review, representation or procedural escalation.
Supports Portugal D2, D3, D7 and D8 cases, including clients with different income structures.
Supports global mobility for self-employed, founder and highly skilled cases through Portugal D8, D2 and D3 routes.
Supports highly qualified professionals and procedural cases involving residence delays and AIMA proceedings.
Advises on international tax structures and non-standard cross-border situations across Europe, Asia and the United States.
Supports clients whose move intersects with crypto assets, international business and tax planning.
Local coverage for routes and services that require authorised in-country specialists.
Portugal Golden Visa questions
The route, the fund or project and the long-term goal should be clear before any money is transferred.
No. Since the October 2023 Mais Habitação reform, property purchase and simple capital transfer no longer qualify. The remaining routes cannot be directed, directly or indirectly, to real estate.
€500,000 into a qualifying Portuguese investment fund; €500,000 to set up or recapitalise a Portuguese company with five permanent jobs; creating 10 jobs; €500,000 for scientific research; and €250,000 for artistic production or cultural heritage. Jobs, research and culture are 20% lower in low-density areas.
It must be a Portuguese non-real-estate collective investment fund with at least five years to maturity when you invest, and at least 60% of its investments in companies headquartered in Portugal. The fund manager confirms this in writing for the file.
No. A qualifying fund is an investment, not a deposit. Its value can fall, fees reduce the result and exit follows the fund's terms. We review the fund documents with Portuguese lawyers before you subscribe.
At least five years from the date the residence permit is granted. The fund itself must also have at least five years to maturity at the time of investment.
Seven days, consecutive or not, in the first year and 14 days in each following two-year period. You also attend in person for biometrics.
Your spouse or equivalent partner, minor or dependent children, dependent adult single children who are studying, and the dependent parents of you or your spouse. Family members of an investor do not face the usual two-year wait before reunification.
The law gives AIMA 90 days to decide a first application, extendable by 30 in exceptional cases. In practice, 2026 practitioner reporting puts filing to first card at roughly 12 to 24 months, mostly waiting for biometrics and card issuance.
Under the AIMA fee table in force from 1 March 2026, each applicant, including every family member, pays €842.80 for analysis, €8,418.90 when the permit is granted and €4,210.30 for each renewal. The table is indexed every March, so we recheck the figures before engagement.
After at least five years of temporary residence, if you have means of subsistence, accommodation, basic Portuguese and no disqualifying conviction. AIMA decides the application.
It can support a later naturalisation application, but not quickly. Since 19 May 2026, citizenship requires 10 years of legal residence, or 7 for CPLP and EU nationals, counted from the residence permit rather than the application date, plus Portuguese language, culture and civic-knowledge requirements.
Not by holding the permit. Tax residence follows the 183-day and habitual-residence tests. NHR is closed to new entrants and IFICI only covers qualifying activities, so a Portuguese tax adviser should model your case.
The Golden Visa law has no nationality bar, but people subject to EU restrictive measures are excluded and banks apply enhanced checks. We check nationality, banking and the payment route before any commitment.
Most of it. A Portuguese lawyer can obtain the NIF, support the bank account and file under power of attorney. You attend in Portugal for biometrics and keep to the minimum stay afterwards.
Reviewed against Lei 23/2007, Decreto Regulamentar 84/2007 and Lei Orgânica 1/2026Reviewed 30 September 2026
Start with the investment
Bring the amount, the fund or project you are considering, your family members and your source-of-funds plan. We identify the route, flag the due-diligence risks and scope the legal and residence work before you transfer anything.
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