You can purchase any type of real estate including family homes, holiday apartments, shops, offices, and farms. However, the amount you must invest in property varies depending on the qualifying category.

These categories are outlined below:

• A property which was constructed more than 30 years ago, or a property which is in an ‘urban renewal’ area and needs refurbishing – investment of at least €350,000 required, which includes the cost of any intended renovation works

• All other property types – investment of at least €500,000 required.

​If the property is located in an area of low population density* the value requirement may be reduced by 20% (to €280,000 and €400,000 respectively).

There are a number of charges relating to property purchase such as stamp duty, property transfer tax and several necessary certificate fees. See: Portugal Golden Visa & Property Investment expenses

No – the property is yours to use as you please. If you choose not to live in the property permanently, you may rent it out for residential or commercial purposes and you will pay a flat tax rate of 28% on any rental income. Either way, you must keep your property for a minimum period of five years.

Yes – you don’t have to spend all your investment funds on one property. You can, for instance, buy two properties each valued at €250,000 to fulfil the investment requirement. But if you purchase property from different qualifying categories as outlined above, you must always meet the higher investment requirement value.

For example, if you acquire one new property and one property that is more than 30 years old, the total value of both properties must equal or exceed €500,000.

Yes, but you must still invest the required amount in the property yourself. Even if the value of the property exceeds €500,000, for example, you will not qualify for the golden visa unless you alone have contributed at least €500,000 to purchase the property.

A Golden Visa is normally granted for an initial period of one year. It will be renewed for subsequent periods of two years. After five years, the investor and family members can apply for permanent residency.

Our team of dedicated experts in the Lisbon office can help you through the buying process – from arranging viewings to managing the property on your behalf once acquired.

A capital investment relates to funds which are being invested in businesses usually for long-term use. This could be long-term assets, working capital, or equity stakes.

• To obtain a golden visa, you may complete a capital transfer of funds from abroad to a bank or institution in Portugal. You can choose one of four investment streams and invest the following amounts:

• Funding of arts and culture (at least €250,000) – You must invest in programmes which support the arts (e.g. music, theatre, filmmaking), or that help to preserve national heritage. This may include restoring buildings, landmarks, monuments, and places of cultural or historic significance. The investment amount may be reduced by 20% (to €200,000) if the investment is made in an area of low population density.

• Funding of research activities (at least €350,000) – You must invest in research that is undertaken by either public or private scientific institutions, such as national projects regarding the advancement of scientific or technological systems. The investment amount may be reduced by 20% (to €280,000) if the investment is made in an area of low population density.

• Capitalisation on SMEs (at least €500,000) – You must purchase shares in investment funds, or in venture capital that will fund small or medium-sized enterprises. The company receiving your funds should have a viable long-term plan for spending the capital you invest in their business.

• Freedom to invest (at least €1million) – You are free to invest your funds in company shares, bonds, securities, and savings certificates.

As a law firm, we cannot advice our clients about their investment routes, however, we assist them to find a regulated financial advisor. To find out more about how we can help you, contact us by calling +44  203 971 5088.

• Proof of your investment (as this needs to be made before submitting your application)
• Passport and a valid Schengen visa
• Portuguese Fiscal number (an ID number issued by the Portuguese Tax Authorities before your investment can be made)
• A copy of your criminal record from your country of residence
• A copy of your Portuguese criminal record
• A declaration from the Tax department confirming you owe no debts to the Tax authorities
• A declaration from Social Security proving the absence of debts to Social Security Authorities
• A declaration from the investor confirming compliance with the investment requirements
• Confirmation of health insurance valid in Portugal, or that you have access to public health services (if living in Portugal)
• Receipt of payment of the initial application fee.

Documents need to be in Portuguese or English language. If not, they should be translated into Portuguese and translation needs to be legalised with an ‘apostille of the Hague’. This is a small certificate which is stamped and affixed to your documents, and is recognised internationally as a mark of authentication.

To gain a golden visa through the employment route, you must create at least 10 local jobs for a period of at least five years. This requirement is reduced by 20% if jobs are created in an area of low population density.* In this instance, only 8 jobs would need to be created.

There are no restrictions on the types of jobs that you may create. The jobs can be in any area of business, and may be created by any size and type of business

There is no minimum investment amount in the creation of jobs (for example, training and equipment costs). However, the minimum monthly wage in Portugal in 2017 is €649.83, which equates to €7,797.00 annually. So, creating 10 jobs for a period of five years will require a minimum investment of at least €389,900 (or €311,920 for 8 jobs).

*An area of low population density has less than 100 inhabitants per square kilometre, or the GDP per person is below 75% of the national average.

• Proof of your investment (as this needs to be made before submitting your application)
• Passport and a valid Schengen visa
• Portuguese Fiscal number (an ID number issued by the Portuguese Tax Authorities before your investment can be made)
• A copy of your criminal record from your country of residence
• A copy of your Portuguese criminal record
• A declaration from the Tax department confirming you owe no debts to the Tax authorities
• A declaration from Social Security proving the absence of debts to Social Security Authorities
• A declaration from the investor confirming compliance with the investment requirements
• Confirmation of health insurance valid in Portugal, or that you have access to public health services (if living in Portugal)
• Receipt of payment of the initial application fee.

Documents need to be in Portuguese or English language. If not, they should be translated into Portuguese and translation needs to be legalised with an ‘apostille of the Hague’. This is a small certificate which is stamped and affixed to your documents, and is recognised internationally as a mark of authentication.