Lisbon
Portugal Golden Visa
The Portugal Golden Visa is regarded by many as the best residence by investment program on the market. It offers one of the fastest routes to EU citizenship without taking into consideration the number of days you are present within the year.
About Portugal
Residency by Golden Visa
By investing at least 200,000 EUR with the Golden Visa, you can spend an average of 7 days a year in the country and still qualify for naturalization after 5 years. This makes the Portugal Golden Visa the most affordable and flexible path towards EU citizenship.
Portugal also offers a non-domicile tax regime to foreign residents. Under the scheme, Portugal does not levy any income tax on foreign income.
Portugal Crypto Environment
Currently, there is no crypto capital gains tax unless you trade crypto full-time as a business. Crypto is exempt from VAT and capital gains taxes because Portugal treats it as a form of currency. This approach is compatible with the country’s public policy because Portugal forbids taxing the gain on any currency’s value or sale. This policy favors retail traders, who can benefit from a zero-VAT tax policy.
Country Overview
Program Overview
Location
Europe
Population
10,00,000
Currency
Euro
Language
English, Maltese
Capital
Lisbon
Program Overview
Legal Status
Temporary resident
Mobility
EU (indefinitely),
US (90days)
Timeline
10 months
Min. Investment
200,000 EUR
Physical Presence
7 days a year
Factsheet Download
Download our free factsheet with more detailed information about this program.
Who Can Qualify?
To qualify for the Portugal Golden Visa, you will need to invest in the country. The program offers a few investment options, but the vast majority choose to buy real estate that starts at 280,000 EUR. The investment needs to be held for at least 5 years. Investment can be made either as a sole entrepreneur or as the proprietor of a single-member limited company.
Investment Requirements
Investment Fund
You can invest 350,000 EUR in an investment fund or a venture capital.
Other Investments
There are other investments option available:
- Artistic investment: You must invest at least 250,000 EUR in a project supporting the arts. The investment may be reduced by 20% (200,000 EUR) if made in sparsely populated areas.
- Scientific investment: You must invest at least 350,000 EUR in research activities conducted by scientific research institutions. The investment may be reduced by 20% (280,000 EUR) if made in sparsely populated areas.
- Commercial investment: You must invest at least 350,000 EUR in creating or supporting a commercial enterprise. You will need to create or maintain 5 jobs. This investment can be held for only 3 years.
- Capital investment: You must invest at least 1M EUR in Portuguese public debt instruments, securities, or share capital of a Portuguese resident entity.
Real Estate
You can purchase a real estate property for at least 500,000 EUR in Portugal. This amount can be reduced by 20% (400,000 EUR) if made in sparsely populated territories (NUT III level with less than 100 inhabitants per sq. km. or where the GDP per head is below 75% of the national average).
You can also purchase a property designated for refurbishment/buildings upgrade of at least 350,000 EUR. This amount can be reduced by 20% (280,000 EUR) if made in sparsely populated territories (NUT III level with less than 100 inhabitants per sq. km. or where the GDP per head is below 75% of the national average).
Contracting a mortgage on the property is allowed as long as the minimum investment is met as down-payment.
Benefits
EU citizenships are the most valuable citizenships in the world. As an EU citizen, you can settle and live in any other EU country. The EU Passport also offers the best mobility globally with visa-free travel to the most popular destinations. Currently, the only EU citizenship on the market open for all is the Malta Exceptional Investor Naturalization (MEIN) that requires the investor to donate roughly $800,000 and commit another $200,000 in renting a property. This equates to $1M that the wealthy applicant will never see again. In comparison, to claim Portuguese citizenship will require you to invest funds you will get back with possible interest.
Portugal offers free government-subsidized healthcare and education to all its residents. As an EU citizen, you can also decide to live anywhere in the union and benefit from the healthcare system.
Family
As the principal applicant, you will be able to include your spouse in the Golden Visa application. You can also include your unmarried children as long as they are registered in an education establishment, regardless of the country. Your parent or those of your spouse can also qualify if they depend on you financially.
Requirements
The requirements for the Portugal Golden Visa, besides the investment, are as follow:
- Provide a Police Certificate of any country you have lived in for more than 1 year.
- Have a valid health insurance or proof that you are covered by the National Health Insurance (if you want to be a tax resident)
Portugal Residency Application Process
The Portugal Golden Visa application process takes between 6 to months to complete. The choice of investment can affect the timeline. We can lodge the application via a power of attorney, but you will need to physically travel to Portugal to collect your resident permit and give your biometrics.
Day 0
- Verify eligibility
- Start client onboarding process with Global RCG.
- Global RCG helps you gather the required documents.
- Global RCG assists you in choosing your investment option.
Day 1
Month 3
Month 4
Month 6
Year 5
Year 6
Mobility
Access to the US
As a Golden Visa applicant, you will receive a multi-exit visa allowing you to travel in and out of the Schengen Area. As an American, you can already spend 90 days in 180-day period in the Schengen area. But your Portuguese resident permit will guarantee you entry in Europe even during COVID-19 travel restrictions.
Once you become a Portuguese citizen, you will have Freedom of Movement within the European Union and can live and work freely in it as long as you desire.
The Portuguese passport provides access to over 180 visa-free worldwide, including the US, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Brazil.
Access to the US
More and more Americans are considering renouncing their American citizenship for multiple reasons. They want to know how they can circle back to the US with their new citizenship. Portugal has visa-liberalization with the US, meaning Portuguese citizens can travel to the US 90 days each year without a visa. Portugal is not an US E-1 or E-2 treaty country.
Taxation
Taxation in Portugal is relatively high, but many expats benefit from a non-domiciled tax regime. Non-domiciled are only liable on their Portuguese income and their foreign income is tax-free. As a Golden Visa investor, you are exempted from being a tax resident in the country if you don’t wish to.
As an American, you are liable to taxation in the US even if you are not live there anymore. If you are living in Portugal during that time, the double-taxation treaty will be used to make sure you are not overtaxed. To break free of US taxation, you must renounce your US citizenship first and go through the process known as the exit tax.
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