The Portuguese Golden Visa
The Portuguese Golden Visa enable third country nationals to live, work and study in Portugal. The Golden Visa application is done at SEF.
The beneficiaries of the Portuguese Golden Visa residence permit are entitled to:
Residence visa waiver for entering Portugal.
Living and working in Portugal, on the condition that the investor and family stay in Portugal for a period of at least 14 days in two years.
Visa exemption for traveling within the Schengen Area.
Applying for a specific golden visa investor permanent residency.
Applying for Portuguese citizenship after 5 years of legal residence.
Eligibility – Who may apply?
All third country citizens who fulfill the quantitative and qualitative requirements may apply for the Golden Visa by one of the following routes:
a) Capital transfer with a value equal to or above 1,5 million Euros.
b) The creation of, at least, 10 job positions.
c) The purchase of real estate property with a value equal to or above 500 thousand Euros.
Portuguese, EU and EEE nationals are not eligible for the ARI / Golden Visa scheme.
Eligible Investment Funds for the Portuguese Golden Visa
With a minimum investment of €350,000 in a fund, investors can now apply for Portugal citizenship by investment and take advantage of all its benefits.
Each fund has a specific focus on sectors such as energy, industry, technology, or real estate. Funds are regulated by Portugal’s regulator, the CMVM.
When analyzing the eligible Portuguese venture capital funds, you should take into consideration many factors like the investment strategy, the managers track record, leverage and liquidity.
Usually the Investment Fund maturity is of 6 years as according to the Golden Visa Program the investment needs a maturity of at least 5 years.
You can apply for citizenship after 5 years if you make an investment in a qualifying fund.
Benefits of Golden Visa Investment Funds:
The fund is professionally managed by experts on each specific sector.
Venture capital funds are a tax-efficient vehicle — dividends and capital gains returned to investors may be tax-exempt.
Some funds offer a minimum return hurdle-rate (usually of 5%) which means managers will only be compensated if the fund performance is above a certain percentage.
STEPS for the Golden Visa Investment Fund application:
1. The Management company will receive from the investor the KYC (Know Your Client) Form, subscription form and personal documents.
2. Obtain his Portuguese tax identification number as a non-resident and can then open a Portuguese bank account.
3. Transfer the money from his foreign account to his Portuguese bank account.
4. Orders the bank transfer to the bank account of the Fund chosen by the investor.
5. The Management company issues a declaration necessary for the Golden Visa application. The Portuguese bank issues two declarations.
Documents for the Golden Visa Investment Fund application:
1. Declaration from your Portuguese bank attesting the effective transfer of the amount equal to or above the legally required.
2. Supporting document attesting the ownership of the Participation units (shares) on your Portuguese bank account.
3. Declaration issued by the Investment Fund managers.
Thoughts before investing in the Golden Visa Investment Fund
1. Fund eligibility for the Portuguese Golden Visa.
2. Fund track record including fund strategy and legal.
3. Fund return (yield) and maturity.
“US Person” and the FATCA Rules:
Note: "US Persons" (investors with American citizenship or being tax residents in the US) need to open their Portuguese bank account with a FATCA compliant bank.The best banks for “US Persons” to open are: Bison Bank. Banco Atlântico. Banco Carregosa.