MaltaResidency
- Min. investment
- €375,000+routes from €99,000
- Time to approval
- 6–8 months
- You receive
- Residence permit
Residency by Investment
Portugal Golden Visa
Europe's best-known golden visa: EU residency with a minimal stay requirement and a potential path to citizenship after seven to ten years of legal residence.
Time to residency
10–14 months
Minimum investment
€500,000+
Figures as of August 2026, per the official program source — confirmed on application.
Program Overview
About the Portugal program
In brief
The Portugal program is a residency-by-investment program that grants the right to live in Portugal. The minimum qualifying investment is €500,000+, and approvals typically take 10–14 months. Presence requirement: About 7 days per year on average. Figures are indicative minimums for the main applicant.
Portugal's golden visa remains Europe's most sought-after residency by investment program. Since the 2023 reforms, the primary route is a subscription to a qualifying investment fund; real estate no longer qualifies.
The program's minimal stay requirement — roughly seven days a year — makes it uniquely flexible for global families. The naturalization clock lengthened in 2026: for applications filed from 19 May 2026 it runs to seven years of legal residence for nationals of Portuguese-speaking countries and ten years for everyone else, counted from the issue of the first residence permit.
Presence requirement
About 7 days per year on average
Document validity
Permit renewable; permanent residence, and citizenship after 7–10 years of legal residence
Dual nationality
Portugal permits dual citizenship if you later naturalize
How it compares
Portugal against other residency programs
Where Portugal sits among the 8 residency by investment programs we advise on. The gold marker is the peer average.
Minimum investment (lower is better)€500,000
Peer average $428kAbove the peer average
Time to approval (lower is better)10–14 months
Peer average ≈ 14 monthsAt the peer average
Investment is compared on a USD-normalized basis; the label shows this program's own currency. Time uses the upper end of the published range. Figures are indicative.
What Portugal's Golden Visa unlocks
The ARI is a full residence permit earned by investment — since October 2023 through funds, research, culture, or job creation. What it changes from day one:
Capabilities follow from the status itself — citizenship or residence as the program grants it; specifics are confirmed during your assessment.
The Life It Unlocks
Seven days a year buys your family a European future.
The lightest presence rule in Europe
Roughly a week a year keeps the residence alive. Your life stays where it is; your European option quietly matures.
Lisbon on a whim
Schengen mobility from day one — the pastel de nata on a Tuesday, the Algarve half-term, no visa desk involved.
The long game, played honestly
Portuguese citizenship remains possible through naturalization — a longer road since the 2026 reform, and we plan it with eyes open rather than brochure promises.
Investment Pathways
Investment Fund Subscription
From €500,000
Subscription to a qualifying Portuguese investment or venture capital fund. Real estate no longer qualifies.
Held for the duration of the permit
Cultural Heritage Donation
From €250,000
A donation supporting artistic production or the restoration and maintenance of Portuguese national cultural heritage. The lowest-cost qualifying route.
Scientific Research Contribution
From €500,000
A capital transfer supporting public or private scientific research within the Portuguese national scientific and technological system.
Terms move: Portugal's naturalization timeline lengthened in 2026 (seven to ten years for applications filed from 19 May 2026). The golden visa remains open — the citizenship clock simply runs longer.
Explore your route
From (indicative)
$545,000
Capital treatment
Held for the duration of the permit
Subscription to a qualifying Portuguese investment or venture capital fund. Real estate no longer qualifies.
Who comes with you
- Spouse or partner of the main applicant
- Dependent children
- Dependent parents
Family additions are quoted individually — request your exact figure
Application Timeline
Government processing time
The Portugal authorities publish a processing time for complete files — the numbered stages below show where those months go. Here is the figure to plan around.
10–14 months
Official processing time, complete files
Plan around the top of the range — 14 months end to end leaves room for queries without changing your plans.
Your dates
Complete files are typically processed in 10–14 months.
Based on the officially published range — last re-verified August 2026. Government timelines are not guaranteed.
- 1
Months 1–2
Investment & preparation
Completion of the qualifying investment, NIF registration, and document preparation.
- 2
Months 3–6
Application submission
Online submission and payment of processing fees.
- 3
Months 7–12
Biometrics appointment
In-person biometrics appointment at the migration agency (AIMA).
- 4
Months 12–14
Permit issuance
Issuance of the golden visa residence permit cards.
Requirements
- Qualifying investment maintained for the duration of the permit
- Clean criminal record in Portugal and country of residence
- Minimal physical presence of roughly seven days per year
- Valid health insurance covering Portugal
Family Eligibility
- Spouse or partner of the main applicant
- Dependent children
- Dependent parents
Required documents
The standard checklist for a single applicant. Add your family in the Grenada cost calculator and this list adapts to everyone applying with you.
PassportEvery applicantCertified copy issued within three months of filing.
Portuguese NIF & bank accountMain applicantTax numbers for all adults; the investment must flow through your Portuguese account.
Criminal record certificateAdult applicantsApostilled, from origin and residence countries — plus consent for AIMA's Portuguese record check.
Proof of qualifying investmentMain applicantThe fund manager's subscription declaration and transfer evidence — or the research, cultural, or job-creation equivalent.
Maintenance declarationMain applicantA sworn commitment to hold the investment for the five-year minimum.
Tax & social-security clearanceMain applicantNegative-debt declarations from the Portuguese tax authority and social security.
Health insuranceEvery applicantValid in Portugal, or evidence of SNS coverage.
Family civil documentsDependantsPassports, criminal records for adults, and apostilled civil-status certificates for reunification.
Exact formats — apostille or legalization, sworn translation, issue dates — vary by your country of origin and are confirmed document-by-document during your engagement.
What to Weigh
Honest advice includes the trade-offs. Before committing to the Portugal program, consider:
- Fund investments carry market risk and are not capital-guaranteed — fund selection and diligence matter enormously.
- Processing backlogs at AIMA have been significant; realistic timelines run longer than official ones.
- The citizenship path requires basic Portuguese (A2), and the clock lengthened in 2026 — seven years of legal residence for nationals of Portuguese-speaking countries, ten for everyone else, for applications filed from 19 May 2026.
Does Portugal fit you?
Three questions, scored by the same engine as our Program Finder — with an honest answer, even when it isn't this program.
What are you ultimately looking for?
What investment level are you comfortable with?
How soon do you want this in hand?
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I still qualify by buying property?
No — real estate was removed from the program in 2023. The primary route today is a €500,000 subscription to a qualifying Portuguese investment fund.
Is the five-year citizenship path guaranteed?
No path to citizenship is guaranteed. After five years of legal residence you may apply for naturalization, subject to language and integration requirements and the law in force at that time.
How do I choose a qualifying fund?
Funds vary widely in strategy, fees, and exit terms. We work with independent counsel to diligence CMVM-regulated options and match them to your risk tolerance — we take no commissions from funds.
Regulatory framework
Law 23/2007, Article 90-A
Legal Regime of Entry, Stay, Exit and Removal of Foreigners
Enacted 4 July 2007 · property and capital-transfer routes closed 7 October 2023
Residence permit for investment (ARI) — as amended by Law 56/2023 (“Mais Habitação”)
Article 90-A grants a renewable Portuguese residence permit to third-country nationals who make and maintain a qualifying investment. Since Law 56/2023, real-estate purchase and simple capital deposits no longer qualify — the routes are fund subscription, scientific research, cultural support, and job creation. Naturalization timelines are set separately by the Nationality Law, rewritten by Lei Orgânica 1/2026.
View the lawOfficial consolidated text — Diário da República
Sources & verification
Program terms are set by the issuing government and may change without notice — figures last re-verified against the official source in August 2026. Investment figures are indicative minimums for the main applicant; fees, due diligence, and family additions are quoted individually. Government timelines are not guaranteed.
Alternatives
Related Programs
Families often weigh this program against these alternatives.
Is Portugal right for your family?
A private assessment covers eligibility, total cost, and timeline for your situation — and says so if another route fits better.
Portugal · 10–14 months