Find answers to the most common questions about citizenship by investment in Portugal through the Golden Visa program.
United States citizens may apply for the Golden Visa, as any other qualified applicant will do. US citizens will need to follow the Portugal Golden Visa step-by-step process to submit the Portugal residency application.
US citizens are allowed to hold dual citizenship with Portugal, as well. Therefore, after year 5, you may choose to become a citizen of Portugal.
Yes, Portuguese citizens can participate in the International Experience Canada (IEC) work permits program.
IEC is a Government of Canada program designed to give 18-35 year-old travelers from around 33 selected countries, among which is Portugal, the opportunity to work in Canada.
There are three IEC work permit categories:
Britain recently pulled out of the European Union, hence, it could be a bit harder to work in the UK with a Portuguese passport. If you were living in the UK before 1 January 2021, you may continue to live and work there. However, you will need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme for settled or pre-settled status.
If you move to the UK on or after 1 January 2021, new rules apply. The UK has introduced a points-based immigration system that applies to anyone who wants to come to live, study or work in the UK. In many cases this will mean applying for and being granted a Skilled Worker visa before coming to the UK. To be eligible for the Skilled Worker route:
Yes, Portuguese citizens have the opportunity to live and work in the United States thanks to the E2 Treaty Investor visa scheme.
It is not possible to buy Portuguese citizenship, but if you meet the Golden Visa requirements, you can join the Golden Visa program and through an investment in Portugal after 5 years you can apply for citizenship.
Yes, currently that is a requirement. You can take the language test at any time before you apply for the citizenship or permanent residency. A potentially useful tip is to take the language test abroad (not in Portugal) as those tests seem to be graded more favorably.
Yes. After five years of maintaining your investment in Portugal, you can apply for permanent residency permit or citizenship, the choice is yours.
With the Golden Visa program, you can secure dual citizenship. In Portugal, this is allowed and there are no additional requirements for this. However, check that dual citizenship is allowed for your country of origin.
Yes, Portugal Golden Visa does lead to citizenship. Investors have the opportunity to obtain not only a permanent residence permit (PR), but also Portuguese citizenship after physically residing only 35 days in the country and maintaining their investment.
The Portugal Golden Visa program offers a myriad of opportunities to get citizenship through investment.
To obtain Portuguese citizenship, you need to make a qualifying investment and maintain the appropriate investment for five years.
The main investment options for Portugal citizenship are:
The available investment routes include the most common €350K real estate purchase, capital transfer of at least 1,000,000 EUR, capital investment in existing Portuguese business/fund of at least 350K EUR, donation as low as €250K and job creation of at least 8 full-time job positions.
It costs around EUR 533 to submit your application for approval. It costs an additional EUR 84 for any dependents that are included on the application.
Portuguese passport fees are:
You can apply for Portuguese citizenship and get a Portugal passport аfter you make a qualified investment through the Portuguese Golden Visa program. After you receive your Golden Visa permit card, it takes five years to be eligible to apply for citizenship.
To get a Portuguese citizenship, you must meet some specific criteria:
After submitting your citizenship application, it will take about 6 months to get naturalized in Portugal.
Citizenship by investment is a process by which you can obtain a second citizenship by investing in the local economy - usually in the form of property investment. In simpler terms, you get citizenship in exchange for your investment in the country. The citizenship by investment confers citizenship status on willing individuals without disrupting the investor’s life provided that all documentations are correct and requirements are met.
The Golden Passport is related to the citizenship by investment programs. More than 25 countries worldwide develop various investment visa programs that offer investors the opportunity to acquire citizenship by investing in a particular project or property. In return, investors can benefit from immigration status or citizenship in the country for themselves and their families.
Each program has different requirements and offers various advantages. Investment migration attracts foreign investors to countries that offer citizenship or right of permanent residence. Through these investment programs, applicants can take the opportunity to travel freely by getting a second passport (Golden Passport) and an alternative residence.
Portuguese passport allows you to travel to travel to over 100 countries including USA and Canada without the need for a visa. The Portugal passport is ranked 4th most powerful passport across the globe for mobility. You can also travel to all Schengen countries.
Portugal is the easiest overall choice for EU citizenship. After you meet the Golden Visa Program requirements and keep your investment for five years, you can apply for citizenship. According to rankings on work and travel privileges, stay requirements and investment returns, Portugal offers the best residency and citizenship by investment program in Europe.
Should you decide to get an Portuguese citizenship, there are 4 different routes to take:
Portugal Golden Visa holders can obtain Portuguese citizenship by investment and receive a Portuguese passport in 5 years.
Portugal Golden Visa is available to all who do not already hold citizenship in the EU, EEA, or Switzerland. The applicants must be 18 years or older and have no criminal record inside or outside Portugal. In addition, they must contribute to the Portuguese economy with one of the available investment options.
The applicant may also include his/her family members in the submission.