HomePortuguese Golden Visa Program - Lincoln Global Partners

All third country (Non EEA) nationals over the age of 18 are entitled to apply for the Portuguese Golden Visa Program.

Under family reunification, Golden Visa investors can include the following family members on their applications:

-The spouse of the main applicant.

-All Legal Children under the age of 18.

-Dependent children under the age of 26. These children must be both unmarried and enrolled in full time education in order to qualify.

-Parents of the main applicant and spouse over 66 years of age.

-Dependent parents over aged 55 or over.

-Siblings of the main applicant under the age of 18 years of age when the main applicant is legally responsible for them.

Yes, Applicants must prove that they have a clean criminal record in both their home country and Portugal. Besides making the qualifying golden visa investment itself applicants all source of funds that go towards the Portuguese Golden Visa investment must come from outside of Portugal.

Besides the investment, potential applicants must take into account the following costs:

Year one fees

-LGP Service Fee (includes legal, consultancy and DD fees)

-Government Initial Application Fees (€533.90 per person)

-Government Residency Permit Card Fees (5,336.40 per person)

-Tax Representation Fees

Real estate investments are also subject to Stamp Duty, IMT& IMI Municipal Taxes,  Land Registry Fees and VAT on projects.

Renewal fees

-Legal fees for renewals

-Government renewal fees (€2668.20 per person)

The Golden Visa application processes usually takes between 6-9 months. Note that Covid-19 pandemic may have an impact on these application times.

The Portuguese Government proposed changes to the Golden Visa law back in February 2020. If these changes come into play then investments made into real estate in Lisbon and Porto may no longer qualify investors for the Golden Visa program from the start of 2021.

It has been unofficially reported that because of the COVID-19 pandemic these plans will be scrapped, however conflicting reports suggest that these plans will go ahead.

Either way, it has been confirmed that investors who purchase property in Lisbon or Porto this year this year will be eligible to apply for the Golden Visa. We therefore suggest that anyone looking to qualify with a real estate investment in Lisbon or Porto should do so this year.

The Portuguese Golden Visa is a temporary residency permit in Portugal. The first residency permit must be renewed every 2 years, however applicants who spend at least 7 days per year in Portugal are eligible to apply for permanent residency and/or citizenship after a period of 5 years. 

Those that decide not to apply for permanent residency or citizenship can continue to renew their Golden Visa permit indefinitely so long as they meet the 7 minimum stay requirement and maintain their investment.

Investors need to maintain their investment for at least 5-6 years while residing in Portugal on the Golden Visa if they want to maintain their residency rights in Portugal. Once the investor has obtained permanent residency or citizenship they have the right to stay permanently in Portugal and they can therefore sell their investment.

Golden Visa Investors and their dependents who spend at least 7 days per year in Portugal over a 5 year period are eligible to apply for citizenship, subject to having an A2 level of Portuguese proficiency.

This is a very basic level of Portuguese, that can easily be achieved by the majority individuals over a 5 year period. We recommend that our clients begin having weekly Portuguese lesson at least 2 years before they apply for citizenship.

When the applicant feels ready they can partake in the CIPLE Portuguese proficiency test which is the mandatory exam that must be passed before applying for citizenship.

You can read more about the Portuguese language test for citizenship here.

Yes, Portuguese Golden Visa applicants and their family members gain the right to live, work and study in Portugal. They can also travel visa-free to the Schengen Area.

The documents required to submit a Golden Visa application include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Golden Visa Application form
• Certified passport copy of all applicants (and other ID documents)
• An official police report from your home country (less than 90 days old)
• Proof of health insurance
• Deed or contract of the purchased property/investment
• Declaration of the transfer of funds from your Portuguese Bank
• Authorizing document for SEF to check your Portuguese criminal records
• Golden Visa application processing fee receipt
• Compliance Declaration confirming you meet the GV investment requirements
• Letter of good standing from Portuguese Tax and Social Security Authorities.

Yes, investments can be either be made by the individual applying for the Portuguese Golden Visa program or from a Portuguese LLC incorporated by the investor in Portugal.

No,  since you are only required to spend 7 days per year in Portugal in order to maintain residency you will not automatically become tax resident in Portugal. Non-tax residents in Portugal are only be taxed on their locally sourced income and not taxed on their worldwide income.

That said, Golden Visa investors can apply under the NHR tax regime to become non-habitual tax resident in Portugal which offers a number of benefits.

Those that permanently relocate to Portugal and spend at least 183 days in Portugal will automatically become tax residents in Portugal. 

Non Habitual Residency is a highly favorable tax status available to new residents in Portugal offering reduced tax rates and exemptions for a period of 10 years.

Under NHR, many types of foreign sourced income are exempt from taxation in Portugal including most foreign rental income, capital gains, dividends and interest provided they may be taxed outside of Portugal. Certain types of foreign employment income are also exempt, while pensions are taxed at 10%.

Portuguese Non Habitual Residents are also not subject to inheritance tax, gift tax or wealth tax in Portugal.

For Portuguese sourced employment or self employment income non-habitual residents are charged a flat rate of 20%, regardless of the level of income. In comparison, under the ordinary tax system in Portugal the highest income bracket is taxed a whopping at 48%.

No,  since you are only required to spend 7 days per year in Portugal in order to maintain residency you will not automatically become tax resident in Portugal. Non-tax residents in Portugal are only be taxed on their locally sourced income and not taxed on their worldwide income.

Those that permanently relocate to Portugal and spend at least 183 days in Portugal will automatically become tax residents in Portugal. 

It does not matter if the property that you invest in has not yet finished construction. As long as you invest the minimum amount required by the law then an investment whether under construction or pre-construction will still qualify for the Golden Visa program.

Yes, investors can qualify with an investment into multiple properties so long as the total value of the investment exceeds the minimum requirement.

No,  since you are only required to spend 7 days per year in Portugal in order to maintain residency you will not automatically become tax resident in Portugal. Non-tax residents in Portugal are only be taxed on their locally sourced income and not taxed on their worldwide income.

Those that permanently relocate to Portugal and spend at least 183 days in Portugal will automatically become tax residents in Portugal. 

If the funds are financed by a bank outside of Portugal then yes you can use these funds for your Golden Visa investment.

Only investments that are made by the investor personally or through a Portuguese Limited Liability Company incorporated by the investor in Portugal are eligible for the Portuguese Golden Visa Program