PORTUGAL: IMMIGRATION FOR INVESTMENT PURPOSES

PORTUGAL: ADVANTAGES

The Portuguese residence comes with many advantages, such as:

1. 1. 1. 1. Be able to live, study and work in Portugal;
         2. Minimum number of days spent in the country to maintain and to renew the residence permit in Portugal;
         3. Visa exemption for traveling within all the 26 countries members of the Schengen Area. Being in Europe is a snap to travel to any other country quickly. By booking your tickets in advance, you can travel through several countries here for well under 100 euros round-trip.
         4. Access to permanent residency and citizenship in Portugal after 5 years of residence;
         5. Portugal offers high-quality medical care and education;
         6. Possibility to create a business in Portugal and in other European countries;
         7. Facility to open a bank account for business or private purposes in Portugal and in other European countries;
         8. With a Portuguese residence, it gives an easier access to apply and obtain a visa for the USA, Australia, Canada or New Zealand;
         9. If you’re a nature lover and are constantly dreaming of living in a place full of sunlight and warm weather, well, Portugal is your destination. For example, Lisbon averages ten hours of sunlight during wintertime, which is an absolute blast compared to the Northern European nations.
         10. Attractive tax conditions. Portugal offers a very desirable destination, attracting investors, self-employed professionals and many others as nomads and financial independent people.
         11. The cost of living in Portugal is much lower than in many countries, such as the UK, Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany, and neighboring Spain. Hence, Portugal is one of the most affordable countries in Western Europe, especially for expats and digital nomads.
         12. It is impossible to be bored when living in Portugal. The territory offers a very rich cultural program with a multitude of festivals and concerts, discovering beautiful villages classified as UNESCO World Heritage sites. Take advantage of the beaches (more than 800 km of coastline) for swimming and surfing.
         13. Typical gastronomy known all around the world. Taste the Portuguese gastronomy. It’s renowned for being tasty. The pastéis de Belém is an institution.
         14. Security. Crime in Portugal is lower than in many countries. In 2021, according to the Global Peace Index, Portugal is considered the 4th most peaceful country in the world, just behind Iceland, New Zealand and Denmark.
         15. Beaches, Mountains and Nature. The coastline in Portugal is beautiful. In summer, the beautiful beaches all along the west side of the country should be explored and enjoyed.The south of Portugal, in the Algarve region, has been the paradise of European retirees who want to live in Portugal. Away from the coast, Portugal is home to mountains and plains, national parks, lakes and rivers, it is a geographically diverse and fabulous country.

PORTUGAL: REQUIREMENTS

To satisfy the conditions outlined by the Portuguese immigration laws under the immigration programme by investment purposes, you must meet the following requirements:

1. 1. Make a real-estate investment in Portugal of a minimum amount or equal to:
      i. € 500,000 that can be located anywhere in Portugal; OR
      ii. € 400,000 in low density cities; OR
      iii. € 350,000 if the construction of the property is of at least 30 years old and has to be located in an urban rehabilitation area; OR
      iiii. € 280,000 a low density cities that are part of a specific list of approved places;
   2. Spend on average 14 days in Portugal every year in order to maintain and renew the residence permit;
   3. Maintain the real estate for a period of at least 5 years;
   4. Certificate of valid Portuguese health insurance.

Official website with requirements information: https://imigrante.sef.pt/en/solicitar/residir/art90-a/

PORTUGAL: DOCUMENTS

All personal documents must be translated into Portuguese and legalized according to the guidelines of Portugal. Below is a list of required documents to apply for a residence permit to Portugal for investment purposes:

1. 1. 1. 1. Passport, must be valid at least 12 months before the application process;
         2. National identification card;
         3. Birth certificate;
         4. Family booklet, marriage/divorce certificate, issued within the last 3 months (if applicable);
         5. Health insurance coverage valid in Portugal;
         6. Police certificate of good conduct, issued by the country of origin or from country of residence (if different) for the last five years;
         7. Documents confirming the source of revenue and of occupation;
         8. Tax assessment and declarations: at least for 5 last years;
         9. Acquisition deed of the real estate in Portugal as well as a land Register Certificate with the records;
         10. Documents from bank confirming the transfer and payment of the property in Portugal;
         11. In case of an investment in a property that is dated for more than 30 years, the applicant should include supporting documents of the construction of the real estate that is more than 30 years;
         12. If the investment concerns a property in low density areas, in this case a declaration of the competent entity attesting the real estate is within a rehabilitation area should be included as well;
         13. Engagement letter attesting the applicant will maintain the property for at least 5 years.

PORTUGAL: PROCESS

Here is a general procedure to follow to obtain the visa and the residence permit in Portugal as a real-estate investor:

1. 1. 1. 1. We suggest starting with a consultation with our experts in order to analyse your profile and provide you with more information on the process of immigration under the Golden Visa category in Portugal. We will answer all your questions, whether they relate to medical insurance, taxation, real estate or any other factor related to your establishment and investment in Portugal;
         2. We will assist you in preparing the list of required documents according to your situation;
         3. We will also assist you in the legalization of all the documents required for the immigration application;
         4. When the documents are ready, we will assist you in the translation of all documents into Portuguese by one of our sworn translators;
         5. Opening a bank account and obtaining the NIF (Tax Identification Number) is necessary. This can be delegated to our team and will not take more than a day;
         6. You can travel to Portugal to find and acquire a property. Our team will accompany you in the search for a property with the aim of finding the best neighborhood for you, evaluating the property and negotiating the price, if necessary. In the event that you cannot travel to Portugal, this process can be carried out remotely by proxy;
         7. Once your file is complete, you will have to apply for a visa in Portugal at the Portuguese embassy or consulate in your country of nationality or residence;
         8. If the result of your application is positive, a Portuguese national visa will be issued;
         9. Once the visa is issued, you should travel to Portugal and apply for a residence permit from the Portuguese Department of Immigration and Border Control Service (SEF);
         10. Our team will help you prepare and complete your application in Portugal to obtain the first Portuguese residence permit;
         11. The residence permit will be valid for 2 years. You will thus be able to live, study and work in Portugal;
         12. The renewal of the residence permit is possible twice and these residence permits will be valid for 2 years. After 5 years of residence in Portugal, you can apply for permanent residence and/or Portuguese citizenship by naturalisation. We would be there to guide you through the renewal process as well as the application for permanent residency and citizenship in Portugal.

CITIZENSHIP

Our experts at the Inimex Portugal and VIP Serveis Portugal office provide you with the following information about the methods of acquiring Portuguese citizenship. There are three main pathways to achieve the ultimate goal, which are descent, marriage, and naturalisation. If you have any questions, please contact us.

1. Descent

1. 1. 1. A child automatically acquires Portuguese citizenship at birth if one of the parents is a Portuguese citizen, regardless of the place of birth.
      2. If born in Portuguese territory and has lived in any territory of Portugal for 10 years, they automatically acquire nationality (this includes any Portuguese colony before its independence).
      3. If one of your grandparents is Portuguese by birth, and you are familiar with the Portuguese language, you may qualify for Portuguese citizenship, subject to approval.
      4. If a child is adopted by Portuguese parents before reaching legal age, the child automatically acquires nationality.
      5. Those who have lost their Portuguese nationality as minors can reclaim it at any time.
      6. If you are of Sephardic Jewish lineage, you can apply for citizenship if you can prove such lineage to those Jews who were expelled from current Portuguese territories.

2. Marriage

If you have been married to a Portuguese citizen for at least 3 years, and have never been legally separated, you can apply for citizenship.

3. Naturalisation

Any person who has legally resided in Portugal for 6 years, and can speak Portuguese relatively well, can apply for citizenship.

PORTUGAL: TESTIMONIAL I

We collected several testimonies from clients who chose Portugal as a destination and our team to accompany them through the process. Below is one of them:

“My wife and I retired and chose Portugal as our destination in order to fully enjoy the amount of free time we now had. We took this decision according to the warm ambiance of Portugal, its low cost of living, its rich culture, its amazing climate and the quality of its medical services. For all these reasons, we bought an apartment in Porto. We were surprised to find out that there was a huge community of French and Germans who were also retired and living there. We are really happy we met all these people with whom we can share great moments. Our life quality is excellent, and we are never worried because we have access to medical services that fit our needs. Thanks to the Inimex team who helped us with the apartment purchase and facilitated with the application process for the visa in Portugal. We were enjoying life like never before, and we are really happy we took that decision.”

PORTUGAL: TESTIMONIAL II

“While being a mother of two teenagers, I decided to start a new project abroad. I invested in a property in Portugal in order for me to obtain a Portuguese residence and keep it for 5 years. My main goal was to obtain a residence permit in a European country to facilitate trips through Europe. I also wanted to live in Europe and provide many study tracks to my children. With our Portuguese residence permit, my two children could conduct their studies in Switzerland. The process in both Portugal and in Switzerland went very well, thanks to the Inimex team who was present and patient during the entire process. I am glad about this experience, and I would suggest it to anybody particularly because of the program flexibility.“

PORTUGAL: OUR SERVICES

1. 1. 1. Residence permit for financially independent (wealthy) applicants;
      2. Residence permit for real-estate owners and investors;
      3. Application to the Portuguese Immigration Service (SEF);
      4. Opening a bank account for residents and non-resident in Spain. Usually, we work with BPI, Barclays, BBVA, Novobanco, Santander Totta;
      5. Obtaining the N.I.F. (Fiscal identification number);
      6. Renting or purchasing property.We will guide you through the home buying process and help you see success from start to finish. We offer intimate knowledge of the exact area you’re  buying in, our friendliness and politeness, our honesty and integrity, our knowledge of the purchase process and real-estate market, our communications and negotiation skills;
      7. Translation services: general certified, legal, juridical translations, business, medical and technical translations;
      8. We will help you select a health insurance that best suits your needs and that is valid according to Portuguese criteria;
      9. Extension of the residence permit;
      10. Permanent residence permit;
      11. Portuguese Citizenship.