Home / Residency / Portugal Golden Visa
The Portugal Golden Residence Permit grants EU residency via qualifying funds or cultural/scientific investment, with a path to citizenship after five years. The real-estate route closed in 2023; fund-based options remain.
Estimate my costMCP
Overview
Portugal Golden Visa is a government-authorised residency by investment programme that grants residence permit in exchange for a qualifying investment in the country. It is regulated by the government's investment authority and administered through licensed advisers such as Mirabello Consultancy. Minimum investment starts from €250,000.
The Portugal Golden Residence Permit grants EU residency via qualifying funds or cultural/scientific investment, with a path to citizenship after five years. The real-estate route closed in 2023; fund-based options remain.
The Portugal Golden Visa (officially the ARI, Residence Permit for Investment Activity) grants renewable European Union residency to non-EU investors and their families, with Schengen travel and one of Europe's lightest stay requirements. The outcome is a residence permit, not a passport; Portuguese citizenship is a separate, later step with its own timeline (see below).
Following the 2023 reform, the popular real-estate route has been removed. The current routes, administered by AIMA, are: a €500,000 qualifying investment fund; €250,000 in support of arts and cultural heritage; €500,000 company formation with job creation; and €500,000 in scientific research []. The qualifying amount covers the family and does not increase with family size, though Portuguese government fees are charged per person [ against the current AIMA fee schedule].
On the Mirabello Investment Migration Index Portugal remains a strong European option on mobility and family terms. Investors frequently compare it with the Greece Golden Visa and the Malta Permanent Residence Programme. Every figure is provenance-tracked and confirmed against AIMA and the Diario da Republica. This is information, not advice; rules, fees and timelines change, so a Mirabello specialist confirms the current position for your circumstances.
Investment routes
The Portugal Golden Visa programme offers 4 approved investment routes, each independently verified by the Mirabello data team against official government sources. Minimum required investment starts from €250,000. A Mirabello specialist will confirm which route best matches your nationality, family composition, budget and preferred timeline.
| Route | From | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Qualifying investment fund | €500,000 | fund |
| Arts and cultural-heritage support | €250,000 | cultural |
| Company formation / job creation | €500,000 | business |
| Scientific research | €500,000 | research |
Cost calculator
Most advisers quote the headline figure only. Choose your route and family, and see the complete government-side cost, the investment plus every mandatory official fee, itemised line by line, so the number you budget is the number you pay.
On the Qualifying Investment Fund (CMVM-regulated, non-real-estate) route. Every figure below is an official government-side cost, computed by the same engine that powers the calculator and the Mirabello data API.
| Line item | Amount (EUR) |
|---|---|
| Qualifying Investment Fund (CMVM-regulated, non-real-estate), minimum investment | €500,000 |
| Estimated government-side total | €500,000 |
Plus 7 official fee(s) we hold as being re-verified against the source and therefore exclude from the total above: ARI application analysis fee (per application); Residence-permit issuance (per person), Main applicant; ARI renewal (recurring, per person), Main applicant; Residence-permit issuance (per person), Spouse; ARI renewal (recurring, per person), Spouse; Residence-permit issuance (per person), Child (age 10); ARI renewal (recurring, per person), Child (age 10). A specialist confirms these for your family.
MCPScored on cost, mobility, speed, path, stability, family and tax.
Our read: The Portugal Golden Residence Permit grants EU residency via qualifying funds or cultural/scientific investment, with a path to citizenship after five years. The real-estate route closed in 2023; fund-based options remain. Regulatory status: not listed on FATF, EU tax, US OFAC, or OECD CRS-risk lists. Strategic perspective, advisory only; figures provenance-tracked, unconfirmed items flagged for verification.
A four-question indicative check to see whether this programme fits your profile. A Mirabello specialist then reviews your nationality, family structure, budget and timeline in full confidence, confirming your detailed eligibility and which investment route best suits you, at no cost and with no obligation.
Based on your answers, Portugal Golden Visa looks worth a closer look. A Mirabello specialist will map the precise route to your nationality, family and tax position.
Book a free consultationHow it compares
The table below compares Portugal Golden Visa against its closest alternatives, scored on the Mirabello Investment Migration Index across cost, visa-free mobility, processing speed, regulatory stability and path to citizenship. All investment figures and processing times are sourced from official government data and independently verified by the Mirabello data team.
Sourced live from the MirabelloMCP · | Programme | From | Timeline | Min. stay | Mobility | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇵🇹 Portugal Golden Visa | €250,000 | 12-18 months | 7 days in year 1 | 184 visa-free | Residence permit |
| 🇦🇱 Albania Residence by Investment | €100,000 | Approx. 10-25 working days for the residence-permit decision once documents are complete | Maintaining residence | n/a | Residence permit |
| 🇪🇨 Ecuador Investor Residence | $48,200 | ~60 days from application to approval | During temporary stage: | n/a | Residence permit |
| 🇧🇷 Brazil Residence by Investment | BRL 700,000 | n/a | Very light | 170 visa-free | Residence permit |
Questions
The Portugal Golden Visa programme starts from €250,000 via Investment fund / cultural / scientific.
Indicative processing time is 12-18 months (official). Real-world timeline: 18-40 months due to AIMA backlogs..
7 days in year 1; 14 days per subsequent 2-year period (total ~35 days over 5 years)
ENACTED LAW (Lei Orgânica 1/2026, Diário da República, in force 19 May 2026): 7 years of legal residence for EU and CPLP (Lusophone) nationals; 10 years for all other nationalities (was 5 years for all prior to 19 May 2026). GV/ARI holders follow the same timeline. Requires A2 Portuguese language test, clean criminal record, ties to community. Transitional provisions protect applicants who paid AIMA fees or filed IRN citizenship applications before 19 May 2026. Portuguese passport = EU citizenship with 187 visa-free countries.
The current routes are a EUR 500,000 qualifying investment fund, EUR 250,000 in support of arts and cultural heritage, EUR 500,000 company formation with job creation, or EUR 500,000 in scientific research. The real-estate route has been removed. Figures are against AIMA.
No. The real-estate investment route was removed in the 2023 reform. Qualifying investment is now made through funds, cultural-heritage support, company formation with job creation, or scientific research.
Very few: 7 days in the first year, then 14 days in each subsequent two-year period. This is one of the lowest physical-presence requirements among European residence programmes ().
Official guidance points to roughly 12-18 months, but AIMA caseloads have meant longer real-world timelines in practice. Any figure should be treated as indicative and, not a guarantee.
Under Lei Organica 1/2026, in force 19 May 2026, the residence period for naturalisation is 7 years for EU and CPLP (Lusophone) nationals and 10 years for other nationalities, replacing the previous 5-year rule. Transitional provisions protect applicants who had already paid AIMA fees or filed before 19 May 2026. Naturalisation also requires an A2 Portuguese-language test, a clean record and demonstrated ties. Confirm your position as.
Not directly. It grants an EU residence permit with Schengen travel. Portuguese citizenship, and the EU passport that comes with it, is a separate later step subject to the residence timeline, language and integration requirements above.
Tax depends on whether you become a Portuguese tax resident and on your personal circumstances. Portuguese tax rules are individual and change over time, so tax outcomes should be verified separately with independent advice ().
The primary official sources the Portugal Golden Visa figures on this page are verified against. Where a mandatory fee is not in a published schedule, it is marked as disclosed by Mirabello from case experience.
Book a confidential, no-obligation consultation with a Mirabello investment migration specialist, in your own language. We will confirm which programme fits your profile, your budget and your timeline, and outline the precise path to your second citizenship or residence permit, at no cost and with no commitment.
Book a free consultation