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The Golden Visa

The Golden Visa: Portuguese residency by investment.

The Golden Visa is Portugal's residency-by-investment route. It's for non-EU citizens who want Portuguese — and EU and Schengen — residency through a qualifying investment, without needing to relocate. Buying property no longer qualifies; the main routes today are investment funds (from €500,000) and a cultural donation (from €250,000).

Talk to us about the Golden Visa

The Golden Visa may fit if…

  • You want EU residency, Schengen mobility and optionality — without living in Portugal full-time
  • You have significant capital and understand it's a real investment, not a fee
  • You see this as a long-term base or family security, over years

Other routes may fit your goal better

  • If your goal is to live in Portugal soon, a D7, D8 or D2 is built for exactly that — the Golden Visa is designed for residency without relocating
  • If a fast passport is the goal, it's worth knowing naturalisation now takes 10 years for most (7 for EU and CPLP), from May 2026
  • If certainty on your capital matters most, that's the right question to put to a fund's own terms — returns vary, so the structure matters as much as the headline

The qualifying routes today

Since the 2023 reform, the Golden Visa is built around investment that contributes to Portugal's economy — not property. The live routes are investment-led:

Investment funds from €500,000Donation from €250,000No property route since 2023

From €500,000

Investment funds

CMVM-regulated, Portugal-domiciled funds — the dominant route today.

From €250,000

Cultural / heritage donation

A donation — not returned — supporting arts and national heritage. The lowest entry point.

From €500,000

Scientific research

A contribution to approved research activities or institutions.

Capital + jobs

Company & jobs

Capital into a Portuguese business, broadly alongside creating permanent jobs.

Mia, MOL Portugal co-founder

Worth knowing

Buying property no longer qualifies for the Golden Visa

The real-estate route was removed in 2023. Today the qualifying routes are investment-led — investment funds from €500,000, a cultural or heritage donation from €250,000, scientific research, or company formation with job creation. Anyone still offering “buy a home, get a Golden Visa” is working from old information — a useful way to tell who's working from current information.

What it actually costs

The investment is the headline, not the total — here's the fuller picture so nothing surprises you later. Indicative, and always confirmed for your exact case by ya legal team:

The qualifying investmente.g. the fund routefrom €500,000
Government processingapplication & permit, per applicant~€6,800+ per person
Legal feesya legal team~€6,000–10,000
Fund feessetup, annual management, performance sharestack every year
So the real numberwell above €500k

Each family member adds their own government fees. Fund fees — often around 1–3% to set up, 1–3% a year, plus a share of any profit — compound across a five-to-seven-year hold and eat into the return, which is why a fund's own terms matter as much as the headline number. Processing runs realistically 12–18 months through AIMA's Portal ARI.

Figures indicative and last reviewed June 2026; reconfirmed for your case by ya legal team before you act.

The reality, told straight

This is the part the sell-side glosses. None of it should put you off — it should help you decide with open eyes.

  • It's a real investment. Fund capital is at risk, seven-year lock-ups are common, and fees stack up — returns are not guaranteed, whatever a brochure implies.
  • Citizenship takes longer now. Since May 2026, naturalisation is 10 years for most nationalities (7 for CPLP and EU), counted from when your residence card is issued. If a fast passport was the dream, that changed.
  • Residency itself is unchanged. Renewable permits, family included, Schengen travel, and one of the lowest stay requirements in Europe — around seven days a year on average. Permanent residency is reachable at five years.
  • It doesn't make you a tax resident. That's a separate test — 183 days in Portugal, or your main home here. The old NHR tax break is gone, and its replacement rarely fits passive investors.
  • The real cost is more than the headline. Government and legal fees, fund fees, and uncertain returns all sit on top of the investment figure.

⚑ If you're a US citizen, read this first

The fund route and US taxes don't mix easily.

Americans are the largest group applying — and the most likely to hit an unpleasant surprise. Most Golden Visa investment funds are, in US tax terms, PFICs (passive foreign investment companies), which the IRS taxes punitively and with heavy reporting. And a Portuguese residence permit changes none of your US obligations — the US taxes worldwide income wherever you live.

It's solvable, but only with proper US tax guidance before you invest, not after. The sell-side rarely leads with this. We do — and we'll make sure a US-qualified tax specialist is involved.

Who you can bring

The Golden Visa is a family route — your dependents are included on your application, not made to apply separately.

Your spouse or partner

Including legally recognised partnerships.

Dependent children

Minor children, and older children who are students and financially dependent.

Dependent parents

Parents who depend on you, subject to the criteria in force.

Where we fit — and where we don't

We guide you through it. We don't sell it.

We guide you through the Golden Visa world so you can make better-informed decisions. We don't sell the investment — we help you navigate the Golden Visa world, coordinate everything around your decision, and a legal team handles the application inside your file. We help you weigh which goal the Golden Visa serves best for you, and we're firmly on your side throughout. The decision stays yours.

A legal teamIndependent fund due-diligenceTax specialists

How it works

From decision to residence

1

Decide if it fits

The straight goal-and-route conversation — including whether a living visa would serve you better.

2

Legal team & due diligence

A legal team handles the mandatory application inside your file, alongside independent fund due-diligence and tax specialists — coordinated around your decision.

3

Invest & apply

Make the qualifying investment and apply via AIMA's Portal ARI. Processing is realistically 12–18 months.

4

Residency → citizenship

A renewable permit, permanent residency at five years, citizenship on the current timeline (10 years, or 7 for EU and CPLP).

Rafael, MOL Portugal co-founder

Worth knowing

Since May 2026, the citizenship clock is longer

Naturalisation now takes 10 years for most nationalities — 7 for CPLP and EU citizens — counted from when your residence card is issued (Lei Orgánica 1/2026). The Golden Visa as a residency route is unchanged, and permanent residency is still reachable at five years; it's the citizenship clock that got longer. If a fast passport was the goal, this is the change that matters most.

📅

Last reviewed June 2026. The Golden Visa has been reformed repeatedly, and the rules change often. We keep this page current — what you read here reflects 2026, and every figure is confirmed by ya legal team before you act.

Straight answers

The questions people actually ask

Can I still get a Golden Visa by buying property?
No. The real-estate route was removed in 2023. If anyone tells you otherwise, they're working from old information. The qualifying routes now are investment funds (from €500,000), a cultural donation (from €250,000), research, or company and job creation.
Do I have to live in Portugal?
No — and that's rather the point. The Golden Visa asks for an average of only about seven days a year. If you actually want to live in Portugal, a living visa like the D7, D8 or D2 is built for exactly that.
How long until I can apply for citizenship?
Since May 2026, naturalisation takes 10 years for most nationalities — 7 for CPLP and EU citizens — counted from when your residence card is issued. The residency itself is unchanged; it's the citizenship clock that got longer.
Is my money safe in the funds?
Returns vary, as with any real investment — capital is at risk, lock-ups of around seven years are common, and fees stack, so the structure matters as much as the headline. That's exactly why we coordinate independent due-diligence on any fund, with the findings inside your file.
Does the Golden Visa make me a Portuguese tax resident?
No. Tax residency is a separate test — broadly 183 days in the country, or your main home being here. You can hold the residency without becoming a tax resident. The old NHR tax break has closed, and its replacement rarely fits passive investors.
Can my family be included?
Yes — your spouse or partner, dependent children, and dependent parents can be included on your application, subject to the criteria in force.
I'm American — is there anything special I should know?
Yes, and it matters: most of these funds are PFICs for US tax purposes, which carries extra IRS reporting — so it's worth having a US-qualified tax specialist involved before you invest. See the section above.
How does MOL charge for Golden Visa guidance?
We charge a flat €250 for the Portugal Path Session — where we guide you through the Golden Visa world so you can make better-informed decisions. We don't sell the investment. The legal team, fund due-diligence and tax specialists are coordinated around your decision, with their fees quoted to you in writing and paid directly. The decision stays yours.

Portugal Compass

Not sure this is your route?

Six quick questions and your route appears on screen — D7, D8, D2, EU, CPLP or buying — with the groundwork that follows. Free, no pressure.

When you want it made personal

The Golden Visa is never a form to fill in. It's a decision.

It starts with the €250 Portugal Path Session — one paid hour where we guide you through the Golden Visa world so you can make better-informed decisions. We'll help you weigh which goal it serves best for you, and which route — then coordinate the specialists from there.

Talk to us about the Golden Visa