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The Portugal Golden Visa grants a Portuguese residence permit to non-EU investors through a fund, cultural, research or business investment, with Schengen travel and a 7-day first-year stay. Citizenship is a separate step: 10 years of legal residence for most nationalities, 7 for CPLP nationals.
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The Portugal Golden Visa grants a Portuguese residence permit to non-EU investors through a fund, cultural, research or business investment, with Schengen travel and a 7-day first-year stay. Citizenship is a separate step: 10 years of legal residence for most nationalities, 7 for CPLP nationals.
Overview
Portugal Golden Visa grants a residence permit in exchange for a qualifying investment from €250,000. The programme is government-authorised and administered through licensed advisers such as Mirabello Consultancy.
The Portugal Golden Visa grants a Portuguese residence permit to non-EU investors through a fund, cultural, research or business investment, with Schengen travel and a 7-day first-year stay. Citizenship is a separate step: 10 years of legal residence for most nationalities, 7 for CPLP nationals.
The Portugal Golden Visa (officially the ARI, Residence Permit for Investment Activity) grants a renewable Portuguese residence permit to non-EU investors and their families, with visa-free short stays across the 29-country Schengen Area and one of Europe's lightest stay requirements. It is open to nationals of countries outside the EU, the EEA, Switzerland and Andorra. The outcome is a residence permit, not a passport; Portuguese citizenship is a separate, later step with its own timeline (see below).
Since the 2023 reform (Law 56/2023), real estate no longer qualifies, directly or through a property fund. The routes administered by AIMA are: €500,000 in units of a Portuguese non-real-estate investment fund; €250,000 in support of the arts or national cultural heritage; €500,000 to form or recapitalise a Portuguese company with at least five permanent jobs; €500,000 for scientific research at an accredited Portuguese institution; or the creation of at least 10 permanent jobs. Some thresholds are reduced by 20% in designated low-density areas. The qualifying investment covers the family and does not increase with family size, but government fees are charged per person under AIMA's fee table.
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. Figures are provenance-tracked and checked against AIMA and the Diário da República. 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 5 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 or capital increase (5 jobs) | €500,000 | business |
| Scientific research | €500,000 | research |
| Job creation (at least 10 permanent jobs) | No fixed amount | business |
Cost calculator
Most advisers quote the headline investment 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.
Last updated 2026-09-28
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 |
| ARI application analysis fee (per person), Main applicant | €842.80 |
| Residence-permit grant (per person), Main applicant | €8,418.90 |
| ARI application analysis fee (per person), Spouse | €842.80 |
| Residence-permit grant (per person), Spouse | €8,418.90 |
| ARI application analysis fee (per person), Child (age 10) | €842.80 |
| Residence-permit grant (per person), Child (age 10) | €8,418.90 |
| Estimated government-side total | €527,785.10 |
MCPPortugal Golden Visa is scored by the Mirabello Investment Migration Index across seven dimensions: investment cost, visa-free mobility, processing speed, path to citizenship, regulatory stability, family inclusion and tax treatment. A higher composite score signals a more competitive, accessible and well-regulated programme.
Scored on cost, mobility, speed, path, stability, family and tax.
Our read: The Portugal Golden Visa grants a Portuguese residence permit to non-EU investors through a fund, cultural, research or business investment, with Schengen travel and a 7-day first-year stay. Citizenship is a separate step: 10 years of legal residence for most nationalities, 7 for CPLP nationals. 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 | Schengen Area | Residence permit |
| 🇨🇾 Cyprus Permanent Residency | €300,000 | About 2 months | One visit every 2 years | EU member state | Residence permit |
| 🇲🇹 Malta Global Residence Programme (GRP) | €220,000 | 3-6 months | None | Visa-free travel within Schengen Area | Residence permit |
| 🇲🇹 Malta Permanent Residence (MPRP) | €99,000 | No official figure | None | Visa-free travel within Schengen Area | Residence permit |
Questions
The questions below cover Portugal Golden Visa investment costs, processing timelines, eligibility and family inclusion, minimum-stay requirements, the path to citizenship and tax obligations. All figures are provenance-tracked against official sources; where a threshold is time-sensitive, the verified date is shown alongside the answer.
Figures verified against official sources, provenance-tracked, information, not advice · Last updated 2026-09-28
The arts and cultural-heritage route starts from EUR 250,000. A Portuguese non-real-estate investment fund, forming or recapitalising a company with at least five permanent jobs, and scientific research each start from EUR 500,000. A fifth route requires creating at least 10 permanent jobs, with no fixed amount. Some thresholds are reduced by 20% in designated low-density areas. One investment covers the whole family.
No. Law 56/2023 removed real estate as a qualifying investment in October 2023, and funds that invest in real estate, directly or indirectly, do not qualify either. You may still buy a home in Portugal separately; it simply does not count towards the Golden Visa.
The Golden Visa is open to nationals of countries outside the EU, the EEA, Switzerland and Andorra. Your spouse, children under 18, unmarried dependent children aged 18 to 25 who are studying, dependent parents of you or your spouse, and minor siblings in your guardianship can be included through family reunification.
Fees are charged per person, family members included. Under AIMA's current fee table, application analysis costs EUR 842.80 and the grant of the residence permit EUR 8,418.90, with EUR 4,210.30 due at each renewal. Reduced rates apply to applications made through AIMA's digital channel. A Mirabello specialist confirms the total for your family.
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.
AIMA publishes no processing time for the Golden Visa. In our practice, allow roughly 12 to 18 months from filing to the residence card, and longer when AIMA's caseload is heavy. Treat any timeline as indicative, not a guarantee; a Mirabello specialist can give you a current estimate before you commit.
Under Lei Orgânica 1/2026, in force since 19 May 2026, Golden Visa holders can apply for naturalisation after 10 years of legal residence, or 7 years if they are nationals of a Portuguese-speaking (CPLP) country such as Brazil. Only naturalisation applications already pending on 19 May 2026 continue under the previous five-year rule. Residence counts while you hold a valid residence permit. Naturalisation also requires sufficient knowledge of the Portuguese language and culture, knowledge of citizens' rights and duties, a declaration of adherence to democratic principles, a clean criminal and security record, and the means to support yourself.
Not directly. It grants a Portuguese residence permit with Schengen travel. Portuguese citizenship, and the EU passport that comes with it, is a separate later step subject to the residence period, language and integration requirements above.
Tax depends on whether you become a Portuguese tax resident and on your personal circumstances. Holding the Golden Visa does not by itself make you tax resident, and Portuguese tax rules change over time, so take independent tax advice before you invest.
Estate planning
A residence permit in Portugal does not change your nationality and adds no law you can elect under EU Regulation 650/2012 (Article 22). If you come to live in Portugal, the law of Portugal may govern your estate by default under Article 21, unless you elect the law of a nationality you already hold. The permit changes no tax position.
The law of Portugal has forced heirship: part of the estate is reserved for close family and cannot be left freely by will.
See the Portugal position in our succession matrix, or read which law governs your estate. General information, not legal 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.
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