This scheme is mainly aimed at attracting non EU citizens and investors to obtain residence rights in Portugal in an expedited manner and thus also obtain further visas for travel within the Schengen area.

Requirements

Briefly the main requirements are as follows:

• A capital investment of at least €1 million, or
• Job creation of at least 10 jobs, or
• Investment in property of at least €0.5 million (this may be invested in a mix of residential for own use, or investment property – agricultural, commercial or tourism)

Should these investments be routed through a company together with other investors, only a pro-rata investment will be considered.

The investment has to be maintained for a minimum period of at least 5 years.

Therefore the easiest route in obtaining the golden residence permit, is the acquisition of a property for a consideration of at least €0.5 million.

Further Benefits

After the first five years the visa holder may apply for permanent residence and subsequently Portuguese citizenship. The visa holder may also apply for family regrouping (includes children and adult dependent children still studying).