The €500,000 is capital you keep. Here is every cost charged around it, what it pays for, and when it falls due.
The number everyone knows is €500,000. It is also the number that tells you least about what a Portugal Golden Visa actually costs, because it is not a fee at all. It is capital you subscribe to a regulated fund and, on the fund’s own terms, later redeem.
The real Portugal residency by investment cost is everything charged around that investment: government fees, legal work, documents, insurance, travel, and the renewals that fall due every two years for as long as you hold the permit. This guide prices each of them, so the total you plan for is the total you pay.
| The €500,000 is capital you still own. The true cost is the set of fees around it, and every one of those can be priced before you commit. |
The short answer
Beyond the €500,000 fund subscription, plan for government fees of €632.10 per person when you apply and €6,314.20 per person on approval, then around €3,789.90 per person at each renewal (AIMA fee table, consulted August 2026). Add legal fees, certified translations, apostilles, insurance and travel. Every figure below is illustrative and should be checked against the fee table in force when you apply.
Two things catch most families out. Many of these costs are charged per applicant rather than per family, and a quote that looks complete at the application stage often leaves out the renewals that follow.
Every cost in one table
| Cost | Who charges it | When | Illustrative amount |
| Qualifying investment | The fund | At subscription | €500,000, your capital, at risk |
| NIF, the Portuguese tax number | Tax office, or a fiscal representative | Before investing | Free, or €100 to €300 per person |
| Portuguese bank account | Your chosen bank | Before investing | Set by the bank |
| Fund subscription fee | Fund manager | At subscription | 0 to around 2 per cent, where charged |
| Application analysis fee | AIMA | On submission | €632.10 per applicant |
| Approval and card fee | AIMA | On approval | €6,314.20 per applicant |
| Legal fees | Independent immigration lawyer | In stages | €8,000 to €15,000 main applicant; €1,000 to €3,000 per dependant |
| Certified translations | Certified translator | Document preparation | €25 to €50 per page |
| Apostilles, UK documents | UK Legalisation Office | Document preparation | £45 per document |
| UK criminal record certificate | ACRO | Document preparation | £68 standard service |
| Private health insurance | Portuguese insurer | From application | From around €400 per person a year |
| Travel for biometrics | Airlines and hotels | At appointment | Varies; counts towards your days |
| Renewal fees | AIMA | Every two years | Around €3,789.90 per applicant |
The €500,000: capital, not a fee
The qualifying investment is €500,000 into a fund regulated by the CMVM, Portugal’s securities regulator. Our guide to CMVM regulated funds explains what that means. Property no longer qualifies, having been removed from the programme in October 2023 under Law 56/2023. Your money buys units in the fund, stays invested for the fund’s term and, like any investment, carries risk, including the possible loss of capital.
Funds also carry charges of their own: sometimes a subscription fee of up to around 2 per cent, always an annual management fee, and in some cases a performance fee. We do not compare or recommend funds, and none of this is financial advice. Our guide to evaluating a fund shortlist sets out what to ask about each charge.
Government fees
AIMA, Portugal’s immigration agency, charges two fees before a first permit is issued. The first, €632.10 per applicant, is paid on submission. The second, €6,314.20 per applicant, is paid on approval, before the cards are issued.
In our experience, nobody is surprised by the €500,000. Almost everybody is surprised by the €6,314.20, because it is money spent rather than capital invested, and it applies to every person on the application, children included. A family of five pays it five times. These fees are the same whichever firm you use, and nobody negotiates them down.
The first permit runs for two years. Each renewal after that costs around €3,789.90 per applicant on the current table, made up of a €632.10 analysis fee and a €3,157.80 card fee. Renewals are predictable, but they are also the cost most often missing from headline summaries. Our guide to the renewal process covers what each round involves.
Pricing the paperwork
The documents themselves carry a cost, small individually but repeated often. For applicants with UK documents, a criminal record certificate from ACRO costs £68 on the standard service, each public document needs an apostille at £45 from the UK Legalisation Office, and certified Portuguese translations typically run from €25 to €50 a page, for every page in the file.
Three further costs complete the preparation. A NIF, the tax number everyone on the application needs, is free from the tax office or €100 to €300 through a fiscal representative. Private health insurance is often quoted from around €400 per person a year. Legal fees, the largest professional cost, commonly run from €8,000 to €15,000 for a main applicant and €1,000 to €3,000 per dependant, with renewal support often priced separately.
One cost is easy to miss entirely. Converting dollars or sterling into €500,000 carries an exchange cost, and a difference of half a per cent between two providers on that single transfer is €2,500, more than most of the document budget combined. Compare quotes before the money moves. We do not advise on foreign exchange; we only point out that the cost exists.
A family of four across the first five years
Two parents and two children, all on the application, with UK documents. Government fees only, on the current AIMA table:
| Stage | Government fees | Arithmetic |
| Application submitted | €2,528.40 | 4 × €632.10 |
| Approval and first cards | €25,256.80 | 4 × €6,314.20 |
| Renewal at year two | €15,159.60 | 4 × €3,789.90 |
| Renewal at year four | €15,159.60 | 4 × €3,789.90 |
| First five years | €58,104.40 | Government fees only |
Government fees are only part of it. Initial legal fees for this family come to roughly €11,000 to €24,000. Documents add €1,500 to €3,000, and health insurance at €400 a head adds €8,000 over five years. Travel is the flexible line: the biometrics trip and the annual seven days cost whatever a family week in Portugal costs. On these assumptions, a five year planning figure of €80,000 to €100,000, on top of the investment and any fund charges, is a reasonable one. It is illustrative, not advice.
Renewals continue for as long as the permit is held. Since 19 May 2026, holders become eligible to apply for citizenship after ten years of legal residence, or seven for EU and CPLP nationals, counted from the first permit, as our citizenship timeline comparison explains. A family of four reaching the ten year mark would pass through four renewal rounds, around €60,600 in government fees on today’s table. Fee tables change, so leave a margin.
How we charge, and how to read any quote
Elite Golden Visa receives placement or introductory fees from some funds, alongside a separate client service fee, and we put both in writing before you engage us. We coordinate the process. The investment decision is yours, made with independent financial advice, and the legal work is carried out by independent, qualified immigration lawyers.
Three questions test any quote. Does the written fee schedule cover the whole period you will hold the permit, renewals included, or stop at the application? Which costs are charged per person? And how is the provider itself paid? A firm comfortable with its answer should welcome that question, and that includes us. Our guide to choosing a consultant sets out the fuller checklist.
Where to start
Priced in full, residency by investment in Portugal is a known cost. The €500,000 remains your capital, and the fees around it are finite and largely predictable. If you would like the current fee table matched to your own family, get in touch and we will build the itemised version with you.
Elite Golden Visa provides immigration consultancy services. We do not provide financial or legal advice. All legal services are delivered by independent, qualified immigration lawyers. All investment decisions should be made with independent financial advice.
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice or an offer to invest. Any investment carries risk, including the potential loss of capital. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
