- Elite Golden Visa - Regulated fund access & Portugal residency by investment, end-to-end.
- Portugal
A structured route to European Union residency without interrupting your life, career or home base
Qualify for Portuguese residency with an average stay of 7 days per year
Portugal’s residency-by-investment program (better known as a Golden Visa) is a regulated path to obtain legal residence. It offers a flexible means to establish residency in a stable EU country without changing where you currently live.
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A Portuguese residence card allows short‑stay, visa‑free travel within the Schengen Area, based on applicable rules in other Schengen states.
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Spouses or partners, children under 18, certain dependent adult children, and financially dependent parents may be able to join under family reunification rules. Supporting evidence of dependency may be needed.
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Holders of a valid residence permit may reside in Portugal and take up employment or self‑employment, and access local education options.
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Residents can access healthcare and public services in Portugal, subject to registration and residency status.
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After the required period of legal residence, you may become eligible for permanent residence and, where permitted by law, Portuguese citizenship.
To qualify, applicants must make one of the following eligible investment routes.
Minimum: €500,000 investment in qualified Portuguese funds. Investment performance varies, and returns are not guaranteed.
Minimum: Around €500,000 in approved research activities carried out by public or private scientific institutions integrated into the national scientific and technological system.
Minimum: From around €200,000, depending on location and project type, in approved cultural, artistic, or heritage‑preservation initiatives.
Creation of 10 full-time jobs in Portugal. Alternatively, investment in an existing business that maintains or creates jobs, in line with statutory thresholds.
Elite Golden Visa assists exclusively with the regulated investment fund route. Investment thresholds and approved project categories are defined in legislation. We help clients understand the current rules and application process.
Important Notice: Elite Golden Visa assists clients with immigration processes and residency applications. Legal representation is arranged separately through independent immigration practitioners. We do not assess investment suitability or provide legal guidance. Prospective applicants should seek their own professional financial and legal assistance where required.
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We look at your situation, explain the process and connect you with the lawyer responsible for your application.
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We complete your single KYC and work with external immigration lawyers to collect the required documents and structure the application correctly from the start.
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You will complete your qualifying investment under CMVM oversight, helping to provide investor protections and regulatory transparency.
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Once submitted, you will attend a biometric appointment at AIMA (Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo — Portugal’s Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum).
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After approval, you’ll receive your initial residence card, which is valid for two years. It can then be renewed for a further two-year period until you meet the required residency period.
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After 7 to 10 years of residency, depending on nationality, you may become eligible to apply for a Portuguese and an EU passport. A basic Portuguese language test (A2 level) and a civic knowledge test are required.
Most applicants will need:
Additional documentation may sometimes be required.
Yes. The Portugal Golden Visa program allows non-EU, non-EEA and non-Swiss nationals aged 18 or older with a clean criminal record to obtain a Portuguese residence permit through an investment that meets the program’s requirements.
Every application undergoes background screening and source-of-funds checks as part of the review process. An external legal adviser will review your case and clearly state eligibility.
Yes, citizenship by investment can happen, but the Portuguese government has recently changed the timeline. Under Portugal’s 2026 nationality law reform (Lei Orgânica n.º 1/2026, published in the Diário da República on 18 May 2026), the residency period for citizenship is now:
7 years for EU and Portuguese-speaking-country nationals
10 years for all other nationalities (up from the previous 5-year requirement).
Yes. The main applicant’s dependents can be included in the same application with the same residency rights.
Just 7 days per year on average. This does not automatically make you a Portuguese tax resident; that’s triggered separately, generally by spending 183+ days in the country.
The Golden Visa is investment-based and requires only 7 days a year in Portugal, making it suited to investors who want EU residency without relocating.
The D7 visa is income-based. Applicants must demonstrate passive income of roughly €920/month (LegalClarity, May 2026) and live in Portugal for the majority of the year, making it more ideal for retirees and others planning to relocate fully.
No. Real estate has not qualified for the Golden Visa since October 2023, when Portugal’s “Mais Habitação” housing law removed property-based categories (Law 56/2023, published 6 October 2023).
Yes, US nationals have become one of the largest groups of applicants for the program.
Our team is based in Portugal to coordinate every step of your Golden Visa application.
Our founding team has, across their careers, helped hundreds of families obtain temporary or permanent residency through investment. We can help with:
Investment introductions
Managing legal documentation
Renewals
Family inclusion
Residence planning for families considering Portugal and Italy. Independent of fund managers, developers and introducers.
Elite Golden Visa provides advisory and coordination services. Legal, tax and investment matters are handled by regulated professionals engaged for your file, including cross-border specialists where the file requires them. Program thresholds, processing times and eligibility rules are set by the Portuguese and Italian authorities and may change without notice; figures on this site are indicative and confirmed in writing before any commitment. Capital placed in qualifying funds, companies or securities is at risk, and past performance is not a guide to future returns. Nothing on this site is legal, tax or investment advice.