Build Your Life in Portugal
Portugal has several ways in, and they suit very different people. The Golden Visa is built around investment; the D7 is for anyone living on passive income. We work out which one applies to you and carry the application through to a decision.
What Portuguese Residency Opens Up
Investors, retirees and remote workers tend to arrive here for the same handful of reasons: entry into Europe, a gentler cost of living, and conditions that stay manageable.
A Door Into Europe
A Portuguese permit brings the Schengen Area, all 26 countries of it, within reach. Five years in you become eligible for citizenship and an EU passport, which opens 188 countries visa-free.
The Day to Day
A Mediterranean climate, a long coastline, deep cultural roots, and living costs that stay within reason. Portugal is also counted year after year among the safest countries in Europe.
Favourable Tax Treatment
The Non-Habitual Resident (NHR) programme carries tax advantages across a 10-year window. Around it sits a growing startup scene and policy that makes room for remote workers.
Healthcare and Schooling
Residents use the Portuguese public health and education systems, both to EU standards. International schools exist alongside them, and private healthcare stays affordable.
Light Stay Requirements
The Golden Visa asks for only 7 days a year in the country, and the D7 keeps its own stay rules modest. On either one, a spouse and dependent children can join you.
Citizenship in the EU
Five years of residency makes you eligible to naturalise. Portugal permits dual citizenship, and a Portuguese passport carries the full set of EU rights.
For context: more than 11,000 main applicants have been approved under the Golden Visa since 2012, which makes it one of the most heavily used residency-by-investment schemes anywhere in Europe. Where it leads, in the end, is EU citizenship and every right attached to it.
Ways Into Portuguese Residency
Which route makes sense comes down to where your income comes from and how much time you plan to spend in the country.
What You Will Need to Show
Requirements shift from one programme to the next, but Portuguese residency applications tend to rest on the same set of documents.
Financial Requirements
Golden Visa, D7 VisaThe Golden Visa starts at a €500,000 investment. The D7 asks instead for €820 a month in passive income, matching the Portuguese minimum wage. Either way, you document the funds and where they came from.
Investment Documentation
Golden VisaGolden Visa applicants show the legal source of their funds, along with investment contracts, property deeds or business registration. Whichever option you pick, the investment has to be held for at least 5 years.
Portuguese Language
Citizenship (after 5 years)Nothing is asked of you at the residency stage. Portuguese at A2 level only becomes necessary when you apply for citizenship 5 years in, and courses are easy to find once you are living there.
Accommodation Proof
All ProgramsEvery visa type wants proof of somewhere to stay, whether a tenancy agreement, a property you own or a hotel booking. This can be settled after the visa has been approved.
Clean Criminal Record
All ProgramsYou supply a police clearance certificate from where you currently live, plus one from any country you spent 12 months or more in over the past 5 years. Serious convictions rule an application out.
Valid Travel Documents
All ProgramsA passport valid for at least 3 months beyond the stay you intend, and travel insurance covering €30,000 or more for medical costs and repatriation.
Golden Visa Entry Points
More than one kind of investment will qualify you. These are the headline figures for the three most used.
Capital Transfer
€500,000
Investment Funds
€500,000
Job Creation
10 jobs
Please note: Portuguese immigration policy is revised from time to time, and the investment thresholds move with it. We check your circumstances against the rules as they stand and advise on which route makes sense.
What the Timeline Looks Like
Every route runs at its own pace. Knowing which stage takes longest is what lets you plan around it.
Golden Visa
Set up the investment and paperwork
1-3 monthsSecure the investment, obtain your NIF and bank account, and gather the documents
Lodge the application
1-2 weeksFile the application together with every supporting document
Biometrics
2-4 weeksAttend the biometrics appointment, either in Portugal or at a consulate
Assessment
6-12 monthsSEF works through the application and verifies the investment
Permit issued
1-2 weeksA 2-year residence permit card is issued to you
Renewal at the 2-year mark
2-4 monthsRenew for a further 3 years, with permanent residency available at 5
D7 Visa (Passive Income)
Assemble the income evidence
2-4 weeksPull together proof of passive income, bank statements and accommodation
Apply at the consulate
1-2 weeksSubmit the D7 application at the Portuguese consulate in your home country
Assessment
2-4 monthsThe consulate reviews the application and the documents behind it
Visa granted, travel arranged
1-2 weeksOnce the D7 is issued you have 4 months in which to travel to Portugal
SEF appointment
1-3 monthsBook and attend the SEF appointment in Portugal for your residence card
Card issued
2-4 weeksA 2-year residence permit card is issued
Permanent Residency (after 5 years)
Confirm you qualify
1-2 weeksCheck that 5 years of legal residency and every condition have been met
Collect the paperwork
2-4 weeksRefresh your documents, tax records and criminal record certificate
File the application
1 weekSend the permanent residency application in to SEF
Assessment
6-12 monthsSEF works through the permanent residency application
Permanent residence granted
1-2 weeksYou receive a permanent residence permit, which carries no expiry
What Affects the Wait
- Whether the documentation is accurate and nothing is missing
- How long verification of the investment and due diligence take
- SEF capacity, and how quickly appointments free up
- The background and verification checks themselves
What We Handle
- Talking through the investment options and getting them in place
- Making sure the documentation is accurate and complete
- Working alongside your lawyers and investment advisers
- Tracking the application and answering whatever SEF asks for
Our Fees for Portugal
Portuguese Residency Support
A single service that carries your Portuguese residency application from the opening assessment through to the decision.
Here is what you get:
An eligibility assessment, with a recommendation on the right route
A look at the investment options and which of them suits your position
Preparation and verification of your documents
Completion and review of the application forms
Liaison with lawyers and investment advisers on your behalf
Help obtaining a NIF and opening a Portuguese bank account
Booking your SEF appointment and preparing you for it
Continued support once the application has gone in
Service Fee
Full Residency Support
Everything from preparation through to submission
$399
Note: this covers our professional work on the application itself. Investment sums, legal fees and government charges all sit outside it.
The final figure is agreed at the end of your consultation, once we know which route you are taking and what it involves.
Important notes:
• Application fees charged by the state go straight to the Portuguese authorities (SEF)
• Investment sums of €250,000-€500,000 are paid directly into the investment vehicle itself
• Legal fees for preparing investment documentation are billed separately
• Where a property transaction is involved, its costs come on top
• Residency is decided by the Portuguese immigration authority, never by Ivipass. Our part is shaping the file around what that authority actually asks for and evidencing every element of it. We do not promise an outcome, and you should be wary of anyone who does.
Government Fees, Payable Direct to SEF
• Golden Visa application: €533.90 for the main applicant
• Golden Visa renewal: €2,669.60 every 2 years
• D7 visa application: €83, charged at the consulate
• Residence permit card: €72.40
• Family members: charged per person on top
These charges are revised periodically. Investment sums of €250,000-€500,000 are separate again, and go straight to the investment vehicle.
Questions We Get Asked
Straight answers on the Golden Visa, the D7 and what follows either one
Not covered here? Speak to an adviser at no cost. They will go through your circumstances and set out which Portuguese route is realistic for you.
Take the First Step
Whether the Golden Visa or the D7 turns out to be the better fit, our team will take you through the application stage by stage.
Book a Call
A free consultation covering which Portuguese route fits and whether you qualify
1:1
Eligibility Review First
2014
Registered in England & Wales Since
6-18
Months, Typical Wait