Golden Visa Programme - Clarity restored

In light of the recent announcement made by the Portuguese Immigration Services (SEF) related to the regulations of the recently approved changes to the Golden Visa programme, it has now been officially confirmed that the said detailed regulations have just been formally approved by the Council of Ministries of the Portuguese Government.

Here is the link to the official website of the Council of Ministries where this approval is formally announced: http://www.portugal.gov.pt/pt/os-ministerios/ministro-da-presidencia-e-dos-assuntos-parlamentares/documentos-oficiais/20150716-cm-comunicado.aspx

For easy reference, please see below the announcement and the corresponding translation:

3. O Conselho de Ministros aprovou o decreto regulamentar que executa e desenvolve as alterações feitas na Lei de Estrangeiros, de modo, nomeadamente, a consagrar as alterações no regime das  Autorizações de Residência por Investimento (ARI), alterações que visam reforçar, por um lado, oportunidades mais alargadas de investimento e, por outro, os instrumentos de fiscalização externa e interna dos procedimentos.

Com este diploma fica completo o processo legislativo das ARI, o que é também relevante para a respectiva normalidade e ceceleridade.

______________________________________________________________________________

3. The Council of Ministries has approved the regulatory decree that carries out and develops the changes made to the Law of Foreigners in order to, namely, establish the changes to the regime of the Residency Permits by Investment (Golden Visa), changes that aim to reinforce, on the one hand, wider investment opportunities and, on the other, the instruments of external and internal control of procedures.

The legislative procedure of the Golden Visa is completed with this regulation, which is also relevant for the corresponding normality and speed.

The approved regulations will now be published in the Official Gazzette and become effective very shortly. 

In light of the above, it is now absolutely clear that the wrongly called "suspension" of the Programme will now end and the processing and approval of applications will return back to normal. 

The Golden Visa programme continues to be the most sucessful and attractive residency programme in Europe and its popularity is expected to raise even more with the opening to new forms on investment and new minimum investment requirements.