Golden Visa Statistics

The Portuguese Immigration Services (SEF) have released the latest statistics of the Golden Visa programme.  These latest numbers show that  the total investment  brought in to the country by foreign investors until the end of the May 2022 was over 6.3 billion Euro.

These latest statistics reveal that a total of 10,748 residency permits have been granted so far to investors under the Golden Visa programme.  In addition, a total of 17,752 residency permits were granted to family members of the investors

From these statistics it is possible to see that 9,965 investors selected one of the property categories, 763 investors followed the capital route and 20 followed the job creation route.  In any case, it is relevant to point out that these statistics only refer to applications that have already been approved and do not reflect investments for applications that are still pending. 

Please feel free to contact us if you require further information on the Golden Visa or if you need any assistance with your initial application or renewal.

Golden Visa Portugal - Changes for 2022

The changes to the Golden Visa programme that had been announced by the Portuguese authorities have become effective on 1st January 2022.

Ana Rita Reis, partner of EDGE International Lawyers, explains the main changes that were implemented. 

 

This presentation can also be seen on Linkedin

Golden Visa - Changes Announced

 The Portuguese government has just announced that changes to the Golden Visa programme have been approved.  Such changes were passed on 22nd December at the Government meeting.

According to the statement from the Government, the changes are aimed at creating incentives for investment in low density areas, namely in urban renewal, cultural heritage, in activities of high social or environmental value, in the productive investment and job creation.

On the property investment category, the preferred route by the majority of investors so far, the Government has said that the limitations to investing in the areas of Lisbon and Porto will only start on July 1st 2021 and will be subject to a long period of transition that will spread even during the year of 2022.

According to the statement of the Minister Mariana Vieira da Silva, "there will be a transitional regime during the year of 2021 and the year of 2022 in which the value of the investments will be successively increased and reducing the possibility of application to the urban metropolitan areas, which will come into force on 1st July 2021"

The specific details on  the changes that were just announced will only be known once the decree law is published in the official gazette.  In any case, it is very clear now that the eventual changes will only come into effect in July 2021 and that the limitations on property investments in Lisbon and Porto will be subject to a transitional period after that.

In addition, it is also very important to note that the Portuguese government clearly takes into consideration the importance of foreign investors and sees the Golden Visa as a very important mechanism for capturing foreign investment.

Golden Visa - New Renewal Periods

In accordance with the changes to the Immigration Law approved within the State Budget for 2020, the validity of the initial residency permits has now changed from 1 to 2 years.  As such, the residency permits that have been issued since 1st April 2020 already have this initial validity period of 2 years.

The changes that have been approved apply for all types of residency, including the Golden Visa programme.  Up to now, all residency permits were initially valid for an initial period of 1 year and were then renewed for periods of 2.  With this change, the duration of the initial residency permits is now 2 years consecutive.

It should be noted that the changes to the duration of the validity of the temporary residency permits does not affect the possibility of applying for permanent residency or citizenship.  In these cases, the minimum time required to apply remains 5 years.

Golden Visa Portugal - Statistics

The Portuguese Immigration Services (SEF) have released the latest statistics of the Golden Visa programme.  These latest numbers show that  the total investment  brought in to the country by foreign investors until the end of the January 2020 was over 5 billion Euro.

These latest statistics reveal that a total of 8,288 residency permits have been granted so far to investors under the Golden Visa programme.  In addition, a total of 14,154 residency permits were granted to family members of the investors

It is important to note that SEF has also changed the way the statistics are released in order to make the information provided clearer and more detailed.  It is now possible not only to see the total investment since the launch of the programme in October 2012, but it is also possible to see the information per year and also per month.

In addition, it is now also possible to see the exact numbers on each category of qualifying investments.  As an example, we note that since the beginning of the programme and up to the end of January 2020, the distribution of the investment was as follows:

Property:
General category - 500k: 7,322
Urban Renovation - 350k: 478

Capital:
Transfer of 1 M€: 453
Funds - 350k: 7
Company+Employment: 1

Job creation: 17

Please feel free to contact us if you require further information on the Golden Visa or if you need any assistance with your initial application or renewal.

GOLDEN VISA INVESTOR REACHES PORTUGUESE CITIZENSHIP

We are happy to report that one of our first clients that invested in Portugal and was granted residency through the Golden Visa programme has now obtained his
Portuguese citizenship. 

The citizenship application was submitted in October 2018, subsequently to the reduction of the minimum residency time to apply for nationality from 6 to 5 years, and has finally been approved by the Civil Registrar.

Our now fellow citizen complied with the minimum stay requirements associated with the Golden Visa programme, including the minimum stay requirement of 7 and 14 days and at the end of the 5 years, after obtaining his A2 certificate in Portuguese language,requested and received his permanent resident status. Subsequently, once all the necessary documents were obtained, we submitted his citizenship application, which has now been approved.

The approval is simply a confirmation of EDGE’s position since the beginning of the programme, which has always been that all residents are entitled to apply for and obtain Portuguese citizenship after 5 years, whether such residency is obtained through the Golden Visa programme or through other categories.

EDGE has been involved with the Golden Visa programme since the beginning and has now assisted over 2,500 investors and their families of more than 30 different nationalities. Our vast experience has allowed us to provide full and dedicated support to our clients, from the initial investment all the way to citizenship.

The above article is part our our December newsletter, which can be read here: http://www.edge-il.com/newsletter/edge_news_dez19.html 

Golden Visa Portugal - Statistics June 2019

The Portuguese Immigration Services (SEF) have released the latest statistics of the Golden Visa programme.  These latest numbers show that  the total investment  brought in to the country by foreign investors until the end of the first semester of 2019 was over 4.6 billion Euro.

These latest statistics reveal that a total of 7,583 residency permits have been granted so far to investors under the Golden Visa programme.  In addition, a total of 12,874 residency permits were granted to family members of the investors

In terms of types of investments, although property still tops the preferences of the investors, it is possible to see an increase in the capital investment and job creation categories..

Please feel free to contact us if you require further information on the Golden Visa or if you need any assistance with your initial application or renewal.

Golden Visa Portugal - Statistics January 2019

The Portuguese Immigration Services (SEF) have released the latest statistics of the Golden Visa programme.  These latest numbers show that up to 31st January 2019 the total investment  brought in to the country by foreign investors was over 4.3 billion Euro.

It is very interesting to see from the statistics that the number of investors in 2018 was up from the previous year and that in January 2019 alone there were already more than 145 investors approved, which represents more than 10% of the total of last year. 

In terms of types of investments, property is still the preferred route, capturing more than 3.9 billion euro since the start of the programme.

Please feel free to contact us if you require further information on the Golden Visa or if you need any assistance with your initial application or renewal.

Golden Visa - Statistics September 2018

The Portuguese Immigration Services (SEF) have released the statistics of the Golden Visa programme up to 30th September 2018.  These latest numbers show that the total investment that has come into Portugal solely directly from the programme is now over 4 bn Euro.

 According to these latest statistics, there were a total of 6,562 investors and 11,125 family members approved by the end of the third quarter of 2018.  The preferred choice of foreign investors is  still property, with over 3.6 bn euro in this category of investment.

Please contact us if you require further information on the Golden Visa programme or if you need any assistance with your initial application or renewal.

EDGE in Southeast Asia

EDGE international Lawyers is traveling to Southeast Asia to promote investment in Portugal and the Golden Visa programme.  We will be in Singapore from the 23rd to 24th October, in Manila from the 25th to the 27th and in Hong Kong from the 28th to 30th.

Please join us and we will be happy to schedule a meeting during our visit.

Portuguese Parliament reduces time for citizenship to 5 years

The Portuguese Parliament has approved relevant changes to the general Law of Nationality easing up the requirements for obtaining the Portuguese nationality. These changes have been published in the Official Gazette on 5^th July 2018 and are now in full force.

Some of the most relevant changes to the law, include the reduction from 6 to 5 years only for the minimum period of residency required to obtain nationality and also the automatic nationality for individuals born in Portugal with parents that have been residents for at least 2 years.

Regarding the reduction of the time of citizenship, article 6, number 1, paragraph b), establishes that the Portuguese Government will grant citizenship for foreigners that have been resident for a minimum of 5 years.

As to children born in Portugal, article 1^st, number 1, paragraph f), grants nationality to individuals born in Portugal, children of foreign parents, when at the time of birth one of the parents has legal residency for at least 2 years.

The Government will now implement the necessary changes to the Regulation of Nationality.  The changes should be decided within 30 days from the approval of the changes to the Law of Nationality.

Golden Visa Portugal - Statistics May 2018

The Portuguese Immigration Services (SEF) have released the statistics of the Golden Visa programme up to the end of May 2018.  These latest numbers show that the total investment directly arising from the programme is now over 3.8 bn Euro.

 According to these latest statistics, there were a total of 6,279 investors and 10,643 family members approved by the end of May 2018.  As it has been the case since the program was launched, the preferred investment is still property, with over 3.4 bn euro in this category of investment.

We, at EDGE have witnessed the significant improvement of the processing times for applications as our clients are getting approved in around 2 to 4 months on average.

Please contact us if you have any questions or if you need assistance with your initial application or renewal.

Golden Visa - Statistics February 2018

The Portuguese Immigration Services (SEF) have released the statistics of the Golden Visa programme up to 28th February 2018.  These latest numbers show that the total investment directly arising from the programme is 3.6 bn Euro.

 According to these latest statistics, there were a total of 5,876 investors and 9,861 family members approved by the end of February 2018.  as to the investment types, the vast majority of investors selected property as their qualifying investment.

The recently implemented changes to the procedures around the submission and processing of residency applications have been proving to be very effective.  The rate of approvals has increased and the waiting times for both initial applications and renewals has improved substantially, particularly for applications submitted in the Immigration Department's offices located outside of Lisbon. 

Please contact us if you have any questions on these changes or if you need assistance with your initial application or renewal.

Golden Visa - Statistics January 2018

The Portuguese Immigration Services (SEF) have released the statistics of the Golden Visa programme up to the end of January 2018.  The recently released statistics show that the total investment brought by the programme continues to grow every month and by the end of January had passed 3.5 bn Euro.

 According to the updated numbers, there were a total of 5,717 investors and 9,559 family members approved up to the end of January 2018, with property still being the investment of choice of the majority of the investors.

The authorities have recently implemented changes in the procedures of submission and processing of applications and the improvements have been very substantial.  The rate of approval of initial applications and renewals has accelerated in a very significant way.

Golden Visa - Statistics

The Portuguese Immigration Services (SEF) have released the statistics of the Golden Visa programme up to the end of November 2017.  These latest numbers show that the total investment brought by the programme is over 3.38 bn Euro.

 According to these statistics, there were a total of 5,505 investors and 9,212 family members approved up to the end of November 2017, with the vast majority of investors still selecting property as their qualifying investment.

The current government has decided to widen the scope of qualifying investments and the corresponding changes to the General Immigration Law have just come into force.  As a result, it is expected that the number of applications will continue to grow in the coming times.

New locations for SEF appointments

Following the information we at EDGE received recently directly from the Portuguese Government, the Immigration Services - SEF -  have just released the regional offices that will be accepting residency and renewal applications regardless of the location of the investment.

The new locations released today are the following:

- Evora; 

- Santarem  

- Porto 

- Vila Real 

- Viana do Castelo 

- Figueira da Foz 

- Coimbra 

- Guarda 

- Viseu 

- Faro  

- Tavira

- Portimao

This measure has been implemented in order to improve the efficiency of the services and the time frames for the submission of applications, which had been experiencing difficulties in recent times. Prior to this measure, it was mandatory that the submission of residency and renewal applications took place in the SEF office of the location of the investment.

The Government has also announced that it has been studying and implementing new measures to improve the overall efficiency of the programme.  One of these measures is the set up of an electronic payment system, which will facilitate and expedite dramatically the system for payment of the administrative fees and consequently reduce the time for the issuing of the residency cards.

We at EDGE were selected to be part of the trial period and we are proud to be have been able to contribute to this new system that has now been formally been made available to anyone in the Golden Visa programme.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions on the above.

Portugal is 3rd safest country in the world

The Global Peace Index published by the Institute for Economics and Peace, which evaluates and ranks countries in terms of security and peace, has placed Portugal in the 3rd place on the World's Safest and most Peaceful Countries. The complete index report shows that Portugal as climbed two places from last year and is now in the top 3 of the safest countries in the world together with Iceland and New Zealand.

According to the report "Europe remains the most peaceful region in the world, with eight of the ten most peaceful countries coming from this region", which also means that Portugal has become the 2nd most peaceful country in Europe, leading from countries such as Austria, Denmark, Germany and Spain.

Also, the report confirms the impressive improvement in Portugal's ranking in just the last five years:"Portugal moved to third position, its highest ranking since the inception of the index, a notable improvement given that it was ranked 16th less than five years ago. Portugal has improved on 12 of the 23 GPI indicators, most notably on weapons imports and violent demonstrations."

This report only comes to reinforce that Portugal has become one of the most attractive countries in the world for foreign investors and their families.

Golden Visa - Statistics April 2017

The Portuguese Immigration Services (SEF) have released the statistics of the Golden Visa programme up to the end of April 2017.  These latest numbers show that the total investment brought by the programme has now passed 3 bn Euro.

 According to these statistics, there were a total of 5,003 investors and 8,130 family members approved up to the end of April 2017, with the vast majority of investors still selecting property as their qualifying investment.

It is important to note that just in 2017 alone there were already over 801 investors approved, which is a clear indication of the strength of the programme and its continuing success among international investors looking for residency and citizenship solutions.

Portuguese Government announces new Golden Visa investment options

The Portuguese Government has announced a new bill to promote investment in local companies, which will include including three changes to the Golden Visa programme.

In accordance with the announcement of 18th May, the Government is aware that currently 99% of Golden Visa applicants has selected property as qualifying investment and consequently the new measures that will be put in place are aimed at diversifying the investment types, with a special emphasis on investment in Portuguese companies and national entrepreneurship.

The need to capitalize and promote in Portuguese small and medium-sized companies, which are the great engine of our economy, may not imply large financial investments but can be decisive not only for the economic recovery of such companies, but also for the establishment and incorporation of new companies, stressed the Minister of Internal Affairs, Ms Constanca Urbano de Sousa.

According to the new measures, it will be possible to obtain a residency permit for applicants who make business investments of at least 200,000 Euro in companies facing a difficult economic situation with a recovery plan in place.

It will also be possible to apply with an investment of 350,000 Euro in the incorporation of new companies or in the strengthening of the share capital of Portuguese companies provided that five permanent jobs are created or maintained.

The third change announced by the Portuguese Government is the reduction from 500,000 Euro to 350,000 Euro of the investment in funds aimed at capitalization of Portuguese companies.

The specific details of these changes will now be published in the Official Gazette and are expected to come into force soon. Our team at EDGE International Lawyers will advise and inform once these changes are officially published.

Sources:  

http://www.portugal.gov.pt/pt/o-governo/cm/comunicados/20170518-com-cm-capitalizar.aspx 

http://www.jornaldenegocios.pt/empresas/detalhe/governo-altera-vistos-gold-para-atrair-investimento-para-pme?ref=Not%C3%ADcias%20no%20Minuto_outros

http://www.jornaldenegocios.pt/economia/detalhe/governo-alarga-vistos-gold-a-investimento-em-empresas-em-dificuldades?ref=Not%C3%ADcias%20no%20Minuto_Destaque

Golden Visa Portugal - Statistics End of year 2016

The Portuguese Immigration Services (SEF) have released the statistics of the Golden Visa programme up to the end of 2016.  These latest numbers show that the total investment brought by the programme was over 2.5 bn Euro, which is a very relevant amount for Portugal.

According to these statistics, there were a total of 4,202 investors and 6,637 family members approved up to the end of 2016, with the vast majority of investors choosing property as their qualifying investment.

These numbers also show and confirm the significant improvement of the programme in comparison with the difficult year of 2015 as the number of approved investors has doubled from the previous year.

The Golden Visa programme is still the most attractive in Europe and clearly one of the best investor residency programmes in the world.