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.