Lifestyle & Culture

PTGoldenVisa: How to invest in Portugal and get a residence permit in Europe for you and your family

The world has caught on: Portugal is a great place these days to retire, emigrate, vacation, study and – most of all – invest.

To make investing incredibly easy, the Portuguese government created the Golden Visa residence permit program.

The program is designed to appeal to non-European high-profile investors who – through a minimum investment in Portugal of 350,000 euros – can benefit from an EU residence permit card.

That residence permit card – allowing them to freely live, travel, study and work in the Schengen countries – has caught the attention of global citizens.

Portugal’s citizenship-by-investment program is one of the most popular and progressive in Europe, and PT Golden Visa is the leader in making the process fast and easy.

A STRAIGHT-FORWARD TRANSACTION

The Golden Visa program has very simple and clear legal rules, confirmed by its being awarded the best Residency Program Globally in 2015, 2016 and 2017 by the Global Residence Program Index.

If investors choose to apply for the program through real estate investment – either personally or through a company – they are required to make an investment that conforms to one of the most common and following conditions:

1) An investment of at least 500,000 euros in real estate

2) Or an investment of at least 350,000 euros in real estate with more than 30 years’ construction time.

There are alternative investments for investors who wish to apply to the program:

  • Transfer capital of at least 1 million euros (to a Portuguese bank account)
  • The creation of a company that holds at least 10 permanent jobs
  • Investing 350,000 euros in share capital of a company that maintains or creates 5 new permanent jobs for a minimum period of 3 years
  • Capital transfer of at least 500,000 euros for purchasing shares in venture capital investment funds for startups
  • Capital transfer of at least 350,000 euros for purchasing shares in a venture capital fund or investment fund geared to capitalize Portuguese companies

However, 97 percent of all applicants decide to invest through real estate investments.

An investor visa is granted only to foreign individuals (non-EU citizens) who fulfill one of the above requirements for a minimum of five years.

GOLDEN VISA PROGRAM: A FAST TRACK TO CITIZENSHIP!

The biggest advantage of the Golden Visa Residence program is that after six years, spending an average of just seven days per year in Portugal, the residence permit-holder can apply for Portuguese citizenship.

The Portuguese Golden Visa program is a fast track for investors to obtain a fully valid residence permit in Portugal and consequently free access to the vast majority of European countries (Schengen Area).

That residence permit would allow investors to:

  • Move freely in all Schengen countries
  • Apply for citizenship after 6 years
  • Enroll their children in public schools for free
  • Enjoy all benefits of Portugal’s social welfare by working, or through a contribution of 150 euros per month
  • Give birth to a child in a public health institution without any costs
  • Enjoy retirement pension with work or contribution

No relocation is required, just an average of 7 days’ residence in Portugal per year.

Even more attractive is the service offered by Lisbon-based PT Golden Visa, named Portugal’s best Golden Visa provider in 2017.

The Portuguese government’s overall success rate in getting applicants approved for the residency permit program is 97 percent, according to PT Golden Visa co-founder Tiago Câmara.

PT Golden Visa’s success rate? 100 percent!

“It’s a backup plan for life,” Câmara says, “For individuals in a comfortable financial situation looking to provide security for future generations, this is the right investment.”

A FAVORABLE TRENDLINE FOR REAL ESTATE

Real estate is the great asset that fuels the Golden Visa Program. Investors find in real estate an opportunity to combine an investment with a great return while getting a residence permit in Europe and a chance to travel visa-free to over 156 countries after reaching citizenship.

With the boom of short-term rentals in Portugal central cities, candidates for programs such as Golden Visa tend to invest in properties that are easy to rent to tourists.

A property in a historical area or central Lisbon city can generate an income from 8 percent to 12 percent per year through the daily rental basis.

David Machado, one of the co-founders of PT Golden Visa, points out that not only does Portugal offer safety, beauty, climate, tax benefits and political and economic stability – but also, coming out of the housing recession – supply has not caught up with demand. As a result, he says, real estate capital appreciation will keep going up over the next five years, “a great opportunity for investors.”

Portuguese tourism has increased by 12 percent a year, and Lisbon tourism has gone up more than 50 percent in two consecutive years. The properties near city centre or close to tourist sites will – almost – guarantee a good rental yield and a great return on investment.

Which are the right properties? The best locations? The best way to manage these investments?

It may seem straightforward if you simply invest 350,000 euros and apply for the program. But how can foreign investors possibly know enough to make the right investment picks?

They can’t. But PT Golden Visa can.

That’s where the company rises above all other providers, because it does more than simply cut through the red tape to process the application.

PT Golden Visa has what it calls “a completely organized and synchronized service that goes from Real Estate Advisory to Legal Services and Property Management.”

“We supply the best legal service providers and banking services to our clients. We have our own experienced team of real estate experts that helps clients choose the best investments, and we have a property-management company that manages more than 1,000 properties in Portugal. We are able to manage our client properties in the short-term rental market providing them great returns,” Câmara says.

“Renting to tourists produces high rental income.”

Among the company’s assistance offerings are:

  • liaising with the Portuguese authorities on the submission and renewal of their “Golden Resident Permits”
  • liaising with the best developers in Portugal
  • liaising with banks for all requested services
  • advising clients on Portugal’s corporate and individual tax structures

A HAVEN IN AN UNCERTAIN WORLD

The Golden Visa is attractive and available to any and all non-European foreign nationals, and ‘’it provides a clear solution for those who live in a permanently unstable part of the world, offering also a good opportunity to allocate some of their wealth in a country that is generating great returns on investment,” says the company’s marketing executive, Diogo Câmara.

“That is to say, a clear trade from negative scenarios to more relaxed lives. Portugal does not need to be their final destination. Relocation is not required. More than anything, it’s a solution for future generations.”

Furthermore, he says, as an example “… there are countries with a non-welcome policy to retired people – as well as to their children, who live in the region all their lives but aren’t welcomed back from college graduation if they don’t have jobs. These people do not want to go back to the countries where they were born.”

By comparison, he says, “Portugal offers a backup plan for their families because they can relocate to Europe when they retire, and their children will have passports that allow them to work and live in all European Union countries without restrictions. After reaching citizenship, they can benefit from the fact that they can travel practically around all the world without needing a visa.”

Nominated recently as the third safest country in the world, Portugal holds not only a unique opportunity for investment, but also superb living conditions, as it is a country that welcomes all nationalities and does not discriminate against religions.

Portugal has a great culture and a mild climate, with approximately 3,000 hours of sunshine per year and 850 kilometers of dazzling beaches in the Atlantic providing exquisite landscapes. Portugal is a perfect destination all year round, with hospitable and multilingual people able to communicate in at least two languages, which makes this a tourist paradise of the highest quality.

So where do you begin? Begin at the beginning, by contacting PT Golden Visa, a one-stop shop that will offer you a full service menu and a chance at freedom while making a safe investment with a great return.

There are several contact points:

The head office is located on Avenida Engenheiro Duarte Pacheco in Lisbon, but it’s probably best to go to the company’s website here. You’ll find a full description of the company and its program.

One can also telephone the company at +351 962284098 or email at [email protected].

+ posts
To Top

Subscribe to our newsletter

Receive the latest news and updates from Dispatches Europe. Get lifestyle & culture, startup & tech, jobs and travel news dispatched to your inbox each week. Keep up with what's going on in Europe. Everything Expat.

You have Successfully Subscribed!