The Portuguese investment visa initiative is one of the most popular choices in Europe as investors are attracted by it’s flexibility and simplicity. In Portugal, an investment of €500,000 in real estate in Portugal can provide a residency permit for a family, including dependent children. The visa can be renewed every two years providing the applicant spends two weeks in the country every two years, which is a very straightforward and easy requirement. Citizenship in Portugal can be granted without the applicant spending any time living in the country however, once the investor has gained residency through the golden visa program they will need to show ties to the country and pass a basic language test. A fundamental attraction of Portugal’s visa investment program is the being a resident of Portugal entitles the investor and it’s family to travel throughout the Schengen zone.

Investment into obtaining a Portuguese visa must be allocated in what the government identifies as “Low Density Areas”. Low Density Areas are the NUTS 3 regions that have less than 100 inhabitants per square kilometre or a per capita GDP of less than 75% of the national average. In practice, the whole of Portugal qualifies for this with the exception of the coastal areas south of the capital of Lisbon and north of Cávado. Even with this exclusion zone, Portugal offers a wealth of highly desirable opportunities for investment which is why it is one of Europe’s leading areas for investment visa applications.