What is the Residence Permit for Investment Activity

The Residence Permit for Investment Activity (ARI) scheme, commonly known as the Golden Visa, has been in effect since October 8, 2012. It allows nationals of Third States to obtain a temporary residence permit for investment activity without needing a residence visa to enter national territory.

Benefits for ARI Beneficiaries

  • Enter Portugal without a residence visa;
  • Reside and work in Portugal, with a minimum stay of 7 days in the first year and at least 14 days in subsequent years;
  • Travel within the Schengen Area without a visa;
  • Benefit from family reunification;
  • Apply for a Permanent Residence Permit under the Foreigners Law (Law No. 23/2007, of July 4, as amended); and
  • Possibility to apply for Portuguese nationality by naturalization, fulfilling the other requirements of the Nationality Law (Law No. 37/81, of October 3, as amended).

How to Apply

All nationals of Third States who engage in investment activity, personally or through a company established in Portugal or another EU state with a stable establishment in Portugal, meeting one of the quantitative requirements and the temporal requirement provided by applicable legislation, can apply through investment in one of the following options:

  • Creation of at least 10 jobs;
  • Transfer of capital amounting to 500,000 euros or more, applied in research activities conducted by public or private scientific research institutions integrated into the national scientific and technological system;
  • Transfer of capital amounting to 250,000 euros or more, applied in investment or support for artistic production, recovery, or maintenance of national cultural heritage through direct central and peripheral administration services, public institutes, entities within the public business sector, public foundations, private foundations with public utility status, intermunicipal entities, local business sector entities, municipal associative entities, and public cultural associations pursuing tasks in the area of artistic production, recovery, or maintenance of national cultural heritage;
  • Transfer of capital amounting to 500,000 euros or more, intended for acquiring units in investment funds or venture capital funds geared towards the capitalization of companies, constituted under Portuguese law, with a maturity of at least five years at the time of investment, and at least 60% of the investment value realized in commercial companies based in national territory;
  • Transfer of capital amounting to 500,000 euros or more, intended for establishing a commercial company headquartered in national territory, combined with the creation of five permanent jobs, or for increasing the share capital of an already established commercial company headquartered in national territory, with the creation or maintenance of at least five permanent jobs for a minimum period of three years.

Where to Apply for the Visa

  • Mandatory pre-registration on the ARI Portal;
  • For more information, contact SEF Contact Center: +351 217 115 000 / +351 965 903 700.

HMBO Services

HMBO offers a diverse portfolio of Companies and Businesses for sale and capital raising, fitting the investment types necessary to obtain the residence visa for entering national territory.

For more information, contact us!

Melany Ribeiro
Business Developer HMBO

This article is based on information available on the SEF (Foreigners and Borders Service) website.