Key Takeaways
- Portugal’s Golden Visa allows you to include your spouse or legally recognized partner, dependent children, and dependent parents or parents-in-law in a single application.
- The program offers residency in Portugal with visa-free Schengen travel for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, plus a clear route to permanent residency and, later, citizenship.
- Portugal remains one of the few European options that can lead to citizenship without relocating full-time, while Greece requires seven years of living there and Spain no longer offers a Golden Visa program.
- The Portugal Golden Visa process usually spans 12 to 18 months and involves a two-year temporary residence permit, two further two-year renewals, and then eligibility to apply for permanent residency, followed by citizenship after 10 years of residence under the new framework.
- VIDA Capital, an advisory firm, supports families investing in the VIDA Fund and navigating the Portugal Golden Visa; contact VIDA Capital to explore whether this path fits your family’s plans.
Why Family-Focused Global Mobility Matters
Economic and political uncertainty has made a structured “Plan B” a core part of long-term planning for many high-net-worth families. Families want options for secure residency, stable legal frameworks, and predictable rules that protect children and future generations.
Residency-by-investment programs support this planning by combining a clear legal status with access to stronger institutions. Portugal’s Golden Visa offers broad family inclusion, so a single investment can benefit several generations.
How To Evaluate Golden Visa Programs For Families
Families comparing residency-by-investment options can focus on a few practical criteria.
Who You Can Include As Dependents
Broader definitions of “dependent” make it easier to protect more relatives under one application. Programs that include adult children and dependent parents or in-laws provide stronger generational planning.
Education And Healthcare Access
Programs that grant full residency in a stable EU country often provide access to public and private education systems and national healthcare, which can significantly improve quality of life for children and older family members.
Pathway To Citizenship
A clear, realistic route from temporary residency to permanent residency and then citizenship creates long-term certainty. For families, the goal often extends beyond residency to a second passport for future generations.
Residency Requirements And Lifestyle Fit
Low minimum-stay rules allow families to maintain existing businesses and schooling while still progressing toward long-term residency goals. Programs that require full relocation can be less suitable for globally mobile families.
Investment Structure And Program Stability
Regulated, asset-backed funds and a long-standing legal framework help protect family capital over the holding period. Stability in the rules reduces the risk of disruptive program changes.
Portugal Golden Visa: Family Inclusion And Long-Term Path
The Portugal Golden Visa offers one of the most flexible family structures in Europe. Eligible dependents include a spouse or legally recognized partner, economically dependent children, and parents or parents-in-law who are either over 65 or financially dependent on the main applicant.
The main applicant and all dependents can apply together, so the whole family receives residency at the same time rather than in stages. This simplifies planning and reduces uncertainty.
Portugal requires only 14 days of presence in the country every two years for each family member. Family members can live, study, and work in Portugal and travel visa-free within the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
When your Golden Visa is approved, you receive a temporary residency permit valid for two years. You then renew it for two further two-year periods, maintaining your qualifying investment and meeting the 14-days-in-two-years stay requirement. At the five-year mark, you can apply for permanent residency. Under the updated framework that started in October 2025, applicants can apply for Portuguese citizenship after 10 years of legal residence; nationals of Portuguese-language countries (CPLP) and EU citizens qualify after seven years. The new law is expected to apply to all Golden Visa applicants except those who submitted their citizenship applications before the law is published.
As the approval card issuance usually takes about a year, you will most likely only need to complete one renewal instead of two during the five-year period.
Portugal Vs. Other European Programs For Families
This comparison highlights key family-related features of three major European options.
|
Criteria |
Portugal Golden Visa |
Greece Golden Visa |
Malta Golden Visa |
|
Eligible Dependents |
Spouse or partner, economically dependent children, dependent parents and parents-in-law (over 65 or financially dependent) |
Spouse or partner, dependent children under 21, dependent parents |
Spouse or partner, dependent children under 29, dependent parents, dependent grandparents |
|
Minimum Stay For Residency |
14 days every two years |
No stay required to keep residency |
No stay required to keep residency, closer ties often needed later |
|
Path To Citizenship |
10 years of legal residence, no need to relocate full-time |
7 years, with continuous residence and tax residence required |
Variable, with discretionary assessments and stronger links required |
|
Schengen Travel |
Visa-free travel within Schengen for up to 90 days in any 180-day period |
Visa-free travel within Schengen |
Visa-free travel within Schengen |
Global Mobility And EU Outlook
The Portugal Golden Visa grants residency rights in Portugal only, yet it also enables visa-free travel throughout the Schengen Area for short stays. Once you and your family obtain Portuguese passports, you gain full EU citizenship, including the right to live, work, study, and access public healthcare and education in any EU or Schengen Zone country.
Portugal is currently one of the only countries in Europe that offers a path to citizenship without requiring full relocation, which strengthens it as a long-term “Plan B.” Greece provides a route to citizenship only after seven years of living there and paying taxes. Spain has closed its Golden Visa program, so new applicants can no longer use that route.
Investment Structure And Capital Protection
The Portugal Golden Visa requires a minimum €500,000 investment through eligible funds such as the VIDA Fund. The VIDA Fund focuses on asset-backed opportunities in Portugal’s hospitality sector and buys and transforms existing hospitality assets, giving them a second life rather than building new projects from the ground up. This approach prioritizes capital preservation through tangible assets.
Other countries often rely on varied asset classes and structures, which can carry different risk levels and may not always be tied to underlying physical assets in the same way.
Secure your EU residency and a path to EU citizenship with a Portugal Golden Visa. VIDA Capital can help you understand whether an asset-backed fund route aligns with your risk profile.
How VIDA Capital Supports Your Family
VIDA Capital is an advisory firm that supports families through each stage of the Portugal Golden Visa process, from initial structuring to investment selection and coordination with your chosen immigration lawyer. Having a dedicated Portuguese lawyer is essential for handling applications, documentation, and dealings with the authorities.
The VIDA Fund is regulated by the Portuguese Securities Market Authority (CMVM) and audited twice a year by Deloitte. Historical performance has been strong, although historical returns are not a guarantee of future returns. The fund concentrates on buying and transforming underused hospitality assets in Portugal, giving them a second life within a tourism sector that generated €27 billion of revenue in 2024 and is projected to reach 22.6% of national GDP by 2035, based on analysis by the World Travel & Tourism Council.
Frequently Asked Questions About Portugal Golden Visa Family Benefits
What are the key requirements for including my family?
The program allows you to include your spouse or legally recognized partner, economically dependent children, and parents or parents-in-law who are over 65 or financially dependent. You must provide marriage certificates or other proof of relationship, birth certificates, evidence of financial dependence where relevant, and clean criminal record certificates for all adults. Working with an experienced Portuguese immigration lawyer is essential to prepare and validate these documents correctly.
What education and healthcare access does my family receive?
Once residence permits are granted, all included family members can live in Portugal and access public and private education and the national healthcare system under the same rules that apply to other legal residents. Children can enroll in Portuguese public or private schools, and adults gain access to healthcare and other services linked to residency.
What is the pathway from Golden Visa to citizenship?
You first obtain a two-year temporary residence permit, then renew for two more two-year periods while holding your qualifying investment and meeting the 14-days-in-two-years stay requirement. After five years of residence, you can apply for permanent residency. Under the updated rules, you can then apply for Portuguese citizenship after 10 years of legal residence, or seven years if you are from a Portuguese-language country (CPLP) or already an EU citizen. Citizenship gives your family full EU rights, including the ability to live, work, study, and access public healthcare and education across the EU and Schengen Zone.
Can I add family members after my initial application?
Family reunification rules allow dependents to join later, but including all eligible family members from the start usually reduces cost, complexity, and processing time. Coordinating this plan with your lawyer before submitting the first application helps you avoid unnecessary delays.
Discover how the Portugal Golden Visa and VIDA Capital can support your family’s long-term plan.
Conclusion: A Practical Plan B For Families
For families seeking stability, mobility, and a structured path to an EU passport, Portugal’s Golden Visa combines inclusive family rules, light physical presence requirements, and a defined route to permanent residency and citizenship. Portugal also ranks as one of the world’s safest countries in the Global Peace Index 2025, which strengthens its appeal for long-term planning.
Choosing an asset-backed fund such as the VIDA Fund, which gives hospitality assets a second life, can align the required €500,000 investment with capital preservation objectives. The Portugal Golden Visa process usually spans 12 to 18 months, and, because card issuance often takes about a year, many families will only complete one renewal during the five-year period.
Secure your EU residency and a path to EU citizenship with a Portugal Golden Visa. VIDA Capital can help you evaluate whether this route fits your family’s risk profile, time horizon, and legacy goals.
