Key Takeaways
- The Portugal Golden Visa offers residency in Portugal through a qualifying €500,000 investment in regulated funds, with visa-free travel across Schengen for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
- The program now focuses on regulated investment funds and no longer accepts personal properties as an eligible route, which increases the importance of careful fund selection.
- Golden Visa holders can apply for permanent residency after five years and, under the 2025 rules, may apply for citizenship after 10 years of residence, subject to language and other legal requirements.
- Portugal remains one of the only European countries offering a path to citizenship without relocation, with a minimum physical stay requirement of just 14 days every two years.
- VIDA Capital helps investors navigate the Golden Visa through the VIDA Fund and dedicated advisory support; to discuss your situation, contact VIDA Capital.
How the Portugal Golden Visa Works in 2026
The Portugal Golden Visa is a residency-by-investment program that grants a temporary residence permit in exchange for a qualifying investment, most commonly through regulated investment funds. When you obtain your Golden Visa, you receive a temporary residency permit valid for two years, which can be renewed for additional two-year periods.
The program grants residency rights only in Portugal. It allows visa-free travel across the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period but does not grant residency in other EU countries. Once you hold Portuguese citizenship, you can live, work, study, and access public healthcare and education in any EU country and across Schengen Area.
Family reunification is a core benefit. Eligible dependents typically include spouses or partners, economically dependent children, and dependent parents or in-laws. Document-wise, you can present either a marriage certificate or any other proof of relationship, for example in the case of a common-law partner. For including children in your application, the child needs to be a full-time student and not working; they also cannot be married at any time during the residency program, until the Golden Visa process is completed.
Portugal requires only 14 days of physical presence in the country during each two-year residency period, which makes the program attractive as a Plan B for globally mobile families.
After maintaining your investment and meeting residency rules over five years, you can apply for permanent residency. For citizenship, Portugal’s Parliament introduced longer timelines in October 2025, requiring applicants to reside in Portugal for 10 years before qualifying for citizenship. Nationals of Portuguese-language countries (CPLP) and EU citizens have a reduced requirement of seven years. The new law should apply to all Golden Visa applicants except those who have already submitted their citizenship application before the new law is published.
How Portugal Golden Visa Requirements Have Evolved
Portugal changed its Golden Visa rules in October 2023, which shifted the focus fully toward regulated funds. The program discontinued options based on personal properties and set the minimum subscription for qualifying funds at €500,000. These changes increased demand for well-structured, compliant funds that meet the new rules and offer clear reporting to investors.
Discuss whether the Portugal Golden Visa via funds fits your long-term residency plan.
Golden Visa Investment Fund Requirements
Golden Visa investment funds are typically venture capital or private equity vehicles that meet specific regulatory criteria. The fund must be regulated by the Portuguese Securities Market Authority (CMVM), have a minimum maturity of five years, and invest at least 60% of its capital in Portuguese companies.
The minimum investment of €500,000 represents a significant allocation, so fund structure and oversight matter. Qualifying funds follow strict auditing and reporting standards, which can support transparency around portfolio assets, fees, and performance. Capital remains at risk, and returns are not guaranteed, so understanding each fund’s strategy and risk profile is essential.
Why Hospitality-Focused Funds Appeal to Golden Visa Investors
Portugal’s safety, tourism growth, and event pipeline support interest in hospitality-focused funds. Portugal ranked among the safest countries in the world in 2025 and hosted around 31 million visitors in 2024, with tourism revenue in the tens of billions of euros. The country is also set to co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which is expected to reinforce long-term tourism demand.
Portugal’s hospitality market includes many independently owned hotels and guest properties. This fragmentation creates opportunities for specialist operators to acquire underperforming assets, improve management and operations, and seek higher margins over time. For Golden Visa investors, this can mean exposure to tangible assets in a sector closely tied to Portugal’s broader economic performance.
Explore how regulated hospitality funds can meet Golden Visa requirements.
Steps to Apply for the Portugal Golden Visa with Legal Support
The Golden Visa process spans several stages, and it is essential to have a dedicated Portuguese immigration lawyer guiding you at each step. The overall process usually spans 12 to 18 months from initial application to receiving your first residency card.
The typical sequence includes:
- Selecting a specialized law firm with Golden Visa experience and defining your family structure for the application.
- Obtaining a Portuguese tax identification number (NIF) and opening a Portuguese bank account, usually with remote support from your lawyer.
- Selecting a qualifying investment fund, completing due diligence, and subscribing with at least €500,000.
- Submitting the online Golden Visa application for you and eligible family members through your lawyer.
- Attending an in-person appointment for biometric data collection after the authorities approve your request.
After approval, you receive a residency card valid for two years. As the residency card issuance usually takes a year, you will most likely only need to do a single renewal instead of two in the 5-year period. Each renewal requires proof that you still hold the qualifying investment, that you meet the 14-day residency requirement, and that your criminal records and biometric data are up to date.
Costs include government application and issuance fees per family member, legal fees, and fund-related fees. Government fees typically total around €6,800 per family member for the initial application and card issuance, with renewal fees a little over €3,000 per person. Legal fees vary by firm, and the VIDA Fund applies a 1% subscription fee on the total invested amount.
How VIDA Capital Supports Your Golden Visa Fund Strategy
VIDA Capital is an advisory firm focused on Golden Visa-eligible funds. The team guides investors through fund selection and the residency process, coordinating closely with specialized immigration lawyers.
The VIDA Fund concentrates on Portugal’s hospitality sector through an asset-backed strategy. The fund buys and transforms existing hospitality assets, giving them a second life, rather than building new projects from the ground up. This approach provides exposure to physical hotel assets, which can help reduce certain risks compared with purely intangible investments.
The fund is regulated by CMVM and audited twice a year by Deloitte, which supports strong governance and oversight. Each fund has an expected lifecycle of about 6.5 years, with a target potential to double investors’ capital over that period. Historical returns are not a guarantee of future returns.
VIDA Capital provides investors with a dedicated point of contact, ongoing reporting, and coordination with legal partners, aiming to align the Golden Visa process with each client’s broader financial and family objectives.
How Portugal’s Golden Visa Compares to Other European Options
Portugal stands out in Europe as one of the only countries that offers a path to citizenship through investment funds without requiring you to relocate. The minimum stay requirement of 14 days every two years allows investors to maintain international careers and lifestyles while building a long-term position in Portugal.
Other European countries follow different models. Spain no longer offers a Golden Visa program and now relies on other, more traditional residence permits for investors and entrepreneurs, usually tied to active presence in the country. Greece offers an investment-based residence permit but requires at least seven years of living there, and paying taxes there, before an investor can pursue citizenship.
In this context, Portugal remains a competitive Plan B option for families seeking EU residency and a clear route to citizenship over the long term, with a modest physical presence requirement.
Speak with VIDA Capital about structuring your Golden Visa plan through investment funds.
Answers to Common Portugal Golden Visa Fund Questions
Minimum investment for the Portugal Golden Visa fund option
The minimum investment for Golden Visa-eligible funds is €500,000. The capital must go into qualifying venture capital or private equity funds regulated by CMVM, with at least a five-year maturity and at least 60% of investments in Portuguese companies.
Required holding period for the investment
You must maintain your qualifying investment for at least five years while holding Golden Visa residency. After obtaining permanent residency or citizenship, you can decide whether to keep or redeem your investment, subject to the fund’s own terms and exit windows.
Residency rights and Schengen travel
The Golden Visa grants residency rights only in Portugal. It also allows visa-free travel to other Schengen countries for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Once you obtain Portuguese citizenship, you gain the right to live, work, and study anywhere in the EU or Schengen Zone, and to access public healthcare and education systems there.
Regulation and audits for the VIDA Fund
The VIDA Fund is regulated by the Portuguese Securities Market Authority and audited twice a year by Deloitte. This framework supports compliance with Portuguese financial regulations and gives investors structured reporting on fund operations.
How VIDA Capital supports investors
VIDA Capital assists investors from the initial evaluation of the Portugal Golden Visa through to card issuance and renewals. The advisory team helps you assess whether the program fits your goals, connects you with experienced immigration lawyers, provides in-house immigration guidance, and maintains ongoing investor relations throughout the fund lifecycle.
Planning Your Plan B with the Portugal Golden Visa
The Portugal Golden Visa through compliant investment funds offers a clear framework for building residency in Portugal and a future path to citizenship, while keeping your current lifestyle largely unchanged. The combination of moderate physical stay requirements, access to a robust EU economy, and exposure to regulated funds makes the program a practical option for long-term planning.
VIDA Capital’s focus on asset-backed hospitality investments and coordinated advisory support helps investors navigate both the financial and immigration aspects of the Golden Visa. To explore whether this approach fits your family’s objectives and risk profile, contact VIDA Capital.
