Alternative Passports – Portugal

Canadian ImmigrationPermanent Residence

Temporary Residence

Alternative Passports

Portugal Golden Visa Program.

This program offers many benefits to investors, such as:

Government processing in 30 days (from date of file submission to Government);
Applicant and his/her family have the right to reside, work, and attend school in Portugal;
Visa-free travel to the 26 Schengen countries in Europe;
Minimal residency requirement (1 week per year);
No net worth requirement, no minimum education level, no source of funds requirement, no language and no management experience requirement;
No interview;
Dependents are children under 18, or older children who are students and financially dependent on the applicant;
All foreign nationals may apply (no restriction on nationalities); and
Applicants may apply for citizenship after 6 years of residency.

To qualify for the program, investors must meet the following criteria:

possess a valid passport and reside legally in a country;
be 25 years of age or older (no maximum age)
not be a citizen of the European Union;
purchase 500,000 Euros of property in Portugal, OR make a 1,000,000 Euro deposit in a Portuguese bank (for minimum 5 years); and
pass a due diligence check.

Republic of Portugal

Member of the European Union and Schengen Area
Located between Spain and the Atlantic Ocean
Mediterranean climate; one of the warmest countries in Europe
High quality of life, with modern business and medical facilities, shopping, universities, natural beauty, sports, and cultural events
Population of 10.5 million; 20% live in the capital city of Lisbon
Official language is Portuguese, but 80% of the population also speaks English

Application Process Residency

• Application, supporting documents, and fees are submitted to Confederation for processing

• Applicant visits Portugal to arrange property purchase or bank investment

• Confederation facilitates the visit, and ensures applicant fulfills all Program requirements

• Application is submitted to the Government

• Upon preliminary Government approval, the property purchase transaction is completed

• Applicant and his/her family obtain residency

• Government processing takes approximately 30 days

Travel as Resident

If you have a valid residence permit, it is equivalent to a visa. You may need a national visa to visit non-Schengen countries. Border officials in EU countries may ask for other supporting documents such as an invitation letter, proof of lodging, return or round-trip ticket.Apr 12, 2017. But even without citizenship you can travel visa free to countries of the Schengen area:

Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland.

Application Process Citizenship

• Residency is renewed at year 1, year 3, and year 5

• Family maintains residency for 6 years (visits Portugal for 7 days each year and maintains investment)

• Family passes basic Portuguese language test

• Application for naturalization/citizenship is submitted to the Portuguese Government

• Real estate may be sold, and bank investment redeemed, after citizenship is obtained

• After receiving citizenship, the family applies for passports

• Portuguese passports allow the family to travel, live and work throughout the European Union