In a recent report released by Henley Partner, Portugal’s Golden Visa was name as the top Residency by Investment Program. Let’s take a Close look on this.
Portugal Golden Visa: Easiest and Quickest Way to Get EU Citizenship
Portugal’s Golden Visa program has consistently ranked as a top choice for investors. It got a full score of 10 for visa-free travel; 9 for quality of life; and 8 for tax regulations and reputations.
In 2023, the program underwent significant changes, notably shifting away from real estate investment options.
Investors can now look into venture capital and private equity funds, which have become the predominant choice due to their attractive potential for returns and the passive management style they offer. These funds focus on sectors such as technology, health, energy, tourism, and more, ensuring that investments contribute meaningfully to Portugal’s economic landscape.
But the biggest advantage of the Portugal Golden Visa is its relatively straightforward and easy path to citizenship. The fact that the applicants does not required to live in the country during the 5 years of legal residency is the top attractiveness of the program, and really, parallels can’t be found in similar programs. Plus, the updated citizenship law now counts the application period towards the five-year requirement, making the process faster compared to other programs.
Not needing to reside in Portugal during the 5 years of legal residency counting for the citizenship, means that applicants is not obliged to pay any global income as a non-tax resident. As even after they get their citizenship, if they continue to live out of Portugal, no tax is on any global income.