Portugal Golden Visa 2026: cost, routes & residency
Still open — but the real-estate route closed in 2023. It's funds and business now.
Portugal's Golden Visa remains one of Europe's most popular residency-by-investment programmes, but the real-estate route was removed in October 2023. The main options now are qualifying investment funds (from €500,000), cultural or scientific contributions (from €250,000), and business or job creation. It needs only about seven days a year of stay and leads to citizenship after five years.
How the Portugal Golden Visa works
Since the October 2023 reform, Portugal's Golden Visa no longer accepts real estate. The live routes are a qualifying investment fund (from €500,000), a cultural or scientific contribution (from €250,000), or business creation with local jobs. Amounts and eligible funds change — verify current terms.
Stay requirement and what it leads to
The stay requirement is famously light — roughly seven days a year on average — which is why it suits people who don't want to relocate full-time. After five years you can apply for permanent residence or citizenship (with a basic A2 Portuguese test), making it the fastest low-presence route to an EU passport.
At a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Minimum investment | From €250,000 (donation) / €500,000 (funds) |
| Main route | Funds / donation / business |
| Minimum stay | ~7 days a year |
| Leads to | Citizenship after 5 years |
| Where | EU / Schengen |
Where it fits in a borderless plan
Its combination of a tiny stay requirement and a five-year path to an EU passport is why Portugal is the benchmark European golden visa. A golden visa is a residency, not a passport. Pair it with a deliberate plan for where you are actually tax-resident and a self-custody plan for your Bitcoin. Compare every programme in our golden-visa guide, or go for a passport via investment or ancestry.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the Portugal Golden Visa cost?
The minimum investment is From €250,000 (donation) / €500,000 (funds). Funds / donation / business is the main route. Programmes change often, so confirm current thresholds before applying.
Does the Portugal Golden Visa lead to citizenship?
It leads to citizenship after 5 years. A golden visa grants residency; a passport is a separate, longer process — see our golden-visa guide and the dual-citizenship guide.
What's the minimum stay for the Portugal Golden Visa?
~7 days a year. Low-presence requirements are part of the appeal of most golden visas, but rules vary and change — verify the current position.
Official sources
Rules change — always confirm the current position with the primary authority:
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