Golden Visa Portugal best in the world

Once again, Portugal is recognised for offering the best Residence by Investment programme in the world. Portugal’s Golden Visa has won first place in the annual indices published by Henley and Partners, which rank the most attractive Migration Programmes on the planet.

The factors that are analysed in the index are as follows:

• Reputation
• Quality of life
• Visa-or Visa-on-Arrival Access
• Processing time and quality
• Compliance
• Investment requirements
• Tax
• Total costs
• Time for Citizenship
• Citizenship requirements

This year’s edition was expanded to include the analysis and comparison of 40 programmes, the highest number to date. The other countries that made the ranking are: Greece, Jersey, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Canada, Cyprus, Ireland, Dubai (UAE), Latvia, USA, Monaco, Hong Kong, South Korea, Thailand, Panama, Mauritius , Bulgaria and Malaysia.

The second place ranking of the “most important Investment Residency Programmes in the world” is shared by Austria and Italy. The Swiss Residency Programme comes third in this ranking.

Malta took first place in the Citizenship by Investment category, competing against countries such as Northern Macedonia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Dominica, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, Vanuatu and Cambodia.

What is the difference between Citizenship by Investment and Residence by Investment?

There is a fairly common confusion between these two models of Golden Visa. First of all, it should be clarified that the Golden Visa is actually a specific program developed by some countries that grants investors the right to reside and/or obtain citizenship in exchange for a qualified investment. There are over 100 countries around the world that have Golden Visa legislation in place.

However, some of them grant citizenship immediately (as is the case of Malta’s Golden Visa), and these programmes are called Citizenship by Investment Programmes. Others grant immediate residence, although without the obligation to become a resident, but with the possibility of obtaining citizenship after a certain period of time (as is the case of Portugal’s Golden Visa), and these are called Investment Residency Programmes.

Find out what types of investments are covered by the Golden Visa Portugal

What are the main benefits of the GV Portugal?

Golden Visa Portugal gathers a series of features that makes it the most attractive in the world, starting with the wide range of investment options included in the programme, being EUR 250.000 the minimum investment amount. The advantages of the Golden Visa Portugal are many:

• different types of investments covered by the programme;
• very competitive minimum investment values;
• possibility of benefiting the whole family with a single investment;
• minimum stay requirement of approximately 7 days per year in the country;
• possibility of working in the country;
• possibility of acquiring citizenship after 5 years of investment;

Will the Golden Visa Programmes end?

Passport and golden visa programmes around the world are currently under scrutiny. They have been in the international spotlight for some time, with growing calls to ban such programmes altogether. Pressure has increased as some countries (such as Malta and Portugal) have announced the suspension of granting golden visas to Russian citizens.

The European Union is preparing to issue stricter controls in all its member states and is already looking into the possibility of phasing out gold passport schemes worldwide. The feasibility of imposing common rules for all schemes and much stricter checks on their applicants and family members (including in EU and non-EU justice and home affairs systems) is also being examined.

Between 2011 and 2019, more than 130,000 people have obtained residency or citizenship in EU countries through Golden Visa programmes. The total investment is estimated at €21.4 billion, according to the European Parliament.

In other words, it is still possible to apply for your Golden Visa!

To investors interested in obtaining the Golden Visa Portugal the recommendation is to make your investment as soon as possible. If you are interested in knowing more, you can schedule a meeting with one of our consultants through our contact form available here, or consult our page about the Gold Visa.