NHR 2.0-Compliant
Golden Visa
Start your Golden Visa journey with the best possible advice.
I'm Beatriz, the Legal AI Assistant
Start your Golden Visa journey with the best possible advice.
Portugal's Golden Visa program is Europe's (and the world's) most successful residency-by-investment for non-EU citizens.
Unlike other programs, it requires only 14 days of stay every two years, consecutive or nonconsecutive.
After only 5 years within the program, investors can apply for permanent residency. At that time, they can also withdraw their investment. After an additional 5 years, they can apply for Portuguese citizenship and obtain an EU passport.
Our team provides full bureaucratic and legal assistance with the process, and we shall be happy to guide you through this new chapter!
The FRESH Legal Group investment program is offering access to IFICI/NHR 2.0 tax benefits for those who decide to move to Portugal.
Historically, many Golden Visa applicants never intended to actually move to Portugal. However, with the growing political uncertainty in the world and the rise of the popularity of Portugal as a great place to live, more and more people want to keep the door open to actually moving to Portugal.
For those, access to tax benefits whilst living in Portugal is extremely important, but in contrast to the previous NHR program that offered immediate tax benefit to anyone moving to Portugal, the new NHR 2.0 includes a qualification criteria that needs to be met.
We therefore designed the first Golden Visa program in the market that includes meeting the qualification criteria for NHR 2.0, also known as TISRI or IFICI.
For those who consider moving to Portugal at some point, we developed at FRESH Legal Group, in collaboration with select funds, a unique GV investment program that gives GV applicants a great deal of flexibility in choosing their investment vehicles, but also facilitate the new system of tax benefits, called IFICI (TISRI in English, or NHR 2.0 as popularly known).
Following the removal of the primary route to Golden Visa, the real estate route, many actors who were focusing on real estate moved to offer other Golden Visa options, often without relevant experience.
Others have been offering products that are dubious and not necessarily compliant with the rules.
At FRESH, we are committed to offering you well-screened investment options and work with relevant experts in each fields.
As lawyers (regulated in multiple jurisdictions), we take a cautious approach and only work with investment providers that are on solid grounds. We also designed our own product, LXL Ventures, in collaboration with partners.
However, we don't stop there. At FRESH, we are deeply integrated in the investment scene in Portugal. We brought in a compliance officer of several funds, a Venture Capitalist and made investments into both real estate and tech as a firm. We have a deep bench that analyses the investment propositions made by the different funds and identify and holes or weaknesses, helping you to choose the investment that is best suitable for you.
Incorporation of a company that creates at least 10 job positions
A transfer of capital for research activities carried out by public or private scientific institutions that are part of the national scientific and technological system must be €500,000 or greater
Capital transfers of €250,000 or more can be made to support the investment or artistic production, recovery, and maintenance of national cultural heritage through public institutes and central or peripheral direct administration services, entities in the public business sector, public foundations, private foundations with public utility status, inter-municipal entities, entities in the local business sector, municipal associative entities and public cultural associations, which develop projects related to artistic production or the recovery and maintenance of the national cultural heritage
Capital transfers in the amount equal to or greater than €500,000, intended for acquiring participation units in investment funds (non-real estate collective investment entities) or venture capital funds focused on the capitalization of companies, constituted under the Portuguese legislation, with maturity, at the time of the investment, of at least five years and at least 60% of the value of the investment is made in commercial companies based in national territory
Capital transfers in the amount equal or superior to €500,000, destined to the incorporation of a commercial company with headquarters in the national territory, combined with the creation of five permanent jobs, or to increase the share capital of a commercial company with headquarters in the national territory, already existing, with the creation of five permanent jobs or maintenance of 5 permanent jobs, for a minimum period of three years. Moreover, investments made in low-density areas entail a 20% reduction in the required investment value.
6-12 months
Submit application and documentation through AIMA portal
~6 months after pre-approval
Biometrics collection and document verification
6 months
Receive your Golden Visa residence card
Continue renewing every 2 years while maintaining investment and minimal presence requirements.
Obtain permanent resident status with more flexibility but requires more substantial presence in Portugal.
Become a Portuguese and EU citizen with full rights, including an EU passport (requires A2 Portuguese language proficiency).
Golden Visa holders who become tax residents can potentially benefit from the IFICI (NHR 2.0) tax regime, offering:
20%
Flat tax rate on Portuguese-sourced employment income
Exempt
Most foreign-sourced income
No Tax
Wealth tax or inheritance tax between spouses and direct descendants
10 Years
Available for 10 consecutive years
As of 2023, residential real estate investments no longer qualify for Golden Visa.
Processing times of GV applications are being dramatically improved these days. New Golden Visa applicants are now invited to biometrics a few months after submitting their applications. We continue to monitor the processing times and will update with any change, positive or negative.
The qualifying investment must be maintained for the entire duration of the Golden Visa status.
Portuguese language proficiency (A2 level) is required for citizenship application after 5 years (changing to 10).