Portugal Golden Visa renewal: how to replace an expiring card?

The Portugal Golden visa program requires investors to renew their cards every two years. After five years of holding a Portugal residence permit, one can apply for permanent residence or citizenship.

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Obtaining a Portugal Golden Visa

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+2 years

The first renewal of a residence permit

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+2 years

The second renewal of a residence permit

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Applying for PR or citizenship in Portugal after 5 years of residency

1

Obtaining a Portugal Golden Visa

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+2 years

The first renewal of a residence permit

3

+2 years

The second renewal of a residence permit

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Applying for PR or citizenship in Portugal after 5 years of residency

To renew a resident card in Portugal, applicants must prove that they still hold the investment. Also, visiting Portugal is obligatory: investors and their family members spend 14 days there every two years while they maintain residency.

The application for renewal must be submitted at least 30 days before the Portugal residence permit expiry date. If one has missed the date, their residence permit may be renounced unless they prove they have had a legitimate reason for the delay.

Discover the benefits of the Portugal Golden Visa and a unique way to EU citizenship

Investors pay government fees to renew their residence permits. Also, they need professional assistance and health insurance to apply.

Government fees for a Portugal residence permit renewal:

• €605 — analysis of the application;

• €6,045 — renewal of a residence permit.

Additional costs include professional assistance. Also, all applicants must provide valid health insurance; it costs about €400 per person for a year. The price depends on the age and health condition.

If you get your Portugal residence permit with Immigrant Invest, our assistance with renewals is already included in the cost of our services. We’ll remind you of the card renewal in advance, help collect all necessary documents, and apply for and get a new residence permit.

The essential list of documents for a Portugal Golden Visa renewal includes the following:

• a passport;

• an expiring Portugal residence permit card;

• health insurance;

• documents proving that an applicant has sufficient funds for living and rented or owned housing in Portugal;

• a certificate of no criminal record from the country of residence if an applicant lives outside Portugal;

• permission to SEF to check for criminal background in Portugal for each applicant over 16;

• documents proving that the applicant has no tax or social insurance debts, if necessary;

• a completed application form;

• a receipt on payment for the analysis of the application.

Also, the SEF can ask for confirmation of spending the required 14 days in Portugal. In this case, an applicant submits documents proving their stay: boarding passes, receipts from hotels and shops in the country, or others.

According to the chosen investment option, the applicant submits some additional documents. For example, to prove to own a property of €500,000+ in Portugal, one should provide an acquisition deal of the real estate and the Land Register Certificate. In some cases, a pre-contract agreement may also be suitable for the first Portugal residence permit renewal.

Immigrant Invest lawyers will provide you with a complete list of documents according to your particular situation.

Ojasvat, 36 years old

One of the Indian IT company founders

How to open a company in Portugal and get a Golden Visa

Ojasvat is a co-founder of an Indian IT company. The business has grown, so the partners decided to open a branch in the EU and decided that he would move to Portugal to manage the new office.

Immigrant Invest Helped Ojasvat to get a Golden Visa for opening a company and creating ten job positions. To renew the permit, he will provide ten work contracts, a confirmation that he’s still a co-founder of the company, and documents proving no tax or social insurance debts.

Learn a case

An investor can enjoy several benefits after obtaining a residence permit in Portugal.

Living in Portugal. Investors can stay in Portugal for the time of their residence permits validity. The warm climate, picturesque landscapes, world-famous beaches and golf courses can make life there pretty enjoyable.

However, investors mustn’t move to Portugal to maintain their status. So, they can come for vacations or create a “back pocket residence” there.

Pros and cons of living in Portugal

Visiting the Schengen Area visa-free is possible if you stay for 90 days out of 180. Time spent in Portugal doesn’t count.

Tax optimisation for a person is possible if they get a status of Non-habitual Resident (NHR). It allows one to pay a fixed tax of 20% on income earned in Portugal and 10% on pensions from other countries. Also, investors can get a tax exemption on some foreign incomes.

Getting citizenship in an EU country. To apply for a passport, investors must maintain their residence permits for five years, learn Portuguese at the A2 level, and provide documents proving their eligibility.

Portugal citizenship allows one to live in the country or move to another EU state, get an education and medical treatment in the EU on preferential conditions, and travel visa-free to 180+ countries.

Dual citizenship is allowed in Portugal; one won’t need to renounce other countries’ citizenship if they also enable their citizens to have two or more passports. And if dual citizenship is prohibited in your home state, you may apply for permanent residency in Portugal after the same five years.