Statistics of Portugal residence permit program: what applicants invested in 2022

The approved application dynamic varies by month. The highest number of applications was approved by Portugal in June — 155 investors became residents of the country. The lowest approval rate was in March when 73 investors received residence permit cards.

US citizens received the most Portuguese residence permit cards: 216 investors became residents of the country by the end of 2022. This is a new record for Americans. For comparison, in 2021, only 99 investors from the US became Portugal residents, and in 2020, Americans did not even get into the top 5 by year‑end.

Chinese investors are in second place in terms of the number of issued residence permits. They received 213 Portugal golden visas.

Brazilian investors round out the top 3 participants of the Portugal program — with 109 residence permit cards.

The country had the lowest investment earnings in March with 34,6 million euros, and the highest — in December, with 79,2 million euros.

Buying real estate in Portugal remains the most popular option among the residence permit program participants This option was chosen by 1,008 investors out of 1,281. Most of them — 532 investors — bought a property worth at least 500,000 euros, and 476 invested at least 350,000 euros in the renovation of real estate older than 30 years.

Buying investment fund units in Portugal is the second most popular option of the residence permit program. Bond purchase was preferred by 235 investors. This is three times more than last year.

31 participants of the residence permit program transferred their capital to a local bank, and another 30 invested in the cultural heritage of Portugal. Two investors opened a company in the country and created ten jobs, while another investor invested in the business and created five jobs.

EU residence permit for the whole family. The investment program provides the opportunity to get a residence permit for the entire family at once. The investor can add their spouse, children under 26, and parents over 65 to the application.

Pros and cons of living in Portugal

Portugal is a country with a developed economy, a high standard of living and a pleasant climate. Portugal is also one of the safest places in the world: it ranked sixth in the Global Peace Index 2022.

The right to travel to the Schengen countries without a visa. An investor with a Portugal residence permit can freely visit any of the 27 Schengen Area states and spend up to 90 days in the region for 180 days.

The opportunity to obtain Portugal citizenship after five years of holding a residence permit card. The passport provides even more travel opportunities: it allows visa‑free entry to 187 countries around the world, including the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia.

Tax optimization. A new resident of Portugal can get a 10‑year tax holiday and a special Non-Habitual Resident tax status.

The opportunity to conduct business in a European country, earn income from renting out real estate and keep capital in European banks.

Liquid assets and additional income when buying real estate in the country. The cost of Portuguese properties is growing by an average of 6% per year. By renting their real estate out, investors get income from 5 to 10% a year.

Examples of properties in Portugal

Portugal, Cascais

€645,000 — €675,000

Apartments in a 5-star resort complex managed by Sheraton

80 m² — 103 m²

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Portugal, Albufeira

€1,400,000 — €4,500,000

Apartments and villas in a luxury resort managed by Marriott International

194 m² — 386 m²

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Portugal, Lisbon

€860,000 — €2,500,000

Apartments in a hotel managed by Hyatt

88 m² — 251 m²

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Immigrant Invest is a licensed agent of government programs of the European Union countries. If you want to get a Portugal residence permit by investment, please consult the experts in investment programs.