Portugal Golden Visa Requirements — 2026 Complete Eligibility Checklist

The Portugal Golden Visa requirements changed substantially with the October 2023 Mais Habitação reform (Lei n.º 56/2023), which closed the real-estate routes. The current framework has five qualifying investment routes, source-of-funds scrutiny, minimum-stay rules and a minimum investment period of five years. It is set by Article 90.º-A and Article 3.º(1)(d) of Lei n.º 23/2007 and published by AIMA on the AIMA ARI page (Art. 90.º-A).

This page lays out the requirements: who is eligible, the five qualifying routes with their legal thresholds, the documents, source-of-funds standards, family inclusion and ongoing maintenance. Application mechanics are covered on our Golden Visa main page.

Who is eligible for the Portugal Golden Visa

• Third-country nationals. AIMA states that the ARI regime does not apply to Portuguese nationals or to nationals of the EU, EEA, Andorra or Switzerland.
• No disqualifying criminal record. AIMA asks for a criminal-record certificate from your country of origin, or from the country or countries where you have lived for more than a year. Under Art. 81.º(3) of Lei n.º 23/2007 a request is refused, among other grounds, where the applicant was convicted in Portugal to a prison sentence of more than one year.
• A traceable, legitimate source of the funds for the qualifying investment. Banks and AIMA can scrutinise it.
• Willingness to keep the investment activity for the minimum period set by law (five years).
• Minimum stay in Portugal. AIMA states at least 7 days in the first year and at least 14 days in the following years; the Decreto Regulamentar sets 14 days per subsequent two-year period (Decreto Regulamentar n.º 15-A/2015).
• Health coverage. AIMA asks for proof of SNS coverage or recognised health insurance for the period of residence.

The five qualifying investment routes (2026)

The routes are the investment activities listed in Article 3.º(1)(d) of Lei n.º 23/2007. The 20% reduction in low-density territories applies to some of them (Article 3.º(2)); AIMA lists the territories under Portaria n.º 208/2017. The investment may not be directed, directly or indirectly, at real estate.

• Cultural patronage — €250,000 minimum. Capital applied to artistic production or to the recovery or maintenance of national cultural heritage, through the public and non-profit entities listed in the law.
• Qualifying investment fund — €500,000 minimum. Units in non-real-estate collective investment undertakings set up under Portuguese law, with a maturity of at least five years and at least 60% of the investments in companies based in Portugal. The low-density reduction does not apply.
• Scientific research — €500,000 minimum. Capital applied to research by public or private institutions in the national scientific and technological system. AIMA gives €400,000 for low-density territories.
• Capitalisation of Portuguese companies — €500,000 minimum. Capital for setting up a company in Portugal and creating five permanent jobs, or for increasing the capital of an existing one while creating at least five permanent jobs or keeping at least ten (at least five permanent), for at least three years.
• Job creation — at least 10 jobs. No minimum capital is specified. AIMA gives 8 jobs for low-density territories.

There is no capital-transfer route and no real-estate route. The legal amounts refer to the investment made; ask your lawyer how the rule applies to your instrument before you redeem or sell anything.

Source-of-funds documentation (AML/KYC)

Source-of-funds documentation is a major practical hurdle. Banks and AIMA apply anti-money-laundering standards, and the trail must be clear and defensible. Documents commonly requested include:

• Bank statements showing the funds in your accounts before the investment. Ask the receiving bank and AIMA how far back they need them.
• Source-of-wealth narrative: a documented explanation of how the funds were generated (business sale, employment income, inheritance, investment returns).
• Tax returns from your country of origin that support the income trail.
• Business-sale documents where applicable: share purchase agreements, completion accounts, capital-gains tax filing.
• Inheritance documents where applicable: probate and estate distribution.
• Politically exposed person (PEP) and adverse-media checks by the bank and other institutions.

Files with thin source-of-funds documentation create delay and risk. Resolve AML questions before you invest, not after.

Personal documentation requirements

AIMA publishes the document list for each route on its AIMA ARI page (Art. 90.º-A). In general it includes:

• Valid passport or other travel document
• Proof of legal entry and stay in Portugal
• Criminal-record certificate from your country of origin or the country or countries where you have lived for more than a year, issued within the period AIMA specifies and translated into Portuguese
• Tax identification number (NIF) or equivalent
• Proof of health coverage (SNS or recognised health insurance)
• Honour declaration that you will meet the quantitative and time requirements of the investment
• Proof of regular tax and social security position (AT and Segurança Social certificates)
• Bank declaration confirming the effective capital transfer
• Route-specific documents: fund-unit certificate and management-company declaration, cultural or research entity declaration, company registry certificate and employment contracts
• Receipt for the application fee

Family inclusion rules

Family reunification can be requested together with the investor's application, but it depends on the investor's application being approved. Golden Visa (ARI) holders are exempt from the two-year wait that Lei n.º 61/2025 introduced for most family reunification requests. AIMA lists the following family members (AIMA ARI page (Art. 90.º-A)):

• Spouse.
• Children up to 17 years old or incapable and dependent on the couple or on one spouse, including adopted children where Portugal recognises the adoption.
• Unmarried children aged 18 to 25 who are dependent and studying.
• Dependent ascendants in the direct line, first degree, of the applicant or spouse.
• Siblings up to 17 under the applicant's guardianship under a decision recognised by Portugal.

Each family member pays their own AIMA fees and may have additional legal fees. See our Golden Visa cost page.

Ongoing maintenance requirements

The Golden Visa requires continuing compliance over the minimum investment period. Failure can put renewals and the path to permanent residence or citizenship at risk.

• Investment: keep the investment activity for the minimum period set by law (five years) and be ready to prove it at each renewal.
• Minimum stay: at least 7 days in Portugal in the first year, and at least 14 days in the following years (AIMA). Keep travel records.
• Renewals: AIMA states that the permit is valid for two years from issue. Renew on time and with the documents AIMA asks for, and pay the renewal fees. Since 16 February 2026 ARI renewals and fee payments go only through AIMA’s Portal de Renovações (AIMA notice).
• Permanent residence: holders and family members who meet Article 80.º of Lei n.º 23/2007 can ask for it.
• Citizenship: a separate application under the Nationality Law, which changed in May 2026 (Lei Orgânica n.º 1/2026; Ministry of Justice notice on the new Nationality Law). Check the current requirements, including the language and integration conditions.

What disqualifies a Golden Visa application

• Real-estate investment. Real estate was removed from the regime, and the law bars investment aimed directly or indirectly at it.
• Funds not meeting the legal conditions (maturity, 60% in Portuguese companies, non-real-estate), even if the fund is otherwise legitimate.
• Investment below the legal minimum for the chosen route.
• Disposing of the investment activity within the minimum period without legal advice.
• Insufficient or undocumented source of funds.
• A criminal record or security flag that the law treats as a ground for refusal, or an entry-ban alert in the system AIMA lists.
• Failure to meet the minimum-stay requirements. Keep records.