In the first half of this year, 861 Residence Permits for Investment (ARI) were granted in Portugal, with 475 issued in the second quarter. The investment attracted through the Golden Visa program increased by 27.5% in the first half of the year compared to the previous year, reaching 403 million euros. In the first six months of 2022, the investment amounted to 316 million euros.
In terms of ARI, 861 permits were granted in the first half of this year, with 475 issued in the second quarter (116 in April, 180 in May, and 179 in June). As for visas for grouped family members, a total of 1,191 were granted during the same period (including 167 in April, 208 in May, and 192 in June). In January, 153 visas were granted, 209 in February, and 262 in March for grouped family members.
The total investment through the Golden Visa program has exceeded 7 billion euros, reaching a cumulative total of 7,157,485,864.42 euros as of last month since the program’s launch in October 2012. During this period, 12,396 ARIs were granted, with 5,366 going to China, 1,229 to Brazil, 713 to the United States, 592 to Turkey, and 550 to South Africa.
Since the program’s inception, 11,181 golden visas have been granted through the acquisition of real estate, totaling over 6.337 billion euros. Out of this amount, 636.5 million euros were related to purchases for urban rehabilitation, accounting for 1,783 golden visas granted.
Regarding capital transfer, the accumulated amount reaches 819.6 million euros, with a total of 1,193 ARIs granted. Over the course of more than 10 years, only 22 golden visas have been granted through job creation. In total, 20,000 golden visas have been granted for family reunification.
On July 6th, the government’s proposal to end new residence permits for investment in housing was approved. The repeal of the golden visa program was part of the More Housing program, and with the new law in effect, no new applications for ARIs will be accepted. However, the possibility of renewing previously granted authorizations will not be affected.
Applications for granting or renewing residence permits for investment activities will remain valid, including those pending prior control procedures at the Municipalities on the date the law comes into force. The limitation on the granting or renewal of residence permits for family reunification is also excluded from this measure.
