Portugal: Golden Visa Investment Rises by 42%

The amount of money invested in Portugal through golden visas in 2022 was €654.2 million, a 41.9 percent rise from the prior year.

A total of 1,281 Residence Permits for Investment (ARI), often known as golden visas, have been issued by the relevant authorities, according to statistics from the Portuguese Immigration and Border Service (SEF).

Information provided by SEF show that most of these visas were issued in June and December, with 155 and 151, respectively, while less were issued in March (73), August (77), and July (80).

While 18,808 residence permits have been given to reunited family members since the program's inception, only 1,533 residence permits for family reunification were awarded in 2022, with 192 of those being recorded in December alone.

According to annual rates, 11,535 residence permits have been issued since the program's beginning; 2014, the third year the program has been in operation in Portugal, set the record for the most permits issued with 1,526. Two visas were granted in 2012, the year the Golden Visa Program was introduced. The following year, it surged to 494 and then, for the third year in a row, reached a record high of 1,526.

Rising numbers of golden visas were issued in the following years: 766 in 2015, 1,414 in 2016, 1,351 in 2017, 1,409 in 2018, 1,245 in 2019, 1,182 in 2020, 865 in 2021, and 1,281 in 2022.

Additionally, a total of 10,593 visas have been issued, resulting in an investment of €6,041 million, of which €534.1 million was used to purchase real estate for urban rehabilitation (1,485 ARI).

920 capital transfers totaling €712 million have been approved so far in accordance with the capital transfer criterion. The criterion for creating jobs reaches the attribution of 22 golden visas.

China was the top country of origin for recipients of golden visas (5,247), followed by Brazil (1,168), Turkey (546), the United States (537), and South Africa (507). 

The program's success for Portugal has been apparent in earlier months as well; according to SEF, the number of golden visas awarded in November increased by 40%, totaling €65.5 million.

Americans were the nationality that benefited the most from Portugal's Golden Visa program in November, receiving 18 of the visas, followed by British (14), Chinese (13), Brazilians (10), and South Africans (10).

By fLEXI tEAM