Portugal is able to attract people from around the world thanks to the many advantages it offers. With the mild climate to the affordable lifestyle, Portugal achieves to be a favorite destination for many.
The Golden Visa Program in Portugal has contributed to this interest a lot. More than 10,100 investors have become Portuguese residents via this program since 2012.
Portugal Golden Visa Investment Fund is one of the options to get Portugal Golden Visa. As of December 2021, 136 investors have received their residency permits through an investment fund.
Let’s review Portugal Golden Visa Fund in more detail below to decide if it’s suitable for you.
Portugal Golden Visa in a Nutshell
Non-EU/EEA/Swiss citizens apply for this program to get EU residency. So, it’s basically a residency by investment program. Portugal Golden Visa offers many investment choices that you can choose from. The most popular of them has been real estate investment until now. With the launch of the program of investment fund Portugal, investors also started to lean toward the investment fund option.
Portugal Golden Visa Program has attracted more than €6 billion investment into the country.
Portugal Golden Visa Investment Fund in a Nutshell
Portugal Golden Visa Fund was first introduced in 2017. According to the related law, investors need to invest at least €500,000 in units of investment funds. They can also invest it for venture capital Portugal fund of funds. Although the minimum requirement was €350,000, it was raised to €500,000 from the beginning of 2022.
How To Be Eligible
To become eligible for Portugal Golden Visa Investment Fund, you need to:
- Be a non-EU, non-EEA, and non-Swiss citizen, and
- Have a clean criminal record.
There may be additional requirements such as proof of sufficient funds. It will depend on the fund or the fund management company.
What To Get From an Investment Fund
So, what are the benefits of investing in Golden Visa Portugal Investment Fund? Let’s discover the advantages together.
Fees and Taxes are Low
Compared to real estate investment, Portuguese Golden Visa Investment Fund requires low or no taxes on certain fees. For example, buying real estate in Portugal entails:
- Around 6% IMI transfer tax
- 8% stamp duty, and
- Around 0.4% annual municipal taxes.
However, the investment fund option doesn’t require any of these taxes.
Low Investment Requirement
The required investment amount for an investment fund is not high compared to other options like a capital transfer (€1,5 million).
It’s Safe and Secure
It’s a very safe option because your Portugal Golden Visa Fund is regulated by several authorities including:
- The Portuguese Securities Market Commission (CMVM)
- Bank of Portugal
- Portuguese tax authorities, and
- External fund management company.
In this way, authorities check if the fund follows the related legislations and tax laws.
Possible Tax Benefits
You can benefit from certain tax breaks depending on the fund’s tax structure as well as yourself. For example, non-tax residents can be exempt from withholding tax on the income generated by the fund.
Compared to this benefit, in Portugal, rental income from real estate is subject to 28% taxation.
Possible Yields
Portugal Golden Visa Investment Fund can create annual yields depending on your fund. In addition, the total capital appreciation can be a lot higher compared to other investment options.
No Need To Track Your Fund’s Status
The investment fund option brings you the ease of mind because the fund managers deal with the management issues. So, you don’t need to be on guard all the time.
Steps in Applying for Portugal Golden Visa Investment Fund
You can find the process and steps of the Portuguese Golden Visa Investment Fund application below:
- Choose a Portugal investment fund option
- Appoint a law firm
- Get your tax identity number (NIF) and open a bank account in Portugal
- Prepare, complete, and sign all the necessary fund subscription documents
- Wait for the fund manager to approve you
- Then, transfer the funds from your bank account to the fund account
- Attend the SEF Biometrics Appointment in person
- Finally, SEF issues your residence permit that is valid initially for two years.
Apply today and enjoy all these benefits within a short time!