PortugalOpen · property route closed since Oct 2023 · citizenship clock now 10 years
Portugal has the golden visa that Indian families ask about most. But the version you read about online is gone. You cannot buy a flat in Lisbon to get it. The passport no longer comes in five years. And the queue at AIMA (the immigration office) takes years. What is left is a €500,000 investment in a regulated fund. It gives you a residence permit, and you only need to be in Portugal about seven days a year. This page tells you how that version really works.
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Shop No. 2, Nabha Road · walk in, Mon–Sat
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If one of these is you, the fastest way forward is a call: +91 91155 80911.
The ways in
€500,000
Hold: For the life of the permit; most funds lock capital 6–10 years
Almost every Indian applicant now uses this route. The fund must be regulated by CMVM (Portugal’s market regulator). At least 60% of its money must be in Portuguese companies. It must not hold any property, directly or indirectly.
Fits: Salaried HNIs and business owners with liquid savings
€500,000 + 5 jobs
Hold: Jobs and capital maintained through renewals
You put money into a new or existing Portuguese company. It must create five permanent jobs. If the company already exists, it must create five and keep ten. The business must really trade. A paper company fails when the permit comes up for renewal.
Fits: Owners who genuinely intend to run something in Portugal
€500,000
Hold: Through renewals
Money given to public or private research bodies in Portugal’s national science system. Few Indian applicants use it. It can suit academics and pharma founders.
€250,000 (€200,000 in low-density areas)
Hold: Donation — not recoverable
This is the cheapest way in. But it is a gift to an approved cultural project, not an investment. You do not get the money back. The lower amount applies only in areas the state lists as low-density (few people living there).
Fits: Families who value the lower cash outlay over capital preservation
The facts, checked 2026-09-05
Where families lose money and years
If an agent still says “EU passport in five years” for Portugal, they are quoting a law that was replaced in May 2026. Plan for permanent residence at five years and a citizenship application at ten. Treat anything faster as unproven.
Golden-visa funds differ a lot in quality, in how soon you can take money out, and in how open they are about fees. We do not recommend funds — that is regulated financial advice. But we will tell you which questions a Portuguese-licensed adviser must answer before you sign.
Waits run 12 to 24 months. A dependent child who is 24 when you file can be 26 by the decision. Choosing which family member leads the application, and when, is a decision for a call.
Portugal checks where the money came from. Cash from a property sale, gifts within the family, and business dividends each need a clear paper trail from India. Fixing this after the fund has been bought is much harder than fixing it before.
The India side nobody explains
The Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) is the RBI rule that lets each resident Indian send US$250,000 abroad per financial year. €500,000 is about twice that. A husband and wife can each send their share in one financial year. One person usually needs two years, timed so the fund purchase is complete before the application is filed. All the money for the fund units must come from outside Portugal, into a Portuguese bank account that you open first. Getting these steps in the wrong order is where applications get stuck.
From 1 April 2026, if you send more than ₹10 lakh abroad under LRS in one financial year for investment, the bank collects 20% TCS (tax collected at source). On a €250,000 transfer, that is a lot of cash sitting with the Income Tax Department until you set it off against tax or claim it back. It is not a cost. But it is money you must have ready, and it changes whether one person or a couple should send the money.
You hold units in a regulated fund, not 10% or more of a foreign company. So this usually counts as a portfolio investment under LRS, not as overseas direct investment (ODI), which has its own rules. Your chartered accountant should confirm this for your case. Every year, your Indian tax return must list the foreign asset in Schedule FA. Foreign assets that are not declared carry separate penalties under the Black Money Act.
Seven days a year in Portugal does not make you a tax resident there. You stay a tax resident of India. India taxes what the fund pays you, and the India–Portugal tax treaty gives relief for any tax Portugal holds back. This changes only if you later decide to really live in Portugal. That is the choice the five-year permanent-residence step puts in front of you.
How it goes, with us
We look at your budget, who should apply, whether any child is close to the age limit, and whether you want your money back or are happy to donate. This decides fund route or arts route, and who the main applicant is.
First you need a NIF (Portuguese tax number) and a Portuguese bank account. A fiscal representative in Portugal usually arranges both. Nothing else can start before this.
Money leaves India under the right purpose code, reaches your Portuguese account, and buys the fund units. The fund gives you the declaration the application needs.
It is filed online with proof of the investment, police certificates from India and any other country you lived in, health insurance, and the family’s civil documents. All must be apostilled (officially stamped) and translated.
Each family member goes to an appointment in Portugal for fingerprints and photo. In 2026, waiting for this appointment is the longest part of the whole process.
After the first card, you renew as long as you keep the investment and meet the small stay rule. Year five opens permanent residence. The citizenship application comes at year ten.
What it costs
Qualifying investment
Fund route; capital at market risk
€500,000
AIMA processing fee
On application, 2026 fee table
≈ €600 per person
Permit issuance fee
On approval, per family member
≈ €8,400 per person
Renewal fee
At each renewal
≈ €4,200 per person
Fund subscription and management
Typically an entry fee plus annual management charges
Varies by fund
Portuguese lawyer, NIF, translations, apostilles
Legal work is done by a Portuguese lawyer, not by us
Quoted in Portugal
Our own fee is fixed and quoted after the first call, with 18% GST included. Government and third-party costs are paid at cost.
No. Property purchase and plain money transfer were removed on 7 October 2023. The routes open in 2026 are regulated funds, company formation with job creation, research funding, and arts or heritage support.
On average seven days a year — fourteen days in each two-year permit period. This is the lightest stay rule of any EU programme. It is why Indian business owners pick it over Spain’s old visa or Malta’s programme.
Ten years of legal residence, under the nationality law that started on 19 May 2026. The old five-year rule no longer applies to new applicants. Permanent residence is still possible at five years.
It is an investment, not a fee. You can sell the fund units when the fund allows, usually after six to ten years, at whatever they are worth then. Nobody can promise you will get the money back. Avoid any adviser who does.
Yes, if they depend on you financially. Spouse, dependent children and dependent parents of either spouse can all be covered by one investment. Government fees are charged for each person.
Under the RBI’s Liberalised Remittance Scheme, at US$250,000 per person per financial year, through your bank with Form A2, your PAN and the TCS that applies. A couple can finish the amount in one year. One person usually needs two. We plan the order of these steps with you and your chartered accountant.
We check whether the programme fits your family. We plan the money transfers and the documents from the Indian side. We prepare and apostille the Indian documents. We work with the Portuguese lawyer who files the ARI, and we manage the file until you get the card. We do not sell funds or property, and we do not give investment advice.
Other Portugal visas: see the Portugal page.
Checked 2026-09-05 against: AIMA — Autorização de Residência para Investimento · Portuguese Nationality Law amendment (in force 19 May 2026) · RBI — Liberalised Remittance Scheme master direction. Rules change; we re-check before any filing.
