For a decade, Portugal's investor visa has arguably been one of the best in the world.
The edge was simple: invest, spend around 7 days a year there, and get a path to permanent residency and, eventually, citizenship.
It's also, in my view, the most poorly managed program in recent history. They raised the time to citizenship to 10 years, without explicitly grandfathering those who already invested (for now). The procedural rules should land shortly. I'll break that down in dedicated posts.
What's certain: for new investors, the clock is now 10 years (7 for nationals of Portuguese-speaking countries). And the minimal stay requirement is fully preserved.
So what? Contrary to what many expected, plenty of people are still choosing this path, through funds or other routes.
The donation route in particular has had a revival. Someone asked me why, with a donation project almost fully subscribed, I rarely talk about it. Fair point. You don't recover the capital, but at 200K it's one of the lowest thresholds, with straightforward mechanics. I assumed it was too niche for X. Happy to be proven wrong.
This one is led by one of Portugal's oldest foundations, we partnered with: the restoration of a historical building in Évora, part of it becoming a museum of decorative arts. 5 spots left out of 50.
There are pros and cons. If you're interested, DM me, we'll share more and connect you with the lawyers.