Residency by Investment
Portugal.
Five Years to a European Passport.
The shortest route to EU citizenship of any program we handle — eligible to apply after five years, on a residence permit whose stay requirement is light enough to actually meet. From €250,000 into cultural production, €500,000 into a qualifying fund.
Since 2007. Narrower Than It Was, and Still the Fastest.
The 2023 reform closed the property and capital-transfer routes and left five: jobs, research, culture, funds and commercial ventures. What survived is the part that mattered most — five years of residency and you are eligible to apply for the passport.
Citizenship at Five Years
Five years of residency makes a holder eligible to apply. Naturalisation adds requirements of its own.
Schengen — 90 Days in Any 180
Visa-free access to the Schengen Area for three months in any six-month period.
The Widest Family Scope We Handle
Spouse or partner, dependent children, parents over 65 on both sides, and siblings under guardianship.
Three to Six Months
No interview, no language test, and no education or experience requirement.
The Right to Live and Work
The permit lets you and your family live and work in Portugal, not merely visit.
Legally Ensured
Run under Portuguese legislation with government guarantees behind it, since 2007.
Healthcare and Education
Access to Portuguese healthcare and education once the permit is issued.
Twenty Per Cent Off in Low-Density Areas
A fifth off the threshold in regions under 100 people per km², or below 75% of average GDP.
Two Things to Know First
You cannot buy property for this any more. In September 2023 the Portuguese Parliament voted to remove the real-estate and capital-transfer routes from the program. Portugal's Golden Visa is still widely assumed to be a way of buying an apartment, and it has not been one since. The five routes below are what remains.
There is a stay requirement — light, but real. Unlike Greece, which asks for nothing, Portugal expects a minimum physical presence in each period to keep the permit and to reach the five-year citizenship mark. That condition is precisely what makes the five years reachable rather than theoretical. Ask us for the current day count before you plan around it; it is set by regulation and moves.
Your Entire Journey, In One Panel
From eligibility to permit issuance — and every renewal on the way to year five — the Bayat Group panel keeps every document, decision and milestone in one place, guided by Pathinnova AI and reviewed by our legal team.
Five Routes. None of Them Property.
Jobs, research, culture, funds or a commercial venture. Invest in a low-density region and a fifth comes off the threshold — the toggle in Article II applies it.
Non-binding estimate
Real estate and capital transfer were removed by the September 2023 reform. These five remain.
The qualifying investment does not change with household size — only the fees do. The family definition here is unusually wide: parents, adult children still dependent, and siblings under guardianship all qualify.
Two totals, not one: the thresholds are set in euros and the fee schedule is published in US dollars. Adding them would mean inventing an exchange rate, so we do not.
The business-investment route asks for ten jobs rather than a sum, so no threshold is shown against it and the euro subtotal reads as a dash — the capital required depends on the business. On the low-density reduction the source disagrees with itself: the overview says it applies to the first three routes, the investment-options section says it applies to all of them. The toggle applies it to all, following the section actually dedicated to the thresholds, and this is worth confirming before you rely on it. Qualifying funds must have a maturity of at least five years and allocate at least 60% to commercial companies based in Portugal. Legal, notary and fund subscription costs are additional. Due diligence is charged for dependents aged 16 and over. The published fee schedule includes a passport fee, reproduced as published even though Portugal issues a residence permit rather than a passport under this program. Figures are indicative, non-binding, and confirmed during due diligence.
Five Steps to an EU Residence Permit
Select a step to see what happens — and note that the last one repeats until year five.
Internal Due Diligence and Qualification Assessment
Bayat Group's compliance team conducts an internal due diligence check — a background security screening of the applicant, preparation of KYC (Know Your Client) documentation, and a qualification assessment against the program's requirements.
Talk It Through. Then Begin.
Our concierge answers your Portugal questions in minutes — and when you are ready, it opens your application right where the conversation ends.
Sending opens your secure Bayat Group account, where an advisor picks the thread up.
Assessed against your own circumstances, in about five minutes.
- It asks about your circumstances, not your paperwork
- It names the trade-offs before you commit to a route
- It ends with the programs you actually qualify for
A scripted example. Your own assessment is private, and takes about five minutes.
Assessment
An adviser that reads your circumstances, then the rulebook.
40+ official programs, each with its own arithmetic. The assessment maps those rules to your situation in a short conversation and tells you where you actually stand.
- It asks about you, not about paperworkWhere your family is going, what your work needs, what you would not give up. Navigating the rules is our business, not your burden.
- Clear, unbiased reasoningWhen options pull in different directions, it calls out the compromise, detailing what each path costs you before you decide.
- A shortlist tailored to youNo generic marketing. Just the programs your profile actually unlocks, with realistic timelines and capital commitments.
Step one of three
Where should we send your code?
One address, one five-digit code. No password to invent, and nothing sent to you that you did not ask for.
Step two of three
Check your email
We sent a 5-digit code to . It expires shortly, so it is worth doing now.
Setting up your assessment…
One moment.