The Portugal Golden Visa program is a popular initiative among non-EU/EEA nationals, allowing qualifying candidates to secure a Portuguese residence permit along with their family members, in exchange for a significant direct investment. To date, over 10,000 investors have been rewarded with permits, illustrating just how successful the program is.
While there are various investment routes to a Portugal Golden Visa, one of the cheapest options is the Portugal Golden Visa €280k option. This pertains to making an investment in a rehabilitation project in a low-density area for €280k. This is why it’s become somewhat of industry jargon to say the ‘Portugal Golden Visa €280k option’. It simply refers to the property rehabilitation route applicants can take to secure a Portugal Golden Visa, should the property be located in a low-density area.
In this article, we’ll break down the €280k real estate option for the Golden Visa so that you’ll get a crystal clear understanding of how to take advantage of this affordable investment route to residency.
But before we dive right in, we’d like to share an important Golden Visa requirement with you. Commercial real estate is the only option if you want to make a property investment in Lisbon, Porto, or many other cities.
Unfortunately, residential properties in these spots don’t qualify for a Portugal Golden Visa. For more information about these changes you can consult our article: Portugal Golden Visa Changes, Updates, and New Rules.
Relevant Investment Options for the Portugal Golden Visa: €280k Real Estate Option
Investors have a few options on the table when making a Portugal Golden Visa real estate investment. We’ll break these down below.
Portugal Golden Visa real estate
Residential real estate investment: Buy residential real estate in designated interior areas of Portugal worth at least €500,000. If the residential property is located in a low-density area, a 20 percent discount is applied to the investment, bringing the lump sum to €400,000.
Commercial real estate: Applicants also have the option of buying commercial property (office space, shop, unit in a qualifying condominium, space inside a shopping mall, etc.) anywhere in Portugal worth at least €500,000. Again, if the commercial real estate is located in a low-density area, then a 20 percent discount applies, bringing the investment amount down to €400,000.
Real estate rehabilitation- €280k Golden Visa Portugal
Investors can also opt to invest in Golden Visa property that requires renovation, rehabilitation, or restoration. In this case, the minimum investment requirement is €350,000.
The requirements are as follows: The Golden Visa property has to be built more than 30 years ago or has to be located in a designated area of urban rehabilitation. If the property falls in a low-density area of Portugal, then a 20 percent discount applies, bringing the investment down to just €280k. The same concept regarding residential versus commercial applies here. Residential rehabilitation projects are limited to interior areas of Portugal, while there are no location restrictions associated with commercial rehabilitation investments.
Important note: The minimum required investment amount refers to the property purchase price AND the renovation costs amount combined.
The Property Renovation Option of the Portugal Golden Visa
If you are interested in the property renovation option of the Portugal Golden Visa, you will need to make sure that the project is approved by the Town Hall (Câmara Municipal). The property in question should be confirmed as meeting the criteria by the property owner or by an architect.
The €280k option for the Golden Visa involves both the price of the property and the ex-VAT cost of the contracted renovation works. Other expenses, including government fees, assistance fees, and taxes, will not count in the total investment amount.