Portugal Golden Visa: 280,000 Euro Real Estate Option

The Portugal Golden Visa Program is a popular initiative among non-EU/EEA nationals, allowing qualifying candidates to secure the 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 Euro option. This pertains to making an investment in a rehabilitation project in a low-density area for €280,000. This is why it’s become somewhat of industry jargon to say the ‘Portugal Golden Visa 280,000 Euro option’. It simply refers to the property rehabilitation route applicants can take to secure a Portugal Golden Visa.

In this article, we’ll break down the 280,000 Euro real estate option for the Portuguese Golden Visa so that you’ll get a crystal clear understanding of how to take advantage of this golden visa investment route to residency.

But before we dive right in, we’d like to share an important golden visa requirement with you. Commercial property is the only option if you want to make a property investment in Lisbon, Porto, or in many coastal cities. Unfortunately, residential properties in these spots don’t qualify for a Portugal Golden Visa. For more information about these changes to the Portugal Golden Visa, click here.

€280k Golden Visa Portugal Real Estate Option

Investors have a few options on the table for making a Portugal Golden Visa real estate investment. We’ll break these down below. 

Portugal Golden Visa Real Estate

Residential Real Estate Investment: Buy golden visa 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% discount is applied to the investment, bringing the lump sum to €400,00.

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 property is located in a low-density area, then a 20% 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 rehabilitation and 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 thirty 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% discount applies, bringing the investment down to just €280,000. 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 golden visa property purchase price AND the renovation costs amount combined.

What Are The Requirements For The €280,000 Portuguese Golden Visa?

To see if your rehabilitation property meets the criteria for a discount, it must, as explained before, fall in a designated low-density area of Portugal.

Low-density regions are defined as territorial units (NUTS III) and have less than 100 inhabitants per square km or a per capita GDP of less than 75% of the national average. Note that this is different from low-density housing,  which refers to buildings with a small number of units or residential areas that are primarily occupied by single-family homes. High-density housing, in contrast, typically refers to urban areas that have a high number of units.

The main aim here for the reduced option is to attract investors to less accessible areas in Portugal and drive capital to underdeveloped regions.

When choosing your rehabilitation project, here are some tips for you:

• Get help from an independent advisor who can check whether the property meets the criteria for the Portugal Golden Visa
• Conduct a thorough property due diligence with a lawyer to ensure there are no faults or issues with licensing if applicable
• Find an approved, trustworthy contractor to do the renovation (the minimum total investment amount should include the renovation costs)
• Check the culture of the building (some properties sit on old historic sites and need a special permit from the city council)
• Factor in the documents you’ll need to supply and taxes you’ll need to cover to ensure a successful property purchase (Things you’ll need include setting up a Portuguese bank account and paying the stamp duty

The Most Popular Lower Density Areas For The Portugal Golden Visa

Some good low-density options that qualify for a discounted Portugal Golden Visa properties investment include:

• Viseu
• Santarém
• Leiria
• Braga
• Aveiro
• Viana do Castelo
• Some neighborhoods of Coimbra
• Peneda Gerês
• Douro Valley
• Aljezur

Advantages of Lower Density Areas

As a property owner, you can tap into numerous advantages of investing in low-density areas for the Portugal golden visa 280K option. These include:

Where Are Low-Density Areas in Portugal?

Alternative investment options to the Portugal Golden Visa 280K

Property investments are usually the preferred route for the Portugal Golden Visa. However, increasingly investors are turning to the Portugal Golden Visa Investment Fund option, seeing it as a new, hassle-free way to acquire Portuguese residency.

Having property ownership can be attractive to some, especially when it can result in rental income or even a holiday home. In practice, however, this may not be a suitable option for everyone, as finding and buying a property can be tricky and time-consuming. An alternative option would be to make a capital transfer in investment funds or venture capital funds to the amount of or greater than €500,000. 

For extra clarity, consult our Portugal Golden Visa investment fund guide here. 

Alternatively, applicants can also transfer capital in the amount of €250,000 or more, applied to the artistic production, recovery, or maintenance of the national cultural heritage. This is the cheapest way to secure a Golden Visa, but it’s not an investment persay, but more of a donation. 

Who are we and how can we help you?

Global Citizen Solutions is a boutique investment migration consultancy firm focused on finding the right residency or citizenship by investment program for individuals wishing to secure their future and become global citizens.

From helping individuals secure their dream real estate investments with the help of our real estate division in Portugal — Goldcrest — to providing successful immigration and relocation services, our international team is with you every step of the way.

Our team has a 100% success rate when it comes to the whole Portugal Golden Visa application process and will make sure that you find the suitable investment for your requirements.

Your dedicated account manager will accompany you throughout the process, saving you time when it comes to making your application. Our team has years of experience and will help you avoid the difficulties that befall many Portuguese Golden Visa investors.