The Portuguese investment citizenship program is among Europe’s most successful golden visa programs. In fact, it has enabled many people to enter Portugal and other European countries. The program is the best option for investors or business oriented people because it gives them an easier way to enter the country. They only have to invest in some projects specified by the authorities.
Good enough, it has affordable qualifying investments you can venture into. Each applicant has a chance to choose an investment that fits in his or her financial position. Let us explore some of the steps involved in acquiring citizenship through the program.
1. Make a Qualifying Investment
The program requires you to first invest in Portugal. There are several qualifying investments like acquiring investment fund and making donations. You can also open up a business and create a minimum of ten employment opportunities. According to the rules, you should have at least ten full time employees in the company.
The good news is that the investments have different capital requirements. Some need more capital while others require less. For example, donating to arts and culture is manageable because you only have to spend 250,000 Euros. Others like investment fund need more money, which is 500,000 Euros. After choosing an investment and meeting the capital requirement, you qualify for this Portugal Investment Citizenship program.
2. Stay in Portugal for Five years
After making your Investment in Portugal, you should stay in the country for some years before you start applying for citizenship. The program requires you to apply for citizenship after having lived or stayed in the nation for 5 years. When this period elapses, you can now start on the application process for Portuguese citizenship.
Best of all, your chances of getting citizenship through the golden visa program are high. The process won’t be long as it usually is for people who aren’t under any program.
3. Have a Clean Criminal Record
When applying for the program from the very start, the authorities conduct a background check. This is done to ensure that you don’t have any criminal record from your home country. Portugal doesn’t welcome any criminal into its territories for the safety of its citizens.
On top of that, you have to be a good citizen for the 5 years you will spend in the country before applying for citizenship. If you have had a bad record with the authorities in this period, you may limit your chances of getting citizenship. You shouldn’t also have any outstanding tax payments.
4. Provide the Needed Documentation
Ensure that you have all the needed documentation asked or needed by the immigration office. For example, certificate of investment that confirms that you are an investor in the country. Your passport should also be ready and those of your family members you plan to move with.
This ensures that you have a smooth process when applying for citizenship because you have everything in order. You will also need an A2 level Portuguese language certification after the five years stay.
Embrace Portugal Investment Citizenship Program
Move to Europe smoothly by embracing the Portugal Investment Citizenship program because it eases the process. You won’t face any challenges if you meet the requirements.