Routes and amounts
| Route | Type | Minimum | Low-density territory | What qualifies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Investment fund | fund | EUR 500,000 | Same | Units in non-real-estate collective investment undertakings under Portuguese law, maturity at least 5 years, at least 60% invested in companies headquartered in Portugal |
| Scientific research | donation | EUR 500,000 | EUR 400,000 | Capital applied to research activities at public or private institutions in the national scientific and technological system |
| Cultural heritage or artistic production | donation | EUR 250,000 | EUR 200,000 | Support to artistic production or to the recovery and maintenance of national cultural heritage, through qualifying public bodies or public-utility foundations. Not returned to the investor |
| Company and jobs | company | EUR 500,000 | Same | Incorporate a company headquartered in Portugal creating 5 permanent jobs, or increase the capital of an existing company creating 5 permanent jobs or maintaining 10 jobs (5 permanent), for at least 3 years |
| Job creation | company | No fixed amount | 8 jobs in low-density territory | Create at least 10 jobs in Portugal. No minimum capital amount is set; the jobs are the requirement |
Routes as listed in article 3(1)(d) of Lei 23/2007 as amended1,2.
Key facts
- Programme
- Residence permit for investment (ARI)
- Status
- open
- Authority
- AIMA (Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum)
- Legal basis
- Lei 23/2007 art. 90-A, as amended by Lei 56/2023
- Permit
- Temporary residence, 2 years, renewable while the investment is held
- Minimum stay
- 7 in the first year, 14 in each subsequent period
- Permanent residence
- After 5 years
- Citizenship
- 10 (7 for EU and CPLP nationals) under Lei Orgânica 1/2026, counted from the grant of the permit
- Family included
- Spouse or partner, dependent children, dependent parents
- Property route
- No
- Last verified
What the amounts mean
The figures are the capital that must reach the qualifying asset, not the cost of applying. The fund route means EUR 500,000 in units of a collective investment undertaking under Portuguese law that does not invest in real estate, matures in at least five years and places at least 60% of its capital in companies headquartered in Portugal1,2. Subscription, legal and government fees sit on top.
The EUR 250,000 cultural route is a donation and is not returned2: the smallest figure in the table and, because the capital is spent, the costliest. The research route is classed as donation-like for the same reason2. The job-creation route has no capital figure; ten jobs, or eight in a low-density territory, are the requirement2. Whichever route is chosen, the investment is held for at least five years, confirmed by a declaration on honour, and may not be directed, directly or indirectly, at real estate2,3. Property purchase and the EUR 1.5 million capital-transfer route ended on 7 October 2023 with Lei 56/20233.
Government fees are set by Portaria 307/2023 and revised5. Figures published by legal advisers in 2026 put the AIMA charges at about EUR 6,300 to EUR 6,950 per person for the application and first card and about EUR 3,000 to EUR 3,800 per renewal; confirm the current tariff with AIMA before budgeting1,5.
Stay rules and renewal
Portugal asks for 7 days of presence in the first year and 14 days in each subsequent two-year period, the lowest stated requirement in the dataset1,2. The permit is issued for two years and renewed while the investment is held1. Renewals have run online through AIMA's portal since 16 February 20261.
AIMA has carried a backlog since 2023; the government undertook in October 2025 to clear pending files during 2026. No processing-time estimate is published here because the authority publishes none1.
Family
Article 98 of Lei 23/2007 allows the spouse or a partner of at least two years, minor children, dependent adult children in education and dependent parents to join the main applicant2. Reunification may be requested with the main application and depends on it2.
Applicants must be third-country nationals with no conviction punishable in Portugal by more than a year, no entry ban or Schengen alert, recognised health insurance, a tax and social security clearance issued within 45 days, and lawful presence when biometrics are taken1,2.
Citizenship position
Permanent residence is available after five years of legal residence under article 80 of Lei 23/2007, and a specific permanent ARI permit is issued2. Naturalisation changed on 19 May 2026 under Lei Orgânica 1/2026: ten years of legal residence for most third-country nationals, seven for EU and CPLP nationals, counted from the grant of the permit rather than from the application4. Applications pending on 19 May 2026 continue under the previous five-year rule4. Integration requirements include Portuguese at A2 level and a knowledge test4.
An earlier version of the reform, adopted in October 2025, was partly struck down by the Constitutional Court in December 2025 (Acórdão 1133/2025) before the current text passed4. The 2026 law did not change the residence permit for investment itself4. A permit granted today reaches permanent residence in five years and eligibility for naturalisation in ten.
Sources
- Autorização de Residência para Investimento, Art. 90.º-A. AIMA. Accessed 3 September 2026.
- Lei n.º 23/2007, de 4 de julho (legal regime of entry, stay, exit and removal of foreigners), consolidated. Diário da República. Accessed 3 September 2026.
- Lei n.º 56/2023, de 6 de outubro (Mais Habitação), amending the ARI regime. Diário da República. Accessed 3 September 2026.
- Lei Orgânica n.º 1/2026, de 18 de maio, amending and republishing the Nationality Law (Lei n.º 37/81). Diário da República n.º 95/2026, Série I. Accessed 3 September 2026.
- Portaria n.º 307/2023, de 13 de outubro (fee table for visas and residence permits). Diário da República. Accessed 3 September 2026.