Golden visas: investment falls 18.4% in April to 63.6 million euros

  • ECO News
  • 11 May 2018

In April, 109 golden visas were granted, 100 of which for acquiring real estate. China remains the leading recipient of these residence permits.

Investment from golden visas decreased by 18.4% in April, in comparison to the same month of 2017, to 63.6 million euros, according to statistics from SEF (Portuguese Immigration and Borders Service).

In April, investment from Residence Permits for Investment Activities (ARI), known as ‘golden visas’, reached 63,647,583.14 euros, 18.4% less than in the same month of last year (78,069,068 euros). In comparison to March, investment fell 38.4%, according to SEF. From the total amount raised in April, a large majority corresponds to the acquisition of real estate (54,901,536.14 euros), and capital transfer raised 8,746,047 euros.

Last month, 109 visas were granted, from which 100 concerned the acquisition of real estate. Capital transfer was responsible for eight golden visas, while there was one ARI granted for creating, at least, ten job positions.

During the first four months of the year, investment from golden visas totaled 357,542,225.24 euros, a 30% plunge in comparison to the 511,326,231 euros registered in the same period of 2017.

In accumulated terms — since golden visas began being distributed, in October of 2012, until last April –, total investment raised ascends to 3,768,808,067.63 euros. From this amount, 356,433,221.20 euros came from capital transfers and 3,412,374,846.43 euros from the purchase of real estate. Also in accumulated terms, 5,816 visas were granted from the acquisition of real estate, 332 from capital transfers, and only 11 from the creation of at least ten job positions.

China leads the list of ARI, (3,805 until April), followed by Brasil (538), South Africa (243), Russia (215) and Turkey (202).

Since 2013, 10,396 residence permits were granted to regrouped family members: 576 in 2013, 2,395 in 2014, 1,322 in 2015, 2,344 in 2016, 2,678 in 2017 and 1,081 in 2018.