Golden visas investment rises 30% in September to €48.5M

Investment from the golden visas in Portugal rose 29.7% in September, year on year, to €48.5 million, according to accounts made by Lusa based on statistics from the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF).

In September, total investment from Residence Permits for Investment Activities (ARI) rose to €48,450,021.42, an increase of 29.7% compared to the same month in 2018 (€37 million).

Compared to August, when the investment was €82.5 million, it fell 41%.

Of the total investment raised in September, €41 million corresponded to the purchase of real estate and the remaining €7.4 million from the capital transfer requirement.

Last month, 75 golden visas were granted, of which 67 were issued in connection with the requirement to acquire real estate and eight were issued in connection with the transfer of capital.

Of the total number of visas granted with the purchase of the real estate, 23 corresponded to the acquisition for urban rehabilitation.

In the first nine months of the year, the investment raised totalled €601.5 million, 1% more than a year earlier.

In almost seven years – the ARI programme was launched in October 2012 – the accumulated investment up to September amounted to €4,851,321,701.65, with the acquisition of real estate amounting to €4,378,813,787.85.

The golden visas granted through the capital transfer amounted to €472,507,913.8.

Since the creation of this instrument, which aims to attract investment, 7,960 ARI have been granted: two in 2012, 494 in 2013, 1,526 in 2014, 766 in 2015, 1,414 in 2016, 1,351 in 2017, 1,409 in 2018 and 998 in 2019.

Up to last September, in accumulated terms, 7,498 golden visas were granted through the purchase of the real estate, of which 410 because of urban rehabilitation.

By capital transfer requirement, the visas granted total 445 and 17 were granted through the creation of at least 10 jobs.

By nationality, China leads the allocation of visas (4,396), followed by Brazil (829), Turkey (366), South Africa (314) and Russia (283).

Since the beginning of the programme, 13,551 residence permits have been granted to reunited family members, of which 1,736 this year.