Portugal Golden Visa 2026

Portugal remains one of the most attractive destinations for investors seeking a long-term pathway to EU citizenship by investment through residency. The Portugal Golden Visa program allows non-EU nationals to obtain Portuguese residency through qualifying investments, most commonly via regulated investment funds.

Under the current framework, Golden Visa holders can typically apply for Portuguese citizenship after 5 years of legal residency, subject to meeting standard naturalization requirements. These usually include passing a basic Portuguese language test (A2 level), maintaining a clean criminal record, and complying with residency rules. One of the key advantages of the Portugal Golden Visa is its minimal stay requirement, allowing investors to maintain residency status with limited physical presence while working toward EU citizenship eligibility.

For investors researching Portugal Golden Visa 2026 requirements, the program continues to focus on fund-based and alternative investment routes following real estate restrictions. While discussions about potential nationality law reforms have taken place, the 5-year residency pathway remains the most widely applied benchmark in current professional practice.

Portugal’s Golden Visa is not direct citizenship by investment, but it remains one of Europe’s most reliable residency-to-citizenship pathways for global investors seeking EU mobility, stability, and long-term security.

Important — Policy Changes Being Discussed / Proposed 

There are signals and proposals that may extend the timeline: 

Some proposals and policy discussions suggest increasing citizenship eligibility to 7–10 years for many foreign nationals (not fully uniform / depends on final law status).

News reporting has also mentioned potential moves to extend from 5 years → up to 10 years for many foreigners, but this depends on legislative finalisation and implementation timing.