In September/October 2020, 78 main applicants and 145 dependents obtained residency by investment in Portugal, bringing over EUR 43 million to the local economy. September is traditionally less active than August and July. That said, statistics shows that this September had the highest gross numbers in the history of the program.

At this point in 2020, Portugal’s Residency by Investment (RBI) program has yielded EUR 540 million. Over EUR 720 million more is expected by the end of the year. These figures don’t count as a yearly record, yet Portugal will definitely do better than its competitor Greece.

Since the program’s launch in 2012, over 9,000 main applicants have invested EUR 5.5 billion within the RBI programme, mostly through the purchase of property at EUR 500,000 or higher. In recent years, more candidates have opted for alternative investment. In 2020, one out of three applicants are choosing options other than real estate purchase (compared to one out of 15 just four years ago).

The fastest-growing category at the moment is venture capital/investment funds – an option that requires an investment of EUR 350,000. One out of 20 investors have opted for this scenario in 2020.

Chinese applicants remain the main investor group under the programme. In September 2020, 19 Chinese nationals obtained their residence permits. They are followed by the Vietnamese who received 9 permits last month.

Astons is a leading global immigration advisory firm with offices worldwide. We offer residency & citizenship investment solutions in Europe and the Caribbean. For further information or to discuss your personal circumstances in a private consultation, please contact Astons at [email protected].