Under the Portugal Golden Visa Program, residency (and eventually citizenship) in Portugal is offered after the qualifying individual makes a sizable investment in the country’s economy.
Over the years, Portugal Golden Visa Program has become increasingly popular for people around the world looking to relocate. The country’s mediterranean climate, tax breaks, and easygoing way of life continues appealing to increasing amounts of expats and other individuals who want to get Portuguese citizenship.
In this guide, we’ll have a look at what it means to invest in Portugal for Portuguese citizenship. This means exploring the Portugal Golden Visa Program for South African citizens, eligibility criteria, the benefits of living in Portugal, and much more.
First, let’s have a look at the key investment options for Portugal Golden Visa Program.
What You Will Find In This Article
- Key Investment Options for Portugal Golden Visa
- Eligibility Criteria for South Africans
- Step-by-Step Application Process
- Cost of Living Comparison: Portugal vs. South Africa
- Tax Considerations for Golden Visa Holders
- Family Reunification Options
- The South African Community in Portugal
- Conclusion: The Appeal of the Portugal Golden Visa
Key Investment Options for Portugal Golden Visa
As of 2025, there have been significant changes to the Portugal Golden Visa Program. It’s important to be mindful of this before moving forward with the Portugal Golden Visa Program.
Investment options previously included real estate purchases and funds related to real estate investment. However, this is no longer viable for those seeking real estate investment in Portugal for Golden Visa. Today, the Portugal Golden Visa is available to high net worth individuals via fund investment and cultural donation.
Portugal Golden Visa Fund Investment
The fund investment for Portugal Golden Visa Program requires a subscription of no less than €500,000 in key national funds. Qualifying funds include venture capital funds and private equity. Any funds with connections to real estate investment are not acceptable for Portuguese citizenship by investment.
Cultural Donation
When seeking investment in Portugal for Golden Visa, cultural donations in national heritage preservation and research and/or development activity is acceptable. The minimum donation for national heritage preservation is €250,000, while the minimum donation for research and/or development activity stands at €500,000.
Eligibility Criteria for South Africans
In South Africa, there’s a pretty significant demand for the Portugal Golden Visa Program. At this point in the guide, we’ll thoroughly break down requirements for Golden Visa, Portugal financial criteria, and residency stipulations.
The Portugal Golden Visa Program for South Africans requires individuals to be at least 18 years of age. Individuals who meet this mandate must also be a citizen of either South Africa or another non-Swiss, non-EEA, or non-EU nation.
Financial Requirements
Finances are another huge factor when looking to invest in Portugal for citizenship. South Africans are required to invest at least €250,000 in the country’s economy. These monetary contributions can go towards either fund investment or cultural donation.
Step-by-Step Application Process
If you’re ready to move forward with investment in Portugal for Golden Visa, you’ll want to fully understand the step-by-step application process. Knowing what to expect helps ensure that everything runs smoothly and mistakes are avoided. If you need assistance throughout this process, an immigration attorney can work with you.
In this section of the guide, we’ll explore what South Africans need to do when seeking investment in Portugal for Golden Visa.
Preparing Required Documentation
After you’ve selected your preferred investment option, you’ll need to gather all the essential documentation. This includes the following:
- Application Form
- Application Fee
- Processing Receipt
- Copy of a Clear Criminal Record
- Copy of a Valid Passport (and Other Relevant Travel Records if Applicable)
- Declaration Confirming Your Adherence to Investment Requirement.
Depending on your country of origin and other factors, additional documentation may be necessary when pursuing Portugal Golden Visa Program for South African citizens. In this case, seeking out an immigration attorney may prove helpful in avoiding any missteps that eat up time and resources.
Submitting Your Application
Once you’ve prepared the required documentation and made the aforementioned qualifying investment, the next step is submitting your application. The Golden Visa for Portugal application should be handed into Portuguese authorities. From this point forward, you’ll await either approval or denial.
Submitting Your Application
Once your application for the Portugal Golden Visa Program gets accepted, you’ll need to be interviewed in person by the country’s immigration and border services office (AIMA). While being interviewed by the AIMA, you can expect questions about why you’re seeking residency and/or citizenship in Portugal, your plans to support yourself in the country, etc.
Receiving Your Golden Visa
Finally acquiring the Portugal Golden Visa for South Africans can take one year to 15 months. You should be prepared for the extensive waiting period and have a plan on what you’ll do amid seeking residency in Portugal.
Upon receiving the Golden Visa, it’s important that you adhere to the minimum stay requirements of seven days for your first year in the country. After the first year, the minimum stay increases to 14 days. Once you’ve held residency in Portugal for five to six years, you can then become eligible for citizenship.
Benefits of Living in Portugal
When you invest in Portugal for citizenship, there are a lot of lifestyle benefits that come along with this. Now, we’ll have a look at the tangible benefits of holding the Portugal Golden Visa for South Africans.
High Quality of Life
Central to the country’s high quality of life is its innate natural beauty and more relaxed approach to day to day life. From diverse restaurants, shops, and cityscape attractions in cities like Porto and Lisbon to beautiful coastlines in Madeira, Portugal has much to offer its residents. Portugal’s high quality of life is attractive to not just expats and locals, but also vacationers who want to enjoy the soothing climate and amenities.
Access to Educational Opportunities
Across private and public institutions, Portugal is known for having an exceptional education system. When seeking higher education, residents also enjoy access to facilities like the University of Lisbon and University of Porto, which have both been praised by the QS World University Rankings 2024. Over the years, many people relocating to Portugal have been motivated by the country’s considerable educational opportunities.
Healthcare and Social Services
Portugal’s healthcare system and social services are largely funded by taxpayers. In most cases, critical medical services don’t require you to pay out of pocket. Non-essential medical services and procedures, on the other hand, generally come with modest co-payments. Among the premier social services available in Portugal are old age pension, child benefit, and parental allowance.
Potential for Dual Citizenship
Under South African law, dual citizenship is not permitted. As such, holders of the Golden Visa for Portugal will have to first give up their citizenship in South Africa. The same does not apply to individuals who simply remain as residents in Portugal.
Cost of Living Comparison: Portugal vs. South Africa
When moving to invest in Portugal for citizenship, it’s important to know how the cost of living differs from South Africa. Here, we’ll dissect the variations in expenses for housing, food, transportation, healthcare, and education.
Potential for Dual Citizenship
Renting and purchasing housing accommodations is significantly cheaper in South Africa than in Portugal. The average one bedroom apartment in South Africa costs €409.95 per month, while the average one bedroom apartment in Portugal shakes out to €935.80 per month. Some people seeking the Portugal Golden Visa for South Africans think the price hike is worth Portuguese standards of living, but everyone has to decide for themselves.
Food and Transportation
A similar dynamic is maintained when comparing the costs of food and transportation in both countries. With the exception of milk (which is slightly cheaper in Portugal), South Africa is the less expensive country to feed oneself. This holds true whether you’re purchasing food at markets/grocery stores or dining out at restaurants.
Transportation also tends to be more expensive in Portugal. However, there are some outliers when comparing the average cost of a monthly pass for regular price public transit. In South Africa, the price stands at €40.07. In Portugal, it’s just €40. Both countries also have access to rideshare services like Uber and Bolt; though South Africa is still the less expensive country.
Food and Transportation
On the healthcare system index, Portugal’s healthcare system stands at 71.88%, while South Africa’s stands at 63.94%. When assessing factors such as the competency/skill of staff, completion speed, equipment quality, and more, Portugal leads South Africa. While individual healthcare prices can vary depending on one’s age, medical status, and other factors, Portugal spends 10.6% of its gross domestic product (GDP) on healthcare. In South Africa, the GDP spent on healthcare is around 8% to 9%.
Education in Portugal, across the board, is more expensive than education in South Africa. This holds true not just for higher learning institutions, but also for private schools. Both countries have access to public learning, which is free in Portugal and generally government-funded in South Africa.
Tax Considerations for Golden Visa Holders
In this guide so far, we’ve had a look at the Golden Visa for Portugal’s requirements. We’ve also compared living expenses in both countries, while exploring the benefits of calling Portugal home. Though before you hand in your application for the Portugal Golden Visa Program, you’ll want to keep the following tax considerations in mind.
Tax Residency Rules
The Portugal Golden Visa for South Africans comes with the Non-Habitual Residence (NHR) 2.0 tax system. Under this system, visa holders may be able to see their foreign income go without taxation for up to ten years. This foreign income includes dividends, pensions, and royalties.
It’s also important to remember the 183 day rule. Under investment in Portugal for Golden Visa, you can steer clear of tax responsibility, as long as you don’t spend more than 183 days within one year inside the country. Once you surpass these 183 days, Portugal then considers you an official tax resident.
Income Tax Implications
Once you become a tax resident in Portugal, you’re subject to the country’s taxation of personal income. As of 2025, the tax rates start at 13% and go all the way up to 48%. However, non-residents may be subject to a flat tax of 25%.
If you have any questions about what you may owe in taxes to the Portuguese government, reaching out to a tax expert is advisable. This way, you can get custom information and answers that specifically apply to your finances.
Family Reunification Options
The Portugal Golden Visa for South Africans does permit family reunifications. Under the current system, applicants of this visa (upon approval) will see their spouses, dependent parents, and children eligible for Portuguese residency permits. This is by design and meant to be inclusive as a means of attracting high net worth individuals to Portugal.
The South African Community in Portugal
Over the years, growing numbers of South Africans have found Portugal to be a desirable destination to call home. The South African community exists throughout Portugal, though is most commonly found in cities like Lisbon, Faro, and Porto. The Facebook group “South Africans in Portugal” is also a great resource for South Africans. Those who are seeking Portugal citizenship by investment or looking to settle down after visa acquisition find the sense of community to be quite welcoming.
Conclusion: The Appeal of the Portugal Golden Visa
Throughout this guide, we had a look at why the Portugal Golden Visa for South Africans is such a worthwhile asset. We also reviewed important tax considerations before giving into family reunification offerings and Portugal’s vibrant South African community.
Throughout this process, we learned that calling Portugal home is something that more and more South Africans are striving towards.
Holding the Golden Visa for Portugal comes with benefits beyond the day to day lifestyle comforts. It also allows you to travel the Schengen Area without further visas. For business owners, venture capitalists, or people who enjoy traveling for leisure, this can make a huge difference in their lives.
When you invest in Portugal for citizenship, you get to work and study in the country as well. With minimal physical presence mandates and a premier standard of living, the Portugal Golden Visa for South Africa is hard to pass up.
If you know someone in South Africa who may be interested in the Portugal Golden Visa Program, feel free to share this guide with them.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Can I live in Portugal with a South African Passport?
South African nationals who wish to reside in Portugal must secure the appropriate visa or residence permit, depending on their purpose of stay. The Portugal Golden Visa program is a popular route for South African investors seeking permanent residency in European countries. Additionally, obtaining Portuguese citizenship requires passing a basic Portuguese language test.
Who qualifies for the Portugal Golden Visa?
To be eligible for the Portugal Golden Visa, applicants must be non-EU, non-EEA, and non-Swiss nationals. South African investors qualify if they make a minimum investment of €250,000. Investment options include contributions to cultural projects, investment funds, or job creation initiatives.
How long do I need to live in Portugal to obtain Portuguese citizenship?
To qualify for Portuguese citizenship, Golden Visa holders must maintain their residency for at least five years. This includes meeting Portugal Golden Visa requirements, maintaining investments, and complying with minimum stay obligations. After this period, they can apply for a Portuguese passport, unlocking visa-free travel to over 190 destinations.
How long does it take to get a Portugal Golden Visa for South African citizens?
The approval process for the Portugal Golden Visa typically takes 12 to 14 months. After approval, successful applicants receive a residence card, granting them the right to live, work, and travel within European Union member states.
What is the difference between the Portugal Golden Visa and the D7 Visa?
The Golden Visa is a residency-by-investment program requiring a significant financial commitment. In contrast, the Portugal D7 Visa is designed for retirees and individuals with passive income sources, such as freelancers or pensioners, without requiring a minimum investment. Both programs offer a pathway to Portuguese citizenship and a Portuguese passport.
What are the benefits of the Portugal Golden Visa for South African families?
The Portugal Golden Visa offers numerous advantages for South African families looking to establish residency in European countries. These include:
- Visa-free travel across the Schengen Zone
- A pathway to Portuguese citizenship after five years
- Access to Portugal’s high-quality healthcare and education system
- Attractive investment opportunities for long-term financial growth
- A safe, stable, and welcoming environment for expatriate families.
Can South African investors apply for a Portugal Golden Visa through real estate investment?
As of October 2023, real estate investment no longer qualifies for the Portugal Golden Visa program. However, South African investors can still apply through other minimum investment routes, including venture capital funds, scientific research, and cultural donations.
What is the Portugal Golden Visa?
The Portugal Golden Visa is a five-year residency-by-investment program available to South African investors and other non-EU nationals. It is a key part of Portugal’s welcoming immigration policy, allowing applicants to secure permanent residency and, eventually, a Portuguese passport.
With its strategic location in Europe, visa-free travel privileges, and investment-friendly environment, the Portugal Golden Visa program remains one of the most sought-after residency options for many South Africans seeking a new life in European countries.
